It took me five hours to make myself get to it. I snuck glances at it, wondering if maybe it and I could still be friends. Nope. It was definitely a tadpole. The in-laws were up at Dad’s sister’s for the day, Aunt Mary Lynn showing them where the major fire three weeks ago had missed their home in the mountains, and as they drove up there, fire trucks raced towards the new Bonny Doon fire.
I had nothing whatsofreakingever to complain about.
I wanted to get it done while they were gone. The rip, rip frogging’s not so bad, it’s that last little bit. Tinking the last row back onto the needles, hundreds of shawl stitches curving and overlapping into chaos, with the silk mercilessly slippery–but the cashmere strand helped steady it. I wound them round the empty end of the silk’s tube. I alternated leaning on my elbows, lying on the floor, hunched way over, trying to make the task more comfortable. I needed the slight friction of the rug’s surface to try to hold it more still to cut down on any one stitch’s running away from home. Lifeline? Me? On a simple pattern? My pride would have guffawed. That’ll teach me.
But while I was avoiding the whole thing, I got out the Knitpicks Bare merino/silk that had been sitting there staring at me a couple of weeks while the wedding was going on. Ran my hands down its length, pleased again at the texture of it. Nobody home but me. I can stink up the house (*I* think the dyepot in action smells of creativity and possibilities and oh cool.) Jacquard Acid dye in navy, not too much, and at first, the yarn turned a deep purple. I really liked it and debated snatching it out of the pot then and there. I’ve done that before, although knowing that the half hour of simmering is what sets the dye. One time, I grabbed a yarn out of the pot right after it hit the water, set up a dyepot of plain water, and made it do its time in that–it cost me a little of the depth of the color, but it stayed the same overall. Next time I’d probably snatch it out and zap it in the microwave for the rest of its heat, now that I’ve finally dedicated one large glass bowl to the dyezone.
Anyway, I let it go its full time, and the purple gave way to blue, with a little brownishness exhausting out of the pot when I was done. I’ve seen that before, and it makes me want to tour a dye factory and go do research.
Going to a brief doctor’s appointment, I grabbed a UFO on my way out the door. Got that project closer to being done, and I was glad to have it back on current-project status.
So it was a good and productive day. And then I glanced at the clock, remembered when the folks were expected back, knew I didn’t want them to watch me being uncomfortable with my butt high in the air while leaning on my elbows, growling at the silk running away from the tips of my needles, stitch after stitch after stitch, thought again of Diana’s words which rang so true for me: “I’ve seldom regretted frogging, but have occasionally regretted letting something be. not always, but occasionally.” And I frogged the bleeping thing. I did it. It’s done.
And then, as the Bare dried, I knitted the other WIP a little more just to show the silk who was boss.
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I so look forward to having a day to myself, at home, to do knitterly things. Even frogging…but, with a 5 and 6 year old, that is a dream for the future:) Glad you had a (almost)fun and productive day. Can’t wait to see the new “dye job”.
Comment by Mary Jane 06.12.08 @ 1:25 pmYou showed that silk. I hope it was watching you knit the other WIP – I always make the bad ones watch me work with the good ones…
Comment by Sandra 06.12.08 @ 6:03 pmI love it! The dying Bare, that is…
So my dear friend, say whatever I need to hear to give in and buy the sock blanks Knitpicks is offering right now, which seem so fun, but dyeing?! Ick…
Comment by Channon 06.13.08 @ 6:11 amYou seem to be of the same temperment as me as far as making the decision of whether to rip back or to leave it (’cause only I will know!) I can’t stand knowing I left an error, I know I will always regret it. So, my current plan is to put down the knitting and come back to it and rip it out and begin fresh. I think it has to do with not wanting to rip out what I just finished (as I wasted all that time and effort.) But, coming back to it later or the next day, I am once again a rational human being and can stay true to my nature — and rip it out and not feel like I wasted any time. Works the same for proofreading on the computer, making corrections, and reprinting. Having grown up with a typewriter, it’s so easy to fix errors on the computer, I feel compelled to fit it. Don’t really think it’s a bad thing. The finished item is better all around.
Comment by Melanie Zahara 06.13.08 @ 8:06 amLeave a comment
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