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When we last left Miss Doolittle, the two sections of this scarf were finished. All that remained was the grafting. After a few minutes of focused time with tapestry needle in hand Miss Doolittle was off the needles.
Since I'm taking this scarf across town for the weekend, I didn't waste any time in bathing and blocking it.
Water, wire and pins worked their magic.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Mavis, colorway Cedar.
Mavis is 80% Superwash Merino and 20% Tussah Silk.
This fingering weight yarn isn't on the website yet.
Coming soon.
Mavis and Miss Doolittle will both be at FiberCamp Boston this weekend.
I'm looking forward to a weekend of fiber fun and inspiration.
For quite a while now I've been stuck on gray paired with either yellow or orange. My color inspiration for the week continues that trend.
Yellow, orange and gray all rolled into one.
The end is in sight for Miss Doolittle.
This lovely little lace scarf is knit in two sections and is grafted in the middle. Somewhere along the way I decided I was going to work the scarf until the yarn was all gone. I worked one section and then worked the other section the same number of repeats. I still had leftover yarn, so I worked a couple more repeats on each section. Now I'm at the point where I don't have enough yarn to complete two more repeats, so it's time to call it quits.
Knitting lace involves some mental gymnastics. You repeat a series of rows over and over. At first the repeats are like a foreign language, and you stumble blindly from one row to the next. As with so many things in life practice makes all the difference. After numerous repeats you learn the rhythm of the rows and can work them without as much effort. But it always seems that as soon as you have the rows memorized and are really in the groove, the project is finished and it's time to move on.
This bit of lace looks rather nondescript. What it needs is a bath and a good blocking. I can't wait to see the transformation.
In other news Susan Gibbs from Juniper Moon Farm has launched another new project. Take a minute to read about her latest venture, By Hand.
I'm trying to stay on course with my knitting time, but I've been tempted to stray. There are new projects and ideas. At first they start by whispering to me. When I don't respond, they loudly call my name. So far I've managed to stay focused, but my resolve is wavering.
One half of Miss Doolittle. Note the live stitches on one end. I'm holding them on a spare cable for now.
The scarf is knit in two pieces to keep the pattern moving in the same direction on both sides.
The bottom edge of the second piece is finished, and it's time to start the lace.
After the second piece is finished, I'll graft the two sets of live stitches together.
Soon enough. I have a chorus of new projects screaming for my time and attention.
Knitting projects move at different paces. Some zip right along. The yarn, the pattern or the combination of both makes it seem like these projects fly off the needles. There are the projects that drag. These are the projects that see action for a row or two and then get set aside. Often the time between rows gets longer and longer. Eventually they languish at the bottom of the project pile for an extended period.
Then there are the projects in between. The slow and steady projects. These are the projects that get set aside temporarily. Their progress is halted by a quick hat, an emergency gift or a whim. They are quickly picked up again and worked on with fervor only to see another brief break in favor of some other project.
Miss Doolittle. My slow and steady project. I love the pattern and am delighted with the yarn but progress is neither fast nor slow. I'm caught somewhere in the middle. This could be the fate of most scarf projects - that place between beginning and end where you never seem to make any progress. The black hole of knitting. Or it could be that I have commitment issues. If I didn't look at or even consider another project, I might make more progress on Miss Doolittle. Either way I know that this project won't see the bottom of the pile because eventually slow and steady makes it to the finish line.
