To resist would be …

Hopeless.
I am a determined knitter, and I really want to finish the clogs so that my existence on this planet may be rich and full again, instead of continuing to live only in the the wasteland of knitting borg clogs. When I got the urge to start the snowdrop shawl yesterday I looked the other way. I knitted hard on the clogs, and I refused to acknowledge the laceweight calling to me from the cupboard. I’ve been through this before, so I slammed the cupboard shut and hardened my heart. I tell myself that it’s not worth it, that getting distracted by another project is only going to prolong the agony of the clogs. That when I finish the clogs I can throw myself into the shawl pattern without reservation. I will be one with the shawl and nothing will keep us from each other. Knit the clogs if you want the shawl. By evening, the snow had begun to fall again, and I couldn’t keep my mind from the snowdrops in the garden. I decided to compromise. I wouldn’t knit the snowdrop shawl, I would just begin to chart it.
chartinglace
Oh dear, what’s that bit of knitting by the chart? That’s not a shawl is it? No way man, it’s a ….swatch. A really big swatch, that just happens to be sort of shawl shaped. I’m not experienced at charting. I wasn’t knitting the shawl, I was er…checking my chart. That’s just good sense. The swatch looks pretty good eh?
snowdropshawlstart
I believe that I may continue checking the chart today, I need to make sure that nothing bad happens when you incorporate more snowdrops. Might not work. No way to tell for sure. Just checking the chart. It would be irresponsible not to, what kind of person do you think I am? Some kind of slacker? Not me, I’m dedicated. It’s practically essential for me to keep checking the chart. I’m pretty thorough that way.

21 thoughts on “To resist would be …

  1. That’s one beautiful swatch. But I don’t think it’s big enough yet — what if there are flaws in the chart further on? Anyway, all the knitting gurus tell us we need to swatch more than we do — you’re just being diligent. Really.

  2. Look at it this way – if you only knit clogs, The Claw is bound to come back. Working on the shawl is medicinal!!
    The Queen of Rationalization

  3. It’s only good sense to continue on the “swatch”. I mean, what if the chart were somehow ruined, by coffee or fire or a really exuberant dog or something? Then your obviously beautiful and inspired snowdrop shawl would be lost to us forever. You can get a clog pattern any old place. Yes, I think it’s best you continue, just in case.

  4. Oh, my goodness. That’s really lovely, Steph. I think this experiment in swatching should continue immediately. Besides, you know how it is with the Borg. Resistance probably *is* futile, and you’ll have to finish them eventually. 😉

  5. Well, Stephanie, here’s how I see it. You have an
    obligation to your blog readers to swatch and chart and ignore the ubiquitous clogs. I mean, c’mon, we’ve seen the clogs. The clogs are not fun. The clogs are not entertaining. The clogs are not a thing of beauty unfolding before our very eyes. The swatch/shawl is a gift to your loyal readers. It’s a selfless and altruistic act to set those clogs aside and swatch on with the snowdrops.
    -Lo
    taking rationalization to a whole new level

  6. Well… I did it. I learned to knit, from a website no less. All I know how to do so far is cast on and do a basic knit or purl stitch. But I’m getting better at it. Now I need to know where to go from here. I know some stuff about yarn weights/types etc from doing crochet… but do you have any recommendations for a good basic, beginner knitting project?
    (Anyone feel free to email me on the subject.)
    And the swatch is really beautiful, I completely agree, you owe it to the world to make sure that the *entire* chart is correct.

  7. I was trying to think of something witty and cute to say, but it would seem that everyone before me beat me to it. Your s(hawl)watch is lovely. If you hear me scream, it’s just because I’m trying to pick up heel flap stitches for the first time. Say a small prayer, sacrifice a goat…whatever it is you do up there in the frozen north. 😉

  8. Stephanie, your shawl is beautiful, but all this talk about clogs has me really wanting to make a pair–in fact, the yarn is on its way!
    Am I being integrated into the collective?

  9. It doesn’t look like a big enough swatch to me. How do you know what’s gonna happen to the 4th and 5th pattern repeat? A swatch should be big enough to be a hat, for a really really big person.
    Also, I have a lot of “claw” problems. The only way I can keep knitting (and its knit or die) is to knit a couple of projects in different weights of yarn, a pair of socks, a baby sweater, a Shetland fairisle (what do you mean those are all the same weight? my husband believes me!)
    Looks beautiful! If it doesn’t suit you when its done, let me know and I’ll send you postage.
    Barb

  10. First : Life’s too short – eat dessert first!
    Second: Please, please take that beautiful white yarn out of range of the coffee cup? It’s making me really nervous…
    Robbyn (who’s used coffee as a spontaneous, polka-dot dye on way too many things)

  11. Julie, I tried to email you privately but it bounced. Congratulations on learning to knit…Welcome to the dark side. Your life will never be the same. Why not try a hat first? Scarves are often to big a first project, they may be simple, but they go on forever. Google “free knitting pattern hat” and you will get a million hits. (Well…ok, not a million, but a lot.) Pick one and I’ll help you. Promise.

  12. Huh… I have no idea why that bounced. But I used a different email addy this time anyway. Sorry for using your blog as a mini-forum; if you want to see the results of my first trip to the yarn store, it’s in my blog (link should be posted with the comment). 🙂 Thanks for the responses I got! I really appreciate it.

  13. Oh, Steph, I have been going through the same thing, trying to close my ears to the siren call of lots of yarn and gorgeous patterns… I keep reminding myself that since converting to dedicated work on one large project at a time I actually finish things but I am teetering on the brink myself.

  14. Be sure you keep good notes so you can market your pattern…. are you done yet? Now? I want it.
    You owe it to us, your loyal blog readers to continue… ;-P

Comments are closed.