I love knitting. I think I’ve probably mentioned that at some point on this blog.
I really love knitting. I like all sorts of things about it. I like how ridiculously cool it is to use such incredibly simple tools to make such incredibly complex things. I love how you can make three dimensional objects. I’m head over heels for how bizarre it is that every stitch pattern is driven out of the idea of one stitch- made so it faces the front or the back. I can’t get over how great it is that knitting uses yarn (I love yarn) and that there’s so many kinds of yarn. I love that it’s an act of creation, when you knit you’re literally making something that was not there before, and how cool is that? I even love (most days) that knitting is sort of slow.
What? You don’t? C’mon. Knitting is a time container. You knit something, and it’s this huge investment of your time, and when you’re done you can look at it and be all proud that you did it, and it took so long and there’s like – a hundred of the hours of your life jammed into that thing, and you did it all. If society had proper built in respect for knitting, or we lived in a culture where every time you finished a pair of mittens and showed them to your friends they all said "Holy S**T! Look at that! Those took THIRTY hours to make. Can you even believe that? Thirty hours. This is art man. You’re a craftsperson. Knock me down and keep me from kissing you knitter, because you are so made of awesome that I am moved to ardour. " – If we lived in that culture, you wouldn’t mind how long it took to make mittens. You really wouldn’t. (Well, maybe you would around Christmas, but that’s a delusion I can’t help you with.) 
All I’m saying is that usually, I don’t mind how long knitting takes, and in fact, I mostly like it. When I finish something I say all that great stuff to myself, and I know exactly what I made is worth, and I feel totally proud that I stuck with it, and that I’m the sort of person who is happy to put a hundred hours in something and bring something that valuable into being. Every phase of a project brings something new into focus, and holds me in its thrall.
I totally think that. I think it all the time, and it’s something I love about knitting. 
Right up until I have to repeat a single chart four times. Then it’s all dumbass.
Almost two repeats done, almost two to go, and I’m out of my mind with how slow it is and can’t wait to be onto the next chart. Thrall, shmall. I’ve already been on a journey of discovery with this chart, and I’ve already stinking brought it into being almost twice, and that’s long enough for anyone. The whole time I’m knitting it I just keep thinking NEXT. It’s part of the problem with second sock (or mitten) syndrome. There’s something amazing about making something. Less so making something again. You’ve already done the magic, and doing it again is like watching Soylent Green for the second time. It feels a little pointless. You know it’s people, and you can’t unknow that stuff, and that’s what repeating a chart four times is like. Like re-watching Fight Club, or The Sixth Sense. You know the plot twist, and there’s no way out.
Four repeats of a chart is like that. Exactly.
PS. The new shawl on the needles is Omelet – as per several suggestions in the comments. Good thinking knitters. I’m trying to get used to the name though. I didn’t know there was an American spelling of Omelette until I saw this pattern, and to me spelling it omelet makes it sound like it’s a young bird.
PPS I’m in North Bay this weekend – just briefly. I’m pretty sure the class is all full, but I’m giving the "This is your brain on Knitting" talk on Friday night, and then there’s a pub thing. If you’re in Canada’s near north, I’d love to see you. Details are here.
This Texan prefers “omelette.” You’re quite right about “omelet.”
i’m not sure if you’ve looked at the finished product, but that’s a rather large shawl you’ve started.
I love that. I have recently discovered I have a real love of knitting lace. I crave to be able to knit it.
I totally get that. I am in the midst of a population boom and thought (ha) that blankets were the answer. I. Am. SICK. Of. Blankets.
I love omelet – alas, I look dreadful in yellow. But this is very pretty and I do love the pattern. Even though it IS repeats!
Currently on the last piece of chart for Vlad; I increased from 7 to 9 repeats because I did not want a small shawl. It takes FOREVER to get across that row! This is why I love socks – challenge ends much sooner!
I suspect the ‘omelet/omelette’thing is different because of the heavy French influence y’all have. They do so love their extra t’s and e’s. Although, I am a HUGE fan of the extra u’s and s’s (instead of z’s) you use.
Ha! You’ve got it exactly right about knitting: it is wonderfully thrilling until it is suddenly, horribly, boring you right out of your skull. That is usually when I take a break and do something else. It might also explain that second sock sleeping in the bottom of my project bag.
I completely understand the dragging on of doing a chart four times. I’m on the third repeat of a chart and it’s really starting to drag. Also, this other Texan agrees with Austin Val, “omelet” just looks wrong.
Very pretty. You know what surprised me with a different spelling? Judgement. In the US, they drop the first E, to make it judgment. I got a whole lot of red marks when I sent in a paper to my editor with judgement spelled “incorrectly”, to which I replied, I don’t think so! I write in English. Ah well, after five years of sending my work to the US, I am almost used to it.
River @ 3:01, you don’t have to make the Omelet shawl yellow even though it’s shown in yellow and despite it’s name. It’d be gorgeous in green or teal or rich claret red, some color not exactly solid but not variegated.
So, I wonder where all those extra t’s and e’s go when a Canadian word comes to the US…
Beautiful knitting, Harlot. If you still think it’s dumbass when it’s done, ship it here. I can easily overlook its dumbassery. Just trying to be helpful.
So, your future does not involve Rhodion?
It is a gorgeous shawl, but damn, who knew you could memorize a 16 row knitted lace repeat?
The most demoralizing part was getting to the halfway point, because you had to do the same repeat all those times again.
I agree with the two previous Texans – this Texan also prefers “omelette”. Omelet looks incomplete to me.
Yeah, it is a drag to do the same chart over and over, but look at that GORGEOUS yarn! Isn’t the stuff worth the effort? C’mon, admit it, that woman (the Space Cadet of spacecadetcreations.com) can dye some deadly stuff!
I felt like I was in the black hole of knitting with just two repeats of one the charts in Romi Hills Pulelehua. Finally escaped on Sunday only to screw up in the first row of the next chart. Spent Monday evening fixing that and finally progressed again last night.
For the nerds in the crowd…
Omelet *or* omelette — both are correct. The first variant given (in Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate) is omelet, which tells me that it has more citations (examples of the word in print) than omelette. The use of *or* instead of *also* tells me that omelette spelling is almost equally represented rather than a distant but statistically significant second.
…and my dictionary falls open to the ‘nerd’ page all the time. Really.
This American spells it the same way you do. A childhood/youth/adulthood spent buried in books by authors of British extraction may or may not have anything to do with that. But “omelet” makes my teeth itch, just like “thru” and “dialog” and “donut” (though I have forgiven Dunkin Donuts that spelling, because they have hazelnut coffee, and have started carrying pumpernickel bagels …)
I once got knocked out of a spelling bee because I used the classic (CORRECT, dammit!) spelling of “weisenheimer.” Spelling it “wisenheimer” is just dumb.
Two options spring to mind. One is to get in touch with that bit of you that does yoga, experience each stitch, life for the moment and so on. The other is to find some halfway decent tv to watch, something where you have to run away (that always makes me knit faster). Before you know it you will have knitted five repeats and then have to rip one back.
I’ve spelled it both omelet and omelette (I just hate that my spellchecker hates the one with extra letters).
Meanwhile, I love that shawl. And that YARN. WHAT IS THAT YARN?!???! (because you didn’t tell us, and I suspect you’re using something different than the pattern picture shows)
That makes two Texans who spell it omelette. 🙂
@Barbara…I suspect the extra T and E go the way of all the R’s out here on the East Coast, lol. I have a theory that in Rhode Island, they save up all the R’s they aren’t using for words like car (cah) and yard (yahd) and corridor (car-a-dah), and tack them onto the end of propper names ending with A, like Helena (Helenar) and Cambria (Cambriar…my mother-in-law actually did that, lol).
Or 2nd sleeve. There should be a law against that.
Another American who spells it omelette, but more often makes a frittata and calls it a day!
Nice shawl! I finished my practice scarf for lever knitting and need to come up with another. Time to check stash for something suitable for either Wingspan or Color Affliction.
I have the same problem with doing the same thing over and over. I’m mulling over plans for a sampler shawl/scarf for knitters with the same attention deficit difficulty. Maybe it should be called the ADD Shawl. Beautiful pattern, beautiful yarn, beautiful colour. Can’t wait to see more.
Omelet makes my eyes hurt. And I think that Stefka’s writing out thru and dialog may have turned me blind.
I am really, really wanting to knit a shawl right now!! You are contagious!
I miss you and I think your talk”This is your brain on knitting “is just brillian and hope someday you will record it so we can hear it again and again. No I am not a toatl nutter just know that each time makes it go deeper into our brain for understanding. The world seems to need more understanding not less. By the way the new omelet is lovely no matter how you spell it. I love the same things about knitting, art in action , now hope wonderful is that?
This, yes exactly! Really with the exception of a couple of hat patterns I don’t generally do repeats of patterns. I’ve done it once and look at ALL these other patterns just waiting to be discovered. Sorry about the unending chart repeats. I think this is why I don’t do much for scarves anymore. Repeat chart until you run out of yarn… At least with a lot of shawls I get to increase ^_^
Omelette, all the way.
Watching Fight Club repeatedly isn’t pointless. It’s medicine for a damaged soul.
Awesome post! This does seem to manifest itself pretty fiercely with socks. I’ve been on a baby-blanket bender and abandoned about 4 pairs of half-finished adult socks. So technically I have two pairs, they just don’t match. I’m sort of inspired to finish them up but darn it that shawl is really pretty. Wait…baby stuff to finish first. Then socks. Then shawl. Maybe shawl then socks? The funny thing is that I’m not sick of the blanket yet. And that’s just the same 8 rows over and over. But I still love it. Go figure.
Exactly. I knit the Inky Dinky Spider Stole from Fiddlesticks Knitting, and it involved multiple repeats of three or four charts until you got to the middle, and then you did them all again… I think I turned into a zombie or something because even though it’s done I don’t really remember knitting it after the first (of five!!) repeat of a 32 row chart.
To be fair and not at all humble, it was totally worth it, that thing is gorgeous.
That is a really pretty shawl. I also didn’t know about the “omelet” spelling. But, then again, my area has weird spellings and words 😉 haha
Is that a stitch marker shaped like a wee beer mug or just a cool yellow row counter?
This American always types in omelette when looking for that pattern, making for some confusion when it doesn’t turn up in a pattern search.
And I know exactly what you mean with the pattern repeats. I want to be working on the next chart of my omelet too.
I have one thing to say to you. More Neibings!
…can you say Brigewater Shawl who’s horseshoe lace frame is 39 rows. I am tired of it already. It is sitting in my yarn bowl for 2 weeks now and I don’t even feel like finishing it. Started bookmarks for a wedding instead and started a knitted rug that I have wanted to do for a long time.
Yep! I understand….
We should lobby for proper respect for knitting in society. 🙂
so … my husband now thinks you are weird too – repeating all those things I say about art, crafting and converting time, yarn and patience into ethereal beauty or practical, comforting warmth –
I’m flattered, because if he thinks you’re nuts too then I’m on the side of the angels
PS it’s omelette in the UK or scrambled eggs!
VERY nice! I guess I didn’t read deeply enough (or late enough) in the comments to see that suggestion. I looked up shattered sun, which is also nice, but it would only call for about half your yarn. Do you have enough yarn to make omelet? I’m on about the 8th repeat of the main chart for Harmony shawl. And, much as I like it, I’m eyeing the ball of yarn and trying to tell myself there is NOT enough for a ninth repeat. Instead I’m eyeing some lacewt ecocotton in green with a titch of copper from ecobutterfly – to be used in a crescent shawl pattern from knitspot.
I too love how slow and mesmerizing knitting is, right up until I can’t stand it any longer!
okay…the Soylent Green reference was definitely my favourite part of this blog post, and the shawl pattern is beautiful.
Knit In Public day is coming up. What are you going to do?
Okay… Really random form a grade schooler, but whatever. But I do love knitting! GO MINNESOTAN OMLETTES!
Knitting the second thing. I’m on my last pair of socks until cold weather. And I’m on the second sock. I had to start the second before finishing the first, so I’m knitting one from the middle of the winder ball, and one from the outside. It makes me keep after them, and know that when I stop/start, and my tension changes because I’m gardening or something, that there will be perfectly symetrical imperfections.
LOVE the shawl. I haven’t learned the patience for paying quite that much attention. I’m close, but not quite. Too much concentration interferes with watching TV, listening to music, or talking to others.
This Canadian living in the USA portion of American prefers the omelette spelling.
I feel like such a piker. I’m 15 rows short of the end of Garden Pond, and I have arsed up the fern lace part so bad, I will need to rip it out and redo it. Or something. I have markers, I have lifelines, and I still managed to make a mess out of it. Lace knitting may just not be for me. Or the sock-stealing, yarn-eating dog may be part of the problem.
Oh man, your sentiments describe how I feel about the last sleeve of a sweater. It’s even worse than SSS. Not only have I done THIS EXACT THING already, but I also did an entire body of a sweater-odds are in boring old stockinette-AND I JUST WANT TO WEAR THE DAMN THING ALREADY.
(You’ll have to excuse my rage. As you can probably guess, I’m about to start a second sleeve.)
Just finished a baby blanket I thought would never come to an end; then a baby hat. Now I’m making matching booties; I tried about three or four patterns for making a newborn bootie and they came out looking like a shoe for Shrek’s baby. I finally found a good one, however, and finished the first ~ second bootie syndrome has hit!
The shawl is going to be beautiful and it does kind of remind me of an omelet (omelette)!
p.s. ~ even with all the patience it takes to knit the same thing four times; I still love knitting too!
The best thing about this post (other than it made me LOL even though I’m crippled with knee pain and getting ready for my MRI) is that no matter how old that movie is someone, somewhere will be pissed because you’ve “spoiled” Soylent Green for them.
I think I’ve seen it both ways on menus in Montana.
I can handle spelling variations a lot better than the loss of irregular forms of certain verbs like “dove” as the past tense of dive and “throve” as the past tense of thrive. It may make more sense to some people to just add an “ed” instead, but it makes my skin crawl every time I read, “he dived into the pool.” I don’t care if the dictionary says it’s okay, it’s a desecration!
Maybe I take these things a little too seriously . . . I’m going to go have an omelet(te).
Am I the only knitter who has never had Second Sock Syndrome? If I like knitting a pattern the first time, I will like it the second time. Or at least, that has been the case so far and I knit a couple of dozen pairs a year. And I repeat patterns, too… I’ve knit Steph’s Plain Vanilla Sock many times. And enjoyed every minute, every time.
Well, as long as I like the color. If I find myself disliking the color, the project can drive me shrieking round the bend.
Funny minds we humans have.
I’m with you on the spelling of omelette. Actually, I’m with you on the spelling of grey too. Maybe since Maine is so close to Canada some of the spelling has just drifted here.
I completely understand how you feel! As a matter of fact, when I read many of your posts, I am usually thinking, “How did she know what I was thinking?” or “Exactly” and as it happens, right now I am knitting the Tiffany Triangle Shawl which has 4 repeats and I can’t wait to move onto chart D and finishing….but D repeats 6 times, so not sure I’m going to be much happier there!
I’m sure you will be done cooking your omelette, well before I am anywhere near finishing my glass art shawl! You are much more skilled than I! So, know someone else is out there struggling along and that you will have completion well ahead of her/me! Cheers! And thanks for this most entertaining blog!!!! I must read your books some day when I can set down my needles long enough to turn a page! judy in AZ
That pattern is exactly what I need to make use of my souvenir yarn from Chicago. I never started a project, but with this one I can stop after three if I won’t have enough for one more. It is a big shawl, after all.
Cheers, fellow traveler!
Wait… Soylent Green is people??? Just kidding… it’s beautiful so far, and I completely agree about chart repeats, which is why so many of my socks end up being one or two repeats short of the pattern. I get sick of them. Still, omelette/omelet is gorgeous and you’ll be done by 6pm tonight the way you knit!
I am normally a very good speller – but for a long time I did not know there was a difference in American and British spellings, so I got very confused. Now I want to go right down the middle and spell it ‘omelett’ or ‘omellet’. Because that makes sense.
What kind of bird is an omelet? I think you should knit one.
Is this SpaceCadet’s yarn? It looks yummy turned into lace!
That is the BEST quote ever!!! Ardour indeed… So true!!
Teish at 6:40: About “gray” vs “grey”…to me it all depends on the shade. A warm, yellowish tint makes it “gray,” because the “a” is a warm letter, but the cool blue tones are “grey” because the “e” is cool. Please, somebody, tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this way?
(Stephanie, love the shawl.)
You crack me up!!! I too say, “NEXT ALREADY”. Beautiful omelet!
That minute for me also comes in top down shawls – that minute when the row becomes long enough you have to plan for it, but not long enough that you can just accept that you are in the midst of the knitting. Still trying to mark progress by rows instead of minutes – that minute.
I keep knitting, knowing that in another minute, or 20, or maybe 75, I will stop counting the rows and instead just be there in the knitting for awhile, until suddenly, I am counting rows again until binding off.
Huh…i didnt know there was an american spelling either. And i’m american. Except, apparently, when i spell omelette at which point i am canadian.
@ Violet at 7:50–I agree with you.
first time commenting. been stalking ( reading ) your blog for years. this one.. well i gotta say I LOVE KNITTING, you have inspired me so much. Thank You ! i am from small town NB. french acadienne. and i make a mean fiddlehead Omelette !
“Wait… Soylent Green is people??? …”Posted by: Rebecca at May 23, 2012 6:51 PM
It must be the name. That’s exactly what I was going to post! 🙂
That shawl. That shawl is, well, it is a whole lot of awesome. Yummy yarn, yummy color, and just think, you’re one repeat closer to the never-ending border… 😯
There’s a twist in Fight Club?
Hating to repeat charts is why I only knit shawls that have at least 3 different charts: a body, a border, and an edge. Usually only the body chart has to be repeated — and the more other charts there are, the fewer times the body chart has to be repeated. 🙂
Oh, and I also only do shoulderettes or small shawls.
But other than that, I love knitting lace. No, really. I do. 😉
So i’m doing the fountain pen shawl with beads instead of nupps using kid silk haze. First time i’ve knit with it. Kept having ssk stitch escape. Just 1 stitch so the count is still right but you find this escapee 45 rows down-rip back repeat.ackkkkk. better now- i’m watching for the prisoners trying to go over the wall.- gorgeous shawl steph. Omellette was my vote.
That is The. Most. Gorgeous. Shawl. I’ve. Ever. Seen.
So looking forward to going home to the Bay to see you this weekend!
I like repeats… then I have lots of chances to finally get it right.
Oh, come on! How could Charlton Heston yelling “It’s people! They’re eating people!” get old?
And that shawl does look very eggy, so good name!
If it helps, skew your perspective a little. Yes, you’re knitting some booorrrrrrinnnggg repeats. However, what you’ve knitted looks stunning even without the blocking most lace shawls need.
I believe “omelet” is a relatively recent change in US spelling. Presbytera can probably confirm, if she really want to geek out.
And, not to get all PETA on you, but think of it: isn’t an omelet/omelette nothing more than a very, very, very young bird? Of course I’m not sure — I use Egg Beaters myself!
Yes! That was my suggestion. Good choice!
You have some very, very excited Northern folks waiting to greet you on Friday! Travel safe!
If it helps make you feel better … in New Orleans, it is always an “omelette,” as is right and proper. Of course, New Orleans isn’t exactly American. Which is often quite nice.
@KMK: My personal language peeves are the misuse of ‘substitute’ (usually used backwards these days), the loss of ‘twice’ (currently replaced by ‘two times’ in most ads), and rampant apostrophe abuse.
@katie metzroth: In an effort to boost local respect for ALL of the hand/needle arts, I’m organizing a one-day show/display called “From Loving Hands”, celebrating the thousands upon thousands of hours put into handwork by people wanting to enrich their families and/or communities in this way, with examples spanning 150 years. June 9, St. Catharines, Ontario – anyone interested can email me for details.
OMG! I’m laying here in bed – it’s 11:00pm and I decided to read a little before trying to sleep. I have the knitting next to me in case sleep decides to abandon me once again. Anyway, when I got to the part about Soylent Green, I started laughing so hard I almost pitched the laptop onto the floor. My favorite phrase, “Don’t worry it’s not Soylent Green.” It just works for everything and you’ve proved it once again – it even works in knitting. LOL!!!
Not a fan of yellow; but I love the pattern. Omelette, definitely. But how about the loss of “last but one” which has been replaced by the much-more-awkward-to-say “next to last”? The language is a fluid and beautiful compilation of many others, spanning many centuries, and its rules are learned over the course of a lifetime, not in a crash course consisting of High School English (now designated “Language Arts”, for heaven’s sake!) I think Americans have a perfect right to spell any way they want, but admit to a personal preference for English and Canadian spelling. North Bay! I was in North Bay a couple of weeks ago en route to Kawartha Lakes and I dearly wish that I were there again.
I have to say though, if every single person reacted to how amazing knitters are with such ardour… well, it wouldn’t be so special when we find the rare and few who do. Knitter love is a precious, precious (and slightly creepy) thing.
OMG, I love this post. I have this same problem, which would explain why I have started more than 10 projects since I finished my 2011 Christmas knitting, but have only finished three small baby items. I’m running out of needles and bags to store my WIPs in. Someone, please help!
🙂
I’m a Oregon girl raised by two Iowans and married to a Californian. We all spell it omelette despite our German/Italian/Danish/Greek roots. Never ever seen it spelled omelet until today.
I am in the process of knitting the sweater on the cover of the Knitting Guild’s magazine Fall of last year. It is SO beautiful!! I ordered the yarn and the pattern and started… Knitting in the round as I knew i’d never finish front AND back and am now almost up to the steek for the arms. I’m about to loose my mind with the pattern repeats. I’ve had to make a sock here and there just to attempt to keep my sanity. Good luck with yours…
I knit two sleeves together on the same needle to avoid second sleeve syndrome but it just takes ages and ages and ages. I look on the bright side… the two sleeves are always the same length!!!! Any one started Xmas knitting yet?? I’ve done 3 and a half socks. SMUG.
I actually finished Omelet (terrible spelling) not too long ago and, believe me, it’s worth the hassle (though I used an eggplant colour which makes me want to call it something else). I’ve worn it three times since Easter and I get comments every time. Keep plugging along at it and the last two charts will just flow off your needles into a beautiful piece of art.
I tried to knit omelet, but it just wouldn’t take. I couldn’t keep knitting the chart. Actually the yarn used (blue) has been knit and frogged so many times I think it just wants to be yarn.
I love the part of knitting when I think I’m bored out of my mind and I push ahead anyway. The finished product always gives me a surge of pleasure.
Sorry, but I’m not buying it. I read the book years before I saw the movie, and Soylent Green is NOT people, no matter what the movie says. I saw Harry Harrison talk at a Sci Fi convention once (yeah, they still called it “Sci Fi” back in the day), and he told us that particular departure from the script was definitely not approved by him, and not something he was comfortable with. It doesn’t even make sense – not sustainable, you know?
Omelet/omelette . . . now that I’ve looked at that word so many times, I don’t know what my personal default preference would be. It’s not a word I usually have to write. LOL
TO be fair, most American places that spell it omelet probably don’t make one the way Julia Child would have. I would consider that a true omelette. (and I am an American)
I agree about knitting and the process and the pattern repeats! But Oh! the product is priceless! I hope to meet up with you one day meanwhile I enjoy knowing you through your blog, books and patterns! All the best!
You just described why I can’t stand lace knitting!! My brain cries NEXT!! all the time, because I need to focus on that, and only that, which can send me to sleep. I like to use a technique that is easy or repetative, so that I can actually respond to the world around me. I’m from Norway, and I find it fascinating how popular lace knitting is in America and Canada, while in Norway we are much more about colour patterns or texture knit. 🙂
if repeating charts is a problem, you should check out the recent designs from Andrea Jurgrau of Bad Cat Designs. Once through each chart and then on to the next. Her patterns are on Ravelry.
I’m totally with you on the knitting, but what I find is that while knitting, I spend much of my time thinking about the next project. What’s next? What’s next?
By the way: omelet is a british way of spelling the word!
Oh my. If I had known you were thinking of doing an Omelet, I would have said “Don’t do it!”. It’s a lovely shawl, but yeah. One or two repeats and that’s enough. I had some rows where I just could NOT get into the pattern at all. I hated the way the stitch marker would be in the way of the centered decrease (I used markers only for the first/last repeat of each wedge). I was using a very fine yarn, on a cone, from machine knitting. What a drag to carry that around, and a complicated chart. I had to do SO many extra repeats….Of course, once it’s all bunched up on the needles, you can’t tell just how big it’s going to be, and I think I ended up going overboard. I finally cast off last week (over a year!), but I think I’ll steam just the points so that I don’t make it even bigger. Can’t wait to see yours!!
Weird I am on the third pattern of that shawl…forever.
Yes! I am having the same thoughts with the shawl I am currently knitting. What? I have to do this chart AGAIN?
One New Year’s Eve we were at a friend’s place – they were playing on the Wii and I was knitting. They said I should play too. I pointed out that, at the end of the night, I would have half a baby cardigan and they would have ….
Yeah.
I just don’t eat eggs. Solves that problem.
I totally feel you! I am currently at the bitter end of Winnowing. The final repeat of that chart nearly brought me to my knees with anguish. So much so that I looked forward to the 1,000 row border with gleeful anticipation.
Omelette, theatre, judgement, colour, grey–it must be that I live in northern Minnesota, but no one ever fusses about how I spell those! I keep forgetting that Americans shorten everything…except the political campaigning season, which has become interminable and which we keep lengthening. Aaaaargh!
All knitting gets boring at a certain point, especially if you’re knitting in a plus size! Eventually I find a tipping point is reach and the progress starts to increase. Then, all of a sudden, it is done and, like with a good book, I’m usually a little bit sorry.
I’m still working on the Colour Affection shawl and I can’t help noticing that the ‘short’ rows keep getting longer!! Not fair!!! Still looking for that tipping point. Right now the shawl in on the other couch and that just seems to be too far away!
@Littlegreendragon: I knit both sleeves at the same time… two sleeves, two balls of yarn, one set of needles. I think this might be slower than knitting each separately but when one is done, the other is done. I also find that I’ll make the same mistakes on both sleeves so, at least, they are symmetrical! LOL
I know what you mean. I just ripped out a whole border on a shawl because it wasn’t working out and now I can’t face starting it again. It’s going to be something else now.
Didn’t you say you had less than 900 meters of yarn? The pattern calls for more than 1000. Why not stop at 3 repeats? You’re petite so it will be perfect!
Problem solved! No need to thank me! 🙂
Try rows of 3 sections of 116 sts each section adding 2 sts each section on right side row for 62 rows with a pattern of yo k3tog yo k3, and purl across the back. It is finished and blocked now and it is going up into the 90’s F here in Texas so it is too hot to wear it.
I am another Texan who thinks omelette looks better.
I’m an American and I never knew there was a different spelling of omelette – it’s a French dish, so a French spelling makes sense. The American version is called Scrambled With Cheese and is much lower-brow.
In any case, that’s going to be a wicked cheerful shawl. So Yellow! Push on!
I understand all too well, since I am currently slogging my way through 4 repeats of chart A on Haruni (I know, I’m years behind, knitting-trend-wise). And since each 16 row chart repeat is really TWO repeats of an 8 row pattern…suffice to say that I’m starting to daydream about sock patterns.
Omelet is worth the hassle of the repeats. It ends up being worthy of the time. I didn’t care for the results of the written bind off and changed it to a crocheted bind off that gave me flexibility I wanted in blocking. As for the Soylent Green analogy, you made me laugh and then think about the ending of the first Planet of the Apes.
Omelet?? I’m from the US and I’ve never even seen it spelled that way before! I’ve always seen and used omelette. Omelet just looks weird and unfinished. lol! You’re right about the four repeats though. It takes a special kind of patience!
…Allow me to clarify my previous comment. When I said Omelet just looks weird and unfinished, I meant the word. Not the shawl. LOL! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I so felt that way when completing my evenstar shawl (http://www.needyl.com/shana/act-lace/). I keep waiting to get to the end of chart three, and then realized I was only about a fourth of the way finished.
The end result was completely worth it, though.
I wasn’t sure about the yellow when I saw the yarn, but I really like how it is looking in this pattern.
I think you had made the suggestion in one of your books (I can’t remember which one, I have them all) of enclosing a little slip of paper when gifting handknits as to how long/how many stitches were involved in said project–especially when gifting to non-knitters, or those that (gasp!) have less than the proper appreciation of handmade things. I am careful to phrase it as a backwards compliment though, and use something along the lines of, “This (item) contains (# of stitches) and took me (# of hours), and was handknit with lots of love, and made just for YOU!”
Thanks for the good laugh his morning. I agree with everything you said. 🙂
Omelette/omelet/tomato/tomahto–it all depends on which side of the border you call home. Boring repeats? Think Zen–OOOOMMMMM. I love the sunny yarn and pattern.
I love Omelet, but boy do I feel your pain. I just finished three skeins’ worth of Madli’s Shawl, so it would be long enough to wrap around my Mom and float jauntily over one shoulder. The center section is a quickly-memorized twelve-row repeat with nupps every three pattern rows, and it should stretch to about six feet when blocked.
I have never been so happy to graft 202 stitches in my life.
I made omelet last year in a light turquoise wool and silk yarn – it is superb. I have to say, however, that the repeat got to me as well, and I was glad it was done! Think I’ll wear it tomorrow, now that I’m thinking about it!
Yeah, but it’s yellow. Great for an omelette, or omelet, or whatever … not so great for a shawl. 🙂
*guffawing* Thank you! I’m going to show this post to my nephew visiting for the summer to try to explain this knitting thing to him. He’s already quite sweet about it, even if he doesn’t quite get it.
Repeats of lace bore you, but a thousand miles of garter stitch is relaxing… what’s wrong with this picture?
Any woman who voluntarily visits T-Bay in black fly season, can easily overcome lace repeats, boring as they may be!
OMG! a misplaced comma! The horror, the shame!
I have issues with a lot of lace patterns for very similar reasons. So many lace patterns are gorgeous but are also many many repetitions of the same little chart. The way my brain is wired… that just doesn’t work.
My knitting either needs to be dead simple so I don’t have to pay attention to it (I love stockinette socks soooooo much!) or insanely complicated. That middle ground is deadly.
Completed my first sweater recently (a bohus) and it was absolutely perfect for me. Complicated colorwork and then miles of stockinette in the round. Both things I love.
So much for being all clever and posting, “You mean Soylent Green is people?” Alas, I am not clever that often. I find lace and charts are like that. At some point it is all about getting to the end already.
Hey! We did the omelette as a KAL last summer. My yarn was a greenish teal so I called mine Green Eggs And Ham!! You are so right about chart B. I was so done by the time I repeated it four times. Loved the end result though. The shawl is beautiful.
Violet, I think of grey/gray as just the opposite – warm/cool for me. How weird is that?
I throw lace patterns into Excel spreadsheets, get out the row counters, and put on a movie. Occasionally if the movie gets too exciting, I screw up, but it occupies the part of my brain that tends to get bored easily, the ADHD part of course!
The bottom edge of this shawl will be the best part, so do persevere! It’s just so beautiful.
Oh, man. I just can’t get into this shawl. Someone told me the bottom pattern looked like female… ah, organs. And now I can’t get it out of my head. I’m all for feminism, but I can’t un-see that, and I don’t wanna wrap vagoos around my neck. 😛
In a German Ravelry group somebody pointed out that if you look very closely at the pics of Omelet, you can see very funny things… 🙂
fibersong, I have no idea why my brain works this way. To each his own!
I love your wit and am very impressed by your writing style. Yours is the only blog that I read on a regular basis. Thanks for making me smile.
Another classic post that totally captures the problem!
Would it maybe help at all to pretend you’re on a knitting jag? LIke the time you knitted that Tulip baby sweater fourteen times? You knew already how it would come out, but you still wanted to see it come into existence again. . .and again . . .
Just a thought (while I contemplate starting my fourth Multnomah.)
Love the shawl! But I have to ask, where is that awesome beer stitch marker from?
Started reading the blog from the very beginning earlier this year and caught up to real time today. What am I going to do now that I can’t read a month or two at a time? Ooh, now I can start on the books. First book downloaded and ready to start reading.
As a born and raised New Yorker, who also happens to hold a degree in English, I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever seen it spelled “Omelet.” Thanks for providing the link to clarify because my first thought was that someone was just covering the tracks of their misspelling. Although even after the link, I’m still a little suspicious… 😀
Yup. I know what you mean…. 71 repeats of the lace border chart for Jared Floods Rock Island shaw!! If it wasn’t so amazingly, stunningly beautiful, I would not have just begun my THIRD one 🙂
Right now I’m knitting the Every Way Wrap. I have to repeat the cable chart 16 times. I may gnaw my left arm off before the end.
That is when I start having racing contests with myself. Can I finish a row in under [x] minutes? How fast can I do the boring purl row?
It keeps me from getting bored… or at least makes the boredom less problematic.