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Thursday, August 9, 2012

A Knitter's Tale

Once upon a time there a girl (does 65 still qualify?) who lived in a little hacienda in suburbia who liked to knit. She was always trying to challenge herself with increasingly complex patterns and techniques. Though she had started to work with finer yarns and lacy patterns, she had yet to master the fine art of knitting lace.

The other girls in her knitting group were always showing off their beautiful lace shawls and scarves, so fine and airy. Not to be outdone by any creative endeavor, the girl was determined to conquer lace. She decided to try her hand at creating this lovely shawl:


She bought some beautiful lace weight alpaca yarn, ever so fine,
in the Fall shades that suited her coloring...


At the yarn shop she purchased her favorite wooden needles in a US 4.
"This needle is square", she noted. After ripping out and casting on for the third time she had an epiphany. "This needle is the same color as my yarn.  I can not see my work."




Back to the yarn shop to buy a shiny new US 4.



"This needle is pretty, and I can see my yarn," she said. "But I still can't do this stupid pattern...
It's too hard for me. I need a fatter yarn."
One of her girl friends had given her this pretty yarn.
"It will even match the picture!"


She started on the shawl for the sixth time, using her pretty US 4 (again).
"This pattern is to tight", she cried to herself!
"I need a bigger needle."
She grabbed her shiny US 8 and went to work on the pattern, counting carefully, marking each row.
"This needle is just right", she said. "I can see the pattern, the soft yarn is magnificent to work with and after it's blocked, the result will be soft and beautiful."


"I am the Queen of knitting", she gloated, just before she dropped a stitch.

Laurel. Take pleasure in the small victories of life. 




6 comments:

  1. Laurel, a lifetime ago, I decided I wanted to knit a fisherman's sweater. So, I looked around and decided that my husband would be the one to wear it. We were newly married, and I didn't 'really know' him as well as I know him now (40 years later). To make a long story short, I did finish the 100% wool sweater, it fit him perfectly, but-- his body runs hot - his metabolism (wish I could steal some) makes him sweat easily, so the sweater was worn only a few times before we both decided it was just not going to work. We gave it to another young man and I don't know what happened to it from there. But, what a challenge to learn all those intricate stitches and sometimes I want to do it again, but for me this time. Maybe I should make an afghan... or scarf

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  2. LOL! That is so true about knitting! I prefer to crochet...in my copious amounts of spare time...

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  3. I don't know much about knitting but on those rare occasions when someone gifted me a knitted item I've loved it thoroughly. What could be better than a handmade gift crafted with love?

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  4. Your story had me at every word...however it is the knitted lace that has enchanted me. So Beautifully Stitchilicious.

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  5. Good Morning my friend.

    I am sorry that I have not been around for the last while. but I have my Mum staying with me at the moment and feel guilty if I don't give her my time and so haven't been on the computer much.

    Hope all is well with you.

    I will have so much catching up to do
    when Mum goes home that it will take me until Christmas
    to get through all the posts I have missed!

    Have a lovely weekend.


    x Fiona

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  6. Love the pattern! I couldn't even persuade myself to do something as fancy as that even though i've been knitting since I was 12. Perhaps I have become too boring in what I knit! I know your problems with wool colours etc. Well done on perservering...keep going. I look forward to seeing the finished article! Joan

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Thanks for visiting my blog. I appreciate all those who share and leave their comments very much. Laurel

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