Okay, I'm finally back on track with knitting. This shawl has been put on hold more times than I can count. This time the needle broke again and it wasn't my fault. I've come to learn with these needles, I've got to be careful with them. If I get too angry and rough with them, they break. I think a set of wooden needles would be a little bit easier to work with, but I love my acrylic zephyr needles. They're so nice on my poor hands.
This shawl is going to be the death of me. I'm finding I need to bribe myself through pattern repeats in order to get anything done. If I do a couple pattern repeats, I can write. If I do a couple pattern repeats, I can go chat online with a friend for ten minutes. If I do a couple pattern repeats, I can have a snack. It's horrible to think of the way I have to bribe myself to get through just a couple more patterns of this infernal shawl!
I feel bad saying that. The start of this shawl was so fantastic! Granted, it was almost a year ago now that I started, or at least the better part of a year. I spent all my time working away at it, without a care in the world, like I had nothing better to do with my time. While homeschooling my kids, I knit. While talking with my room mates, I knit. It didn't matter what I was doing, I had that shawl, and it seemed to be positively flying off the needles.
Somewhere around the last couple repeats of the falling leaves chart I started to realize I was getting bored with the pattern. I tried to convince myself that I could get through it. I would be on to a new pattern soon enough. I could make it through this long, hard slog! It seemed to be enough to keep me going, because I made it out of the falling leaves chart, and on to the snowflakes chart.
The next two charts worked up fairly quickly. The fields of blue for the snowflakes chart had enough variety that it was challenging and engaging. I have to admit, more than a few times I just gave up on making sure the pattern was perfect because I just got confused. It's not flawless, but I don't think anyone will look that close to notice. There's a lot of repeats of that chart across.
The snowdrifts chart was like a little piece of heaven. It was simple, easy, and delightful. It reminded me of the feather and fan shawls I made for my daughter years back. The alternating colors kept it interesting enough and it seemed to make the pattern fly by that much quicker. Once that was over it was all of eleven rows to the finish. I was convinced I would be done in no time.
Of course, my needle had to break on the first row of the icicle chart. My house mate moved my knitting back to the floor, then forgot it was there and tripped over it. He heard something snap and the needle broke. He didn't have the heart to look at the damage, so I didn't know until a day later, after having moved my knitting bag around. Thankfully the damage wasn't too bad and I was able to salvage it pretty well. It wasn't exactly perfect through the section dropped off the broken needles, but I could work with it. I think if it had been in any other section I would have cried.
So here I am, two rows and about a third of the way through the third row and I'm realizing what hell this is. The chart is so incredibly long across that it's painful. I keep finding myself thinking, "Can't I just cast off now? It'll look fine with a short gray section. I'm sure it will be fine!" Of course, knowing the kind of perfectionist I am, maybe no one else would know, but anyone who looked at the pattern would know instantly that the last section was far too shallow. I couldn't have that. I have to finish it out to the end. Of course, now I'm realizing just what a slog is!
You would think this would put me off of shawl knitting. I'd be staring at the new shawl, finally all balled up and in it's box, waiting to be started. The yarn looks so enticing, but I'd know exactly what I was in for. I would put it off for a couple of years until I got to the point where I'd have the patience to sit through those long last rows, when I could work the shawl from start to finish. Instead, I'm overjoyed at the next shawl and can't wait to pull it out of the bag and cast it on. I have to remind myself that I'm not allowed to cast on another shawl until this one is finished. I find myself lusting over other shawls. There's the shipwreck shawl on Knitty that I adore. There's another Seasons shawl on Knit Picks. I find myself wanting more and more to knit more shawls. They're the perfect garment. You can wrap them over any garment for a little extra warmth, and no matter what you do, they always make a classy accessory. I'm becoming a shawl addict.
Of course, in order to have these shawls, in order to wear them, I have to actually finish them. That means I need to take enough time out of my busy life to work on these endless rows that seem to take an eternity. I have to work through the long, challenging portions at the end. And then, when all is said and done...I still need to figure out where to block them...
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