Singing and Knitting
Sunday, September 3rd, 2006Sunday. It was good. We socialized and we sang. And I knit.
Any time I was not singing, even some of the times I was chatting, I was knitting.
Yes, I’m a bit obsessed but it’s the right kind, the constructive kind of obsession. I just need to do the handknitting-as-fast-as-I-can thing this weekend. I don’t mind listening to my inner voice when there is not a true deadline for a while. My inner voice is begging to knit and knit and finish and knit and finish something yet again.
First, I did rip back five triangles on yesterday’s hat and reknit until I had all 15 triangles done properly. I finished at midnight. Aaaah, it will be a sweet sleep tonight.
I also picked up a project I haven’t worked on since there was a spring chill in the air. It’s a snug-fitting ribbed shrug knit in Berrocco Foliage, one ball of which I purchased at Yarn Garden in Charlotte at least a year ago… and the additional two balls I’ll use came from our trip to Minneapolis in early August.
Originally I got the yarn thinking I’d do some scribble lace. This shrug is perfect, though. It’s a lofty wool/acrylic blend, slowly self-striping in very odd intervals, turquoise, green, purple-pink and navy. Sounds odd but it’s pretty and soft and fluffy. It’s wonderful in Knit 2/Purl 2 ribbing on needles that are maybe size 10US at first glance. For a socknitter, knitting with this much air in the fabric is an unusual experience. This yarn makes me very sure I’m on the right track. It’s almost like whipped cream!
I started the shrug thinking I’d make it with 2 balls of yarn (never mind I only owned one at the time). I started at the center back and worked out, figuring I’d stop knitting the first sleeve when the yarn ran out. However, the yarn is fat and with the rib it did not go as long as I had expected. Therefore, when I got the extra yarn I got two balls and will split the third between the arms.
This snug-fitting sort of shrug is perfect for the dance room at Foster Center. It seems every other dancer warms up when they dance but it can take me over an hour to not feel chilly, so I wear legwarmers and shrugs. The shrug I wear most often is a commercially-knit nylon tube I got at a discount clothing store. It fits fine but is thin (about leotard thickness) and not quite warm enough. This new one will be wonderful! I’m eager to see if I’m tempted to wear it other times besides dancing.
It’s great to go back and finish up something I started months ago. I love that feeling!