Monday, May 24, 2010

Busyness

Urgh! I know it can't be possible, but I feel as if I've unravelled twice as much as I've knitted in the last few weeks. The main case in point is the Brooklyn Tweed baby blanket I've been knitting.

Baby blanket 1

I've been having such trouble with the simple feather-and-fan edging. All was going well till the second repeat of the yarn-overs and knit-two-togethers. I just couldn't get them to line up correctly with the previous row. I pulled the knitting back twice to try to remedy it - no mean feat when you have around 650 stitches each round of knitting - but to no avail. In frustration, I decided the error may be with the original row of feather-and-fan, so I unravelled almost back to the beginning of the edging and then laboriously picked up 650 stitches. I'm now counting and checking and recounting and rechecking to make sure the stitches are all exactly where they should be.

Knitting has, however, taken second place to sorting and cleaning and what is fashionably called de-cluttering over the last week or so. The apartment had its photo-shoot this morning (yes, everybody does seriously talk about it as a 'photo-shoot') in preparation for going on the market at the end of this week. I don't think the place has ever been so clean. It's certainly never been as neat as it was this morning. For someone as untidy as I am, the challenge will be keeping it in this state over the next few weeks of potential buyer inspections.

And I have a cold. I almost never have colds, so I think this is my immune system telling me I'm being challenged by all the changes in my life just now. But despite the cold I feel pleased that the process of selling the apartment is finally under way, and excited about the possibilities of creating a new living space.

10 comments:

Rose Red said...

I'm not surprised you are feeling a bit unwell, it's a busy stressful time selling a house (not to mention trying to get that pattern right with so many stitches).

It is a challenge keeping your home neat and tidy during the sales period, I know! Hopefully you'll sell nice and quickly. And I hope you've got a nice knitting feature somewhere in your living room!

missfee said...

I agree with Rose red I am not surprised about not feeling well.

I hope you sort out the feather and fan - blurg. I have been doing a bit of unravelling of late - not fun at all

but good on you for doing it and keeping all of those stitches!!!!

Anonymous said...

oh no! oh no about the stitches was what i said out loud the whole time i was reading your post! 650 stitches. good lord. youre a better knitter than me lyn. and i dont believe you about your lovely apartment ever being untidy either. i do hope it all goes quickly and smoothly.

m1k1 said...

When you do the decreases for the f&f, do you do them all as k2tog? I find if I do half as ssk and second half as k2tog, it gives me a registration point for making sure the repeats line up.

Sel and Poivre said...

Good for you on all fronts! Inspirationsl determination in abundance!

SallyO said...

I've been there myself in the last few weeks. I'm quite sure I've unpicked more than I've knitted. I really should have loads of knitting to show from my enforced "rest period" and frankly I have only a few inches.

Brendaknits said...

A photo shoot. LOL But good luck with both the sale and the 650 stitches. I would need a marker between every repeat.

Unknown said...

Wowee Lyn! What a time for you! Counting one thing or another is a never ending task it seems.
I hope that your cold soon goes.
Thank you for such rich reflections on the tapestry of life.

Yarna said...

Hope you are feeling much better, Lyn. It's amazing how stress manifests itself in our health and in our knitting. I am a feather and fan failure but I love m1k1's suggestion! one that I will try next time feather and fan beckons!

Lynne said...

Get well soon - hope you're knitting behaves to give you some stress relief!