Alexandra Scarf from Gauge Knits - Done!

Brilliant!

Before blocking: brilliant but bumpy

You would think, after so many years as a knitter, that the effects of blocking would cease to be so wondrous for me.  Not so.  Just like the thrill of opening a brand new box of my latest book never gets old, so does that moment when I pull a project off the blocking wires to hold it in my hand.

On the wires

Some projects don’t change dramatically with blocking, but lacework—even simple lacework like this—comes alive when you block it.  The ripples disappear and you hold a light, airy piece of fabric in your hands.  Fabric you made out of sticks and string.  That’s art in itself, but the fact that you can now wear it?  All the more marvelous!

A finished beauty!

On a dreary Chicago day when it feels like winter has lasted forever, this is just the colorful promise of spring I needed.  Thanks, Gauge Knits, for a project that taught me a lot about what I love and learn from knitting!

Delightful details

Next up?  DestiKNITions spends the day in the charming state capitol of Frankfort, KY.

Alexandra Scarf from Gauge Knits - Day 5

What a difference! And BIG news!

Had I realized how much “internalizing” the pattern for this scarf so that I could work from memory would make, I’d have done it much earlier!  Not having to constantly count stitches or refer back to the paperwork changed my entire experience of knitting this scarf.  It went faster, and was much more pleasant.  I feel like the second half the the yarn has just flown through my fingers.  Tedium?  Gone.  Motivation?  Returned.

Just when I think knitting has no more to teach me, I find out how wrong I am.

Now, I have an exciting announcement to make!

A few posts ago, I told you my monthly “Authors Who Knit” feature would shift to “Readers Who Knit,” allowing you to meet some Allie fans and their needlework.  I’m pleased to announce that thanks to promotional sponsorship by Cascade Yarns, each reader featured will receive TEN hanks of Cascade 220 and a Cascade clear tote bag in addition to an Allie book for themselves and a friend.  That’s enough to make a whole sweater, DestiKNITters!

Allie books are nice, being featured is spiffy, but FREE YARN and lots of it?  Well that just takes the cake!  There are only seven spots left, so if you were thinking of applying to be a featured reader, send an email to allie@alliepleiter.com soon!

Alexandra Scarf from Gauge Knits - Day 4

Mental motivational trickery...

Cue BB King, the thrill is gone.  I’m halfway through and like lots of big projects, this last half feels harder and longer than the first.  Three more feet of zig-zags is looming wearily over me, a daunting I-can’t-get-there-from-here finish line.  Time to get my head in a new place about this project.

Now is the time the little boosts of knitting serve to encourage us.  I was knitting with a friend the other day, and we talked about the mini-joy of reaching the end of a challenging row with the right amount of stitches. You know what I’m talking about:  the pattern says something like “knit 4” and—lo and behold—you’ve got exactly four stitches left on your needle!  You didn’t botch this row!  Every knitter I know gets a little “zing” when that happens.  The longer the row, the bigger the zing, yes?

Another midway boost for me is what I call “pattern immersion.”  That’s my term for that magic moment when you don’t need to look at the written pattern to execute your repeat—you’ve memorized what comes next.  Most times it comes organically somewhere in the middle of a project.  This time, I needed to make it happen.  Having to keep peeking back at the written pattern was part of the reason this scarf was becoming tedious, and that needed to change.

I took 30 minutes and analyzed the set of left-leaning rows and those that leaned to the right.  I stared at the stitches until I could see that the two stockinette stitches to the right of those zig-zaging yarn-overs were the ones that were K2Tog’d.  Now I don’t have to count rows or stitches, just look for those two stitches.  

Conversely, staring hard at the stitches showed me that the YO and SSK happens right overtop the yarn-over from two rows below.  Now, the knitting tells me what I have to do next, not a constant glance over to the paperwork.  Sure, I check back every few rows to make sure I’m where I thought I was, but this little shift is enough to keep me motivated and heading toward the finish line!

Hey, a knitter’s gotta do what a knitter’s gotta do.

Alexandra Scarf from Gauge Knits - Day 3

Just the necessities of life...

Some colors just cheer you right up.  While the mind certainly goes to red with February just around the corner, I have to say the green is downright refreshing against all of Chicago’s slushy grey January.  Spring will be here…eventually.

I really thought I’d have the repeat memorized by now, but I’m still stuck counting rows.  that’s annoying, but I suspect it’s more a function of my 50+ year old brain cells than of any pattern deficit.

I’ve been working hard this week, staring endlessly at words while I race toward a deadline.  I can’t tell you how lovely it is to stop and knit on my breaks. Yes, they are both “creative pursuits,” but one is such a perfect counterpoint to the other.  I feel like I could spend the rest of my life bouncing back and forth between writing and knitting.  Well, as long as there was coffee and chocolate involved.  And maybe some peanut butter.  Peanut butter is always nice.  Oh, and lemon meringue pie.  And French macarons.  And maybe a few episodes of Doctor Who…

Alexandra Scarf from Gauge Knits - Day 2

Why I love knitting...

I’m pleased to report that my roll-prevention efforts seem to be paying off.  It’s still a bit early to call those six extra stitches a complete success, but I’m over eight inches into the scarf and nothing is curling in on the edges so far.  Hooray!

Look at all those pretty green zig-zags!  There’s something about a pattern repeat stacking on itself so nicely, that swells the heart, isn’t there?  Beautiful, precise, order.

The creation of order in a chaotic world was one of the reasons I started knitting in the first place.  With small kids underfoot and the unpredictable nature of a writing career, I was hungry for things that gave me a sense of accomplishment and control.  When I knit something, it generally stays knit (unless I have to rip it out, but that’s another issue).  I can’t say that for an empty dishwasher, a clean counter, or even a well child.  None of that has changed, even though those little kids are now young adults—everything still feels as if it is in constant motion.  Knitting is my antidote to that non-stop shifting.  It establishes something that wasn’t there before, something that stays where I put it.

Have you ever tried to explain the deep satisfaction you feel when you look at your knitting? Especially to someone who isn’t a creative type?  It’s hard. The sense of “I made this, and it is beautiful,” even if it’s something as ordinary as a garter stitch dishcloth, defies explanation.  For me, knitting becomes visual time…it is effort you can see and feel, it is tactile and concrete.  Even my writing—which you can see 100 words as concretely as you can see 100 stitches—doesn’t give me the same deep sense of accomplishment.  

It’s why I love knitting so much.  And I expect I have lots of company in that affection.

Just in case you missed it:  Authors Who Knit will shift to READERS Who Knit for 2015!  I’ve been telling my publisher (and anyone else who will listen) that readers are knitters and knitters are readers.  What better way to celebrate that marvelous symbiosis then by highlighting my readers who take to the yarn and needles?  Starting in February, I’ll feature 11 Allie fans and their knitting—one each month—and those featured readers will get a few special goodies as well as some kudos here on DestiKNITions.  Email me at allie [at] alliepleiter [dot] com if you want to submit to be featured.