Concentration
Knitting More than Circular is requiring single-minded concentration.
If I try to listen to a television show or a podcast or music, my mind wanders from the task. And suddenly, there I am in knitting hell again, having lost count or mistaken the order of the stitches. It's like awakening from a daydream. One moment I'm conscious and focused, the next moment I blink and realize that I've gotten off track again.
Since I don't yet have faith in my ability to rip back vertically, I rip repeat by repeat, hoping to find the spot where my mind wandered off.
A smart knitter would count the stitches in every repeat. Also smart would be to check the stitches as I work my way around on alternate knit rows: that the yarnovers are where they should be, that I counted correctly, that the last ten stitches at the end of the repeat, which have a strange syncopation of SSK, YO, K1, SSK, YO,K2tog, K1, Yo, K2tog, have been executed in correct order.
I've given in to this extremely detailed process in the last few rounds. I was getting tired of ripping back, and the relaxation factor of Just Kntting was being overwhelmed by the frustration of mistakes and ripping.
In case this point got lost, I am enjoying this project.
I'm learning something new: to knit a circular shawl.
I'm learning to love bamboo. The fiber is perfect for this 90 degree humidity. A shawl will rest on your lap as it grows, and do you really want a wool blanket at this time of year?
And I'm learning a tiny, tiny bit of patience and attention to detail.
If I try to listen to a television show or a podcast or music, my mind wanders from the task. And suddenly, there I am in knitting hell again, having lost count or mistaken the order of the stitches. It's like awakening from a daydream. One moment I'm conscious and focused, the next moment I blink and realize that I've gotten off track again.
Since I don't yet have faith in my ability to rip back vertically, I rip repeat by repeat, hoping to find the spot where my mind wandered off.
A smart knitter would count the stitches in every repeat. Also smart would be to check the stitches as I work my way around on alternate knit rows: that the yarnovers are where they should be, that I counted correctly, that the last ten stitches at the end of the repeat, which have a strange syncopation of SSK, YO, K1, SSK, YO,K2tog, K1, Yo, K2tog, have been executed in correct order.
I've given in to this extremely detailed process in the last few rounds. I was getting tired of ripping back, and the relaxation factor of Just Kntting was being overwhelmed by the frustration of mistakes and ripping.
In case this point got lost, I am enjoying this project.
I'm learning something new: to knit a circular shawl.
I'm learning to love bamboo. The fiber is perfect for this 90 degree humidity. A shawl will rest on your lap as it grows, and do you really want a wool blanket at this time of year?
And I'm learning a tiny, tiny bit of patience and attention to detail.
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