Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Some Sadness, Some Spitting

This (Merino Lace Cardigan) is what I was working on as I rode the train home after I stayed late in the city tonight to visit Bebe and help her get started on her poncho. She's making "That Seventies Poncho" from Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, but with a few twists. First, she's using only two colors. Second, she's using different yarn and different size needles. So one could say the pattern is really more of a suggestion than a strict set of rules. Lucky for her she's learning that early on--it took me years to have that little epiphany. This will be a project full of firsts for her. Among the new-for-her things she'll be doing: using circular needles, doing yarn overs, using stitch markers, increasing, changing yarn colors, and making an i-cord. No one can say she's not brave! (Not that anyone who knows her would say that, especially considering she just quit her job and is leaving tomorrow to go study flamenco in Spain, but I digress). Anyway, for those of you who make a general habit of avoiding and ridiculing any poncho-like garments, I should note that Bebe has a great figure and is one of the few people I know who really has no need for this pledge that I learned about from Zarzuela.

All in all, she seemed excited, and I hope she keeps me updated on both the poncho progress and the flamenco study. I hugged her goodbye cheerfully when I left, but I was slightly surprised to find myself getting weepy as I waited for the elevator in the hall outside her place. I am deeply happy for her and her adventure, but selfishly a year feels like an awful long time not to be able to meet someone for lunch and the occasional girls' night out (or in, if we feel like knitting instead of drinking--not that the two are mutually exclusive).

So, back to the cardigan. While I was on the train, I finally got to the end of the first skein. Since Sami had mentioned to me more than once how easy this yarn is to spit splice, I wasn't too worried about having enough length to finish an entire row (which, with the most exasperating logic, just keep getting longer and longer as I increase!) However, I don't know if my spit is chemically imbalanced, or if I simply lack skill, but I could not get the stuff to stick together. I plan on having one more go at it after reviewing all the hints and reading material I can find about spit splicing. If it still doesn't work, then tomorrow on the train (after my morning dose of Barry Lopez) I will simply have to undo the 1/3 of a row I had knit and have a very loooong end to weave in later. Grrr. Still, on the bright side, that first skein went a lot further than I thought it would, which is encouraging given that I have to knit the largest size.

So, that was basically my day in knitting. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I was very flattered that Jessie commissioned me (her words) to knit her some wristwarmers she saw somewhere. She's sending me a picture. They would be my first non-scarf item knit totally without a pattern, but I think I can manage at this point. She also asked me to try to get Mishmish to stop wearing ponchos, but I think that's a much bigger challenge.

1 comment:

mishmish said...

i LOVE my poncho!! its not a martha stewart one, there is no fringe, nor is it in some tacky/fadish color. i say meh to Manolo's poncho pledge and yes to my cozy ralph lauren cashmere poncho!