The slip stitch saga is in progress.. Hundreds of stitches are being knitted/slipped/purled (and some fine expletives are emerging softly with many a breath of this knitter).
The sweater has a completed back portion, and the front has to be knitted straight for the longest 16 inches ever. I have been knitting and measuring, but the progress is really slow, thanks to the slip stitch technique, which results in two rows looking and feeling like one.
The temptation to just shove this project into the UFO drawer, pull out some yarn from the stash, and begin a new project is really strong.
This is not the first time for a project to seem like eternity. There have been many such times in my life, and though I may complain, I have figured out some methods to make eternity feel a little less infinite.
- Keep the finished project image in mind. If that is not happening ( you are trying out something no one has done), then spread out the project, stare at it and allow your mind to imagine the completed beauty. Its usually the last thing I do at night, when I stop knitting, and it helps me to see progress when none is visible
- Consciously, knit good thoughts about the intended recipient, into the project. It brings unselfish joy into your fingers, and pleasant thoughts really help to keep the project going.
- Get yourself a support system, or a cheering squad. In Ranikhet, we have a wonderful Knitters club, which meets every fortnight to admire and encourage each other’s projects, give suggestions and the much needed “oohs” and “aahs”, drink tea, and talk about life and love and knitting on the lovely verandah. We end the magical session with a great lunch which only the Ranikhet Club can serve. In fact, the last meeting and lunch had me wondering if the knitting or the lunch was the star! Food is trying, but knitting still wins hands down.
- Fix a timeline and some goals—and then promptly forget about them. Knitting should not be a chore…its a delightful and rewarding activity, and, as always, it’s the journey which is to be savoured, not the final result. Having said that, the sheer joy of completing a project and using it ( or watching someone else use it) has a zany zingy feeling around it.
- Listen to some amazing podcasts. This one is by far my favourite, but one can always listen to podcasts on democracy, gardening, art or anything else.
- Join a KnitAlong ( KAL). Many blogs and designers have KALs in progress, and its good to share progress notes, ire, and ecstasy with fellow knitters. Currently, the LogCabin KAL is being hosted here, and there are some interesting ones on Ravelry, at all times. This is an option which needs to be attempted sincerely. We tried a ripple blanket KAL at our knitters club, but I had to give up my project, since ripples were just not calling out to me. Today, the Carbeth sweater KAL has begun here, and I am considering dropping the current project and starting this new sweater..
But hey?! I started writing on working and completing a project, not starting a new one!
Carbeth will have to wait, while I wait for 16 inches of slip stitch pattern to emerge from the knitting needles!