a simple yarn

The Moral of the Story-The most obvious from this tale is that I should listen to my own advice…practice what I preach, you know.

Why it was just this past Thursday that I heard myself say to a beginner knitter, ‘Sometimes you have to knit by faith, not by sight.’ Okay, a bit of distortion to the Bible’s encouragement to ‘live by faith, not by sight,’ but still, I think it can be applied to knitting nonetheless.

There are those moments-and mostly on Debbie Bliss patterns-when I just cannot see where I am going. Can’t picture it in my head. Just have to follow the step-by-step-directions in a literal step-by-step-fashion to then look in hindsight seeing where I’ve been. Then comes the ‘Aha-I-get-it!’ realisation. Well….not always, but mostly.

So this week I’ve had a crisis of ‘knitting by faith.’ Working on Kate’s cardigan (still). Slowly moving up the sleeves in tandem. Realise that I’m at the final metres of the final balls of yarn. Hey wait! I thought the pattern called for 14 balls? I bought 14 balls. Gauge was right. What is going on? I don’t think I’m going to have enough to finish the sleeves and seam it up and knit the collar.

Blast.

And so, in a panic, I email Lisa and hurriedly request another 2 balls of yarn…just to be safe. I’m anxious to get this project done and off the needles. Daughter-Kate waits patiently, but I’m sure she’d love to wear it before summer comes. Arg.

Lisa says the yarn will be in presently. In the meantime I decide to go as far as I can with what I’ve got. And so I finish shaping the sleeves…
…seam up the shoulders…
…begin the collar…
…finish the collar…
…set in the sleeves…
…sew up the sides…

…and like biblical accounts of old, I miraculously still have yarn. Not much, mind you, but remnants to be sure. Duh.

Is there another point to this story?
Well the less-obvious-but-more-celebratory-reason for the post is that after countless months of work and obstacles, Kate’s cardigan is finally done.

Postscript and Pictures:

‘Pea Coat’ by Debbie Bliss from Junior Knits
Knit in Debbie Bliss Merino Aran on size 4.5 and 5mm needles

The photographed colour is nothing like the original, which is darker. Couldn’t find the right navy buttons, so black will suffice for now. Couldn’t have Kate wait any longer. Even though I knit up the Size 9-10 and Kate is small by nature, it still resulted in a very narrow cardigan, pulling apart a bit at the bottom, but she doesn’t mind. I may take out some of the side seaming at the bottom for a slit on either side making a better fit.

And no sooner was it off the needles that it took up residence on her. And I say Amen to that…