Monday, January 16, 2012

Taming of the Eels

I'm winning.  How does one eat an elephant?  One teaspoon at a time.  How does one turn cranberry eels into a sweater/shrug for Auntie?  Twelve rows of knitting at a time.  It takes several skeins of courage and a hank or two of tenacity.  I've got that, and I will have my way with this project.  No doubt about it.

The back, the two sides and the right and left front have found their way through the knitting contraption (second time) to become fat, fully-grown, knitted eels.  After "creating eels" the Things I get to do today are stay on task and match the twelve-row decrease stitches on the sections being joined stitch-by-stitch, row-by-row until hem to neck are joined for each of the pieces.  Have to say it is much easier this time with a fresh, more accurate design in the pattern.

Sweater eels waiting their turn.  Gray on edges is "waste" yarn always used
at the beginning of a project piece on the knitting frame.
Gray will be removed.


I've always worked with wool and was expecting each section to be compliant and workable for the  assembling.  My mind wanders all about the archive of metaphors appropriate to the task. How like life: too much change too quickly cannot be sustained.  A little shift incorporated into each day makes the whole experience soften over time.




Unrolling just a little bit at a time from one "side" of each eel, I can secure it with a stitch, and gradually the whole piece becomes cooperative.   Just a tiny bit, a few stitches held fast; unroll, pin and stitch, and I'm winning.

"Taming of the Shrew?"  This stuff is not nearly so feisty,  but I'm pretty sure this is the only knitter's documentation of taming of the eels.   (To be continued.)






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