Nearing the End
Boundary Waters is getting to the last few rows on the body of the shawl:
There is still the edging, which could take me the month of December to finish.
But I'm nearing the end. Poignant. I have enjoyed the project. I look forward to picking up the needles each evening. As I finish a pattern row, I pick up the chart to see what's next(sometimes I read ahead!). I read the next row(s) in anticipation: will this be a fun row, or will I have to focus, to concentrate? There have been many of each in this pattern, and as I count down to the last few rows, I know I will miss this project when it is done.
Yes, we work to have a finished object.
But we also work to enjoy the process. I am at the exciting part of nearly seeing if it all worked out, whether I made egregious errors in the lace, and if the wool/needles/pattern combination was the right choice after all.
But I'm also starting to regret the finishing. It's been a fun knit. Will the next be one too? What's next?
I need to spin yarn for the next shawl, and I haven't the parameters decided yet: wool (I have some nice Polwarth)? Wool blended with angora (just purchased from Rovings)? Silk? Thick for a throw or blanket? Thin for a shawl?
Then: which pattern? I want to do Frost Flowers from GOL. I also gave away Fir Cone (see here and here), from Folk Shawls, and I liked the knitting of that. I do intend to knit it again but in handspun, because I was a little sorry about the yarn choice (too flat, not enough life to the yarn).
Time at the spinning wheel will sort out the answers to the next project conundrum. As soon as I pick a fiber, the rest will fall into place, as I plan and spin.
But still, nearing the end of a good project is a little like sending a child off to college: I want it, I expect it, I've worked toward it, I anticipate the benefits, but it's sad all the same. I want time to slow down, so I can enjoy the last moments longer. Nothing will ever be the same, the experience is gone, behind me, no matter how I try to reproduce it, the time has passed.
Poignant, and uncertain, time for a new plan, while the old one wraps up. I don't want to miss a minute of the next few rows, but I also wait in eager anticipation: what will the next one be?
And to think: just a year ago now, I was planning to knit lace for the very first time. What a difference a year makes!
There is still the edging, which could take me the month of December to finish.
But I'm nearing the end. Poignant. I have enjoyed the project. I look forward to picking up the needles each evening. As I finish a pattern row, I pick up the chart to see what's next(sometimes I read ahead!). I read the next row(s) in anticipation: will this be a fun row, or will I have to focus, to concentrate? There have been many of each in this pattern, and as I count down to the last few rows, I know I will miss this project when it is done.
Yes, we work to have a finished object.
But we also work to enjoy the process. I am at the exciting part of nearly seeing if it all worked out, whether I made egregious errors in the lace, and if the wool/needles/pattern combination was the right choice after all.
But I'm also starting to regret the finishing. It's been a fun knit. Will the next be one too? What's next?
I need to spin yarn for the next shawl, and I haven't the parameters decided yet: wool (I have some nice Polwarth)? Wool blended with angora (just purchased from Rovings)? Silk? Thick for a throw or blanket? Thin for a shawl?
Then: which pattern? I want to do Frost Flowers from GOL. I also gave away Fir Cone (see here and here), from Folk Shawls, and I liked the knitting of that. I do intend to knit it again but in handspun, because I was a little sorry about the yarn choice (too flat, not enough life to the yarn).
Time at the spinning wheel will sort out the answers to the next project conundrum. As soon as I pick a fiber, the rest will fall into place, as I plan and spin.
But still, nearing the end of a good project is a little like sending a child off to college: I want it, I expect it, I've worked toward it, I anticipate the benefits, but it's sad all the same. I want time to slow down, so I can enjoy the last moments longer. Nothing will ever be the same, the experience is gone, behind me, no matter how I try to reproduce it, the time has passed.
Poignant, and uncertain, time for a new plan, while the old one wraps up. I don't want to miss a minute of the next few rows, but I also wait in eager anticipation: what will the next one be?
And to think: just a year ago now, I was planning to knit lace for the very first time. What a difference a year makes!
posted by Sara at 6:37 AM
6 Comments:
Nice thoughts on the life of a project. The shawl is beautiful...I love the color, but I don't remember you posting on this project before. Enjoy this project in its "maturity".
Sara, it's just so beautiful. I so enchanted by the color - it's just an amazing shade. I'm always amazed how lace takes it's shape and how each row comes out.
I *so* did not have those feelings at the end of Icarus. Time to move on.
From Lace Phobe to Lace Queen in a year. Nice.
What a lovely post... I certainly have felt that way the most when finishing up a lace project. This shawl is a stunning color, and I am looking forward to seeing it blocked out. Missed everyone last night, but it was one too many late, cold nights and winter is still young... sigh. Will there be Spinning Saturday next week?
You make knitting sound like reading a good novel!
I'm encouraged that you've only been knitting laces for about a year. Maybe there's still hope for me. Of course, my one lace project was started more than a year ago............
Enjoying the process is what knitting, spinning and weaving are all about. It's the journey not the destination; however for us it's often both!
I love the color! What pattern are you knitting?
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