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May 22, 2006
Sophia’s Blanket is Finished!
I must be suffering from first lace syndrome because I keep expecting it to unravel. It is the most fragile piece of knitting I’ve ever done and I love it. The saga is long but worth recounting because it has taught me much.
1. Find perfect yarn at the 2005 Alpaca Show in Grayslake, Illinois. Purchase 1000 yards from Loren & Judy Stevens, which is 100 yards more than I need and all the skeins they had.
2. Knit mid section. The pattern is so repetitive and soothing. So soothing in fact that the last 2 ½ repeats takes longer to knit than the previous fourteen.
3. Pick up 220 tiny hairy uncooperative stitches TWICE. Miscount enough times to take a break. Discover that Suri will not take a lot of frogging.
4. Work on inner border. Discover mistake, tink ever so gently, then reknit. By now, each row is over 1000 stitches. After border is finished, take a break, a longer break.
5. Start the outer border. Complete one side. Discover in the middle of the second side that I’ve run out of yarn. Stare at the 4-inch wispy leftover in disbelief. Search stash feverishly. Thrice. Count starts - yep I’ve used all 1000 yards. Call Judy Stevens at 9:00pm hoping against hope that another skein exists. Express mail her a sample sliver and wait.
6. Judy calls back. She doesn’t have any more. The closest thing she has is lighter (different alpaca) and thicker (different mill). Order 200 yards via express mail and wait.
7. It arrives. I’m doomed. It is much lighter and much thicker.
8. Go to The Fold. Ask Toni for help. Nothing ready made will work but she has alpaca fiber in the exact same color. She hands me a bag and says, “Between the two of us we should get this done.” SHE THEN SPENDS TWO HOURS SPINNING ENOUGH FIBER FOR THE BORDER! She will only accept teary thanks. The generosity of this woman has no bounds.
9. Try to finish the border using Toni’s fiber. The difference between fibers is barely detectible. Breathe huge sigh of gratitude and knit away. Run out of yarn, again. No problem. I have more fiber! All I have to do is spin and ply another batch.
10. Try to spin some more Alpaca. Try to ply and then discover why Alpaca is called a downy fiber. Clearly I have not the skill. I also do not have the heart to ask Toni for more. So I try the lighter thicker Suri. I am so disappointed with the difference in border yarns that I take a break, the longest break thus far. But not before I order two more skeins of the lighter, heavier Suri. Since this is the most likely option for the entire border, I will NOT tempt the goddess of availability. In the interim I will rest. I will knit other things. I will have a few small knitting successes.
11. Return to the blanket. Tink the border, all three yarns of it, and look at the three tiny balls: the original Suri and Toni’s handspun (which are so hard to tell apart), and the lighter, thicker Suri. Choose the lighter, thicker Suri for the entire border. Lord knows I have enough. Six hundred yards of it! Hear row gauge versus stitch gauge whispers. Ignore whispers. There are only so many things that can go wrong and I believe I’ve hit the limit.
12. Finish the border. Graft the end. Soak it in Eucalan. Spin out the extra water. Spread it out to dry. Wake up early. Press it then pin it up on the window shade, stretching the points as much as possible.
13. For the first time since this project began, I smile. It’s too beautiful for words.
14. Take it down. Add one final accent – Toni’s handspun.
Sophia is two months old and I will see her soon. But first I will bring Toni flowers. And I will send a photo to Judy Stevens. And I will fight the urge to do it all over again in a beautiful lace weight merino Toni has in the shop. It is the most beautiful rose color and each skein is 800 yards apiece and two strands together look glorious and there are more than enough skeins!
Lessons Learned
1. Take a lot of breaks. It is not a character failing. It is an absolute must for long endurance projects.
2. Ask for help. You will be overwhelmed at the generosity and support you receive.
3. Give thanks. For the miracle of Sophia’s birth. And for all the love and generosity and perseverance one single blanket inspired.