Friday night I became obsessed (posessed?) by the Flower Basket Shawl I started way back in September.
I had been out, shopping with a coworker, until 9pm. When I got home I looked at my knitting basket and decided, "That's it! I've GOT to finish that thing!" I grabbed the needle and headed up to my bed where I settled in under 5 blankets and started knitting. It was 10pm when I started the second repeat of the second chart, and it was c-c-cold in the house - down to 12 C (54F) in the house. I pulled out my little electric heating pad and placed it under my feet. Mr. Happy was at the studio and would be there for a while. It was safe to knit in bed - no one would get a needle in the eye or complain about the light.
I charged ahead with charts and needles and one lifeline threaded through the shawl. It was on repeat number 3 that I entered some sort of Star Trek-like Nexus of knitting: I was seated comfortably; I loved the yarn and the way it clung to my bamboo needles, I finally understood why people like charts (the click in my head when I "got it" was almost audible); the shawl itself was growing at an incredible speed... So I just kept knitting.
At some point I realized that my nose was getting cold. Hmmmm... I called Mr. Happy to tell him that he had to turn on the furnace when he got home. It was only when he said, "What on earth are you still doing up???" that I realized what time it was - 3:00am. His shock woke me out of my daze.
Gentle readers, I had fallen under the spell of the Misti alpaca. But Mr. Happy's voice had saved me. I stared at my hands and at the chart - I was on repeat number 5.
Carefully, I set the shawl aside, turned out the light and turned off the heating pad. As I curled under the blankets, I think I heard the shawl mutter, "darn it, foiled again!"
Mr. Happy came home a while later and turned on the furnace. The heating hold out is over this year as of November 4th at 3:30am.
I love the knitters time warp. I've been reduced to doing 2 rows one a chart at a time with the lace, but all the larger projects just move me to trance.
ReplyDeleteMy heat goes on tonight.
And you managed to get up and write this without first picking up and finishing the shawl?
ReplyDeleteAhh, the Zen that is lace knitting. I still have something for you, just have to figure out that stupid "cross the border" mailing regulation stuff.
ReplyDeleteI wanna do that shawl too.
Oh, the rows are getting longer and longer....but you are so close...need to keep knitting...
ReplyDeleteps. I felt the same way last night about my noro scarf. I finished it today at lunchtime...
You should have knit yourself a nose-warmer. Glad to know you've got your knitting-mojo on.
ReplyDeleteImpressive heating hold-out! I thought perhaps you were using the cold to urge you to finish the shawl (for personal warmth, natch).
ReplyDeleteThe Knitting Time Warp is amazing when it's working for you (not so fun when you are going row after blessed row and the frickin thing does not get bigger).
ReplyDeleteAs for heat, I'd love to turn my on. It's included in our rent, and I've been told that it's working, however our dials seem to have no effect on the radiators. I'm frozen.
My New Year's Resolution is going to be to knit myself something beautiful in lace.
I hear you on the knitting by chart ... love lace knitting.
ReplyDeleteThough I must say - wimp, wimp. The heat is still off over here. On the bed is piled some of my vintage wool blanket stash. All toasty warm for a little bit longer... :-)