Kicking My Ass

Second of the four projects in progress is something I just started a few days ago. And let me tell you, this one is kickin' my ass big time. The yarn is 100% Cashmere. Oh, it's wonderful. It was costly. And it's really really thin. Now, I've never knit with Cashmere before, and certainly not one so fine. But the thing I've learned thus far is, it doesn't have the "memory" wool does. It's not springy. And it is very fragile. Making mistakes and ripping out means weakening the yarn and then it just rips.

All this adds up to three attempts to get it right, a pile of used yarn that may or may not be reusable and even so, I have "ladders" up each needle join that I cannot make go away. The yarn overs are a bit wonky and lopsided. The whole thing looks really sloppy despite my attempts to knit slowly, carefully, and as consistently as possible. The only thing I can reckon is it's the combination of yarn, small needles and lace that are conspiring against me! I hope all this will work itself out when I wash and block, but just the same, this project is daunting!

This is what they are supposed to look like:




Why go through all this effort? Why put myself through so much frustration? And believe me, if you had seen me the other night struggling to make these look good, fiddling with the needles and breaking a sweat, you'd know this is one frustrating project. The reason is I'm making these wonderful little fingerless mitts is to give to my cousin, JA. She suffers from a terrible autoimmune disease called Scleroderma and her hands need to be warm or else she is in lots of pain.

I have to remind myself to stay calm, focused and relaxed. I have to recognize that while knitting these little mitts is a huge challenge, it doesn't come close to the challenges JA faces every single day of her life. Take a deep breath. Take it one row at a time, one day at a time.

I can't wait to see how they turn out.