The Middle

In the beginning of a project, there is a flush of new, of hope and delight in something just a little different. At the end, there is the thrill of success and completion and sometimes, just utter joy that you never have to do another stitch of that particular project.

It occurred to me this morning, as I was picking up my work, that I am in the middle of almost every project.

The sweater might be seen to be just past the middle. I have several pairs of socks that are definitely in the middle. No pictures of these. They are just not that inspiring.

There is the first of the Christmas knitting that is right there in the middle. T

here is a pair of Elizabeth Zimmermann mittens, begun during the big wind last Saturday while I was at work (how good is it that I can on occasion, knit while working?). Middle of the first mitt.

These will have to be ripped back. 48 stitches is not enough for my pudgy hands.

There is the shawl. This is yesterdays picture. It looks just like this, only bigger. (Wouldn't it be nice if you could click to embiggen some shawls?)

It could be argued that the shawl is still in the start up phase. I started Monday night but half of each ball is knit up, therefore, I am in the middle.

I am in the curious stage where knitting sometimes bogs down, where it is easy to lose interest, where it is possible to lose the love.

And yet, these projects are all tremendously interesting. (Except the socks. The socks are black. It is hard to think about these, much less, find energy for excitement about black sock knitting )

I am really enjoying this phase of the sweater. I can't wait till SS comes out to try it on again, before I move forward to knit the hood and do the finishing details. I am utterly diverted when I knit the alpaca scarf. It is just so soft and divine to work with. The mittens are so quick, and the shape of them is such an elemental part of the design. I'm having so much fun with them, that even facing ripping back is just dandy. The shawl is still captivating. If anything, it is even more entrancing, watching the colours play out as the shawl grows.

I'm sure that there are a whole bunch of important and significant things that could be said about knitting middles, but I'm too busy enjoying all these middles to wonder about them. There is a clarity to middles that is not there with ends.

With ends, you have to wonder and worry and choose. With beginnings I keep asking myself, do I have enough yarn, is this the right project for the yarn, is this the right yarn for the project. Do I really need another shawl?. With finishing, I wonder if the recipient is going to like it, will it fit, will I be lonely without working on it, will it be everything I hoped for and what on earth am I going to do next.

With middles, there is the sureness of just moving, of sticking an established pattern, just knitting your way right along. Its nice having a project that will fit for almost every situation. Its nice knowing that I still have time to work with each of these yarns. Its nice knowing that a direction I took is going to work out, or, as with the mittens, not work out. Middles are a comfortable place. Middles make me feel good.

Which isn't such a bad way to feel for a Wednesday morning in October.