Itchy still?

I stopped the endless haunting of the books and yarns around me and picked something out and well...  

I have long been wanting to knit Bridgewater, one of Jared Flood's lovely designs.  I had yarn for it.  I had the book and for a very long time, I thought I was ready, I just needed the space in my knitting cycle.  

And then I read that I needed 4 skeins of yarn.  I had 3.  Sigh.  

My local LYS did not restock.  It took a while but I finally ordered that last skein.  I knew that I wasn't going to get the same dyelot, but so many yarns come in so close that it wouldn't matter so long as I was careful.  

As you can see, that center ball is   a very different kettle of fish.  The first 3 are a rich heathered sort of gray with secrets hiding deep within, but the last is more of a sheeps gray.   The difference was bigger than I thought it would be.

I needed to sort out how to use them and still have enough yarn to finish the shawl.  I wondered if it was the right yarn choice after all.  I scoured Ravelry, but could never quite decide if I was going to commit to such a large project with yarns that might or might not work.  It sat for a very long time.

This weekend I jumped.  Its garter stitch.  I needed that I think.  Its heathered.  I needed that too, I think.  It is the easiest way of adding  stitches there is.  Knit front and back on the first stitch of every row.  It is almost the perfect thing to break out of a funk.  Plus it's got pretty lace.  

I fell into it, and began to knit with one ball of yarn, figuring that at about 1/3rd of the way on the additions, I would add in the 2nd ball.  Oh dear. That single ridge of lighter more browny gray stuck out like a sore thumb.  Rip.  Rip.

I re-started, alternating right away but I think you can see the difference here.  So long as it is an all over the main body thing, I'm ok with it.  So a striping I will go.  

Off and running and my fingers are loving it.  I'm using some bamboo tips for this project.  The longer I knit the more refined my knitting preferences are.  My usual nickle tips are just too slippery for lace.  I want to love knitting lace.  I have the stash that says I had darn well better enjoy it.  But with nickle tips, it was just not that much fun, no matter how much I loved the pattern.  So I tried some bamboo tips and they are the answer.  

Garter hasn't got the rhythm of lace, but it is such a wonderful, traditional foundation.  It is of the earth and the sky and of history and of people who knit a long time ago.  

I can't wait to knit a little more on it in the morning. I'm hoping I wake up before my alarm, so I can squeak in just and extra half an hour.  

And that is a very strong indicator that the funk is done.