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When Seeking Perfection Trumps Joy

7/25/2020

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To say I’ve had a stressful week of knitting would be an understatement. Remember when I said, “I’m a perfectionist just not a very good one”? I think I lived that statement this week. I decided on July 15 that I NEEDED to knit Jacaranda. It felt like a pull, a compulsion. I gave my dear friend Evie my Jacaranda for her birthday July 14.
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I loved this so much (like I shared before, this may be my favorite pattern ever) that I knew I would knit it again. I just look at this picture and get goosebumps of pride. After this treasure was put in the mail, my house felt strangely empty. Like there was a hole, something missing. I realized it was Jacaranda. I was missing Jacaranda and immediately decided to finish the one I started before Christmas.
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I had to go to Staples to by printer ink before I could start because I couldn’t fine my pattern. After I printed the pattern, I realized I had rewritten the pattern because it was too hard to read in the original form. Then I had to figure out where in the pattern I had left off which was no easy feet. Finally, I was ready to JUST DO IT! After a couple of rows I realized these colors weren’t inspiring me so I decided to make a trip to te Stash Studio to find the perfect yarn. I had no doubt I would find it and I did. That’s one thing about having a stash the size of a medium LYS, I can almost always find just what I’m looking for and I did.
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There it was! One of my many balls of Havirland. I love this yarn and thought this would be amazing. But it didn’t do anything for me. It just didn’t inspire me. So, another trip to the Stash Studio and I found this.
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Is that beautiful or what!!!!!! I have always loved the colors of Zauberball and now was a great time to reintroduce myself to its beauty. But no, this didn’t work because the gradual color change did’nt provide enough color definition for the stitches. So another trip to the Stash Studio.
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I love this and thought, “Here it is! Exactly what I have been looking for!” But this didn’t work either. In the meantime, I experienced the soothing counting of the cast-on. Thank goodness there was some soothing between my joyless attempts at Jacaranda. Another trip to the Stash Studio.
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This is an amazing Lang yarn that I have had my eye on since spring of 2019 when I bought it at Knit ‘N Purl in Myrtle Beach. See those black hunks? I have learned that black or anything too dark hides the intricacies of the pattern and why knit Jacaranda if you’re going to hide those amazing intricacies???????? So one more trip to the Stash Studio.
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This is another Langs. Great colors, right? But no joy. Sadly enough I had to leave my amazing Jacaranda and move on. This adventure felt a lot like the three bears; too dark/too thin/too thick/color change to thin/color change too thick, etc. I am exhausted!!! I got back to seriously knitting The Moon and Other Satellites with Linda in our Social Knitting From Afar. It is providing me with the peace, tranquility and joy I need at the moment. Some day I will surprise you with a new Jacaranda that is perfect in every way. I did learn that for me, joy trumps perfection.
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Home From The Market

7/10/2020

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It’s been a while since my last story but rest assured, I have not been slacking. I have been Social Knitting From Afar with Linda. I just finished (and by finished I mean steamed and perfect) Spice Market. It is so beautiful. There are a couple of very interesting things about Spice Market. I used the fabulous Miss Babs Yummy Toe set in Damsdorf Sunset with the main color being Wheaten because it is the color of a Wheaten Terrier. Do you remember?
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Creating a bigger build up and more suspense, this is the pattern.
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Ok! Are you ready? Abracadabra! No wait let’s build up the excitement a little more. This was my first picture of Spice Market.
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It was about this time I said to myself, “These aren’t my colors but I really love them!” Then I came to the pattern stitch my knitting buddy Viv who lives in Wooster, Ohio but has a place North Myrtle Beach cal the MF Stitch.
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It is tedious, very tedious. When it’s done, it looks as cute as can be. Now for the big unveil or reveal or surprise or what ever you want to call it. First Marilyn the steamer did her job.
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Then Lydia did her job. Lydia makes all of my treasures look their best.
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I love it! As I’m working on a treasure I always ask myself, “What would be the learnings from this pattern if I taught a class?’ Except for the MF Stitch, it’s pretty straight forward garter stitch but look at all of the color changes. There would be two learnings: 1) Invisibly carry the main color throughout the project and 2) hide ends as you go. When I was finished I had two ends to hide, one at the beginning which was the yellow and at the end which was the dark purple. I am Home From The Market and I feel great. I have also discovered two more kits I’ve made up for Spice Market. . .
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And one I don’t even have a picture of but it was in the first tub when I started making my own kits. I must have kitted it at least five years ago, Either Kitterly or Earthfaire must have sent me an email with Spice Market on and I couldn’t resist. Linda and I have picked out another fabulous project for Social Knitting From Afar. Can’t wait to sow you.
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    jan parson

    This blog is dedicated to Mary Helen Growt my first knitting teacher and the woman who changed my life.  The mission of Knitting: A Love Story is to preserve, share and promote the love of knitting.

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