One Bat Wing to Go
I thought doing a sweater pattern twice would be a little tedious, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy this has been.
The first Lady Bat was a real challenge for me because I kept messing up the lace. I had to focus on the sweater, and only the sweater, to not mess it up. This time around I can handle more distraction. Which means I can re-watch Lost (up to the last season) with my kids while I’m working. There’s always a Netflix marathon at some point in the summer, so I guess this is it. Previous marathons include Malcolm in the Middle, Firefly, Full Metal Alchemist, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and BattleStar (again, until the last season).
The fact that I can do this while working on lace shows that my knitting may have been brought to a new level. I used to look at lace instructions like they were some sort of alchemy. The moment I made a yarn over and knit 2 together I no longer recognized what sort of stitch it was and was completely dependent on the pattern to tell me what I just did and was going to do. The stitches all blended together on the needle to make an entirely different thing. I just mentally held my breath, hoped I wouldn’t make a mistake, and watched it form on the needles.
If I did mess up a small segment, I’d be ripping halfway back until I could get my “bearings” on where I was in the pattern. You can see that I haven’t done a whole lot of lace. But at some point I found myself looking at the lace I’d knit and remembering exactly how the stitches took it there. It’s like the moment you have as a kid when you’re staring at the back of the cereal box during breakfast, like you did every morning, and suddenly you realized you could actually read the words you were staring at. I’m sure most of you are more mindful with your knitting and never had this problem with lace, but to feel confident that I can get my needles back into the work if I do have to rip back a few rows or that I can spot the mistake amid all that mesh is a big step for me. I feel so grown up.
Gorgeous! This must be the sweater you were talking about the other day. As much as I'm obsessed with marathon TV show-watching, I have an easier time listening to audiobooks downloaded from the library… then I don't have to look away form my work. I am easily distracted! 🙂
I just love it when that happens. It often takes me by surprise and bam … there I am. I just love this sweater – it will look as fabulous as the first and I just have to make sure I have to knit one some day too….
If feels so nice when you reach that point. Enjoy the marathon! 😀 Here we recently finished with Firefly and watching Castle now.
I also loved Lost, but I think it got out of hand at the end.
I totally agree about the end of Lost. My children and I watch it as though it were real. We can't stop… until the thing happens with Juliette. Then we start watching with less attachment. Firefly is one of my favorite tv shows. I could listen to it while knitting all day. 🙂 But I haven't tried Castle yet, I may try that next.
Thank you, Libby! I am trying to finish this before vacation, so I may be able to wear it when we eat out one night- like on the one evening we aren't all grungey from hiking and exhausted around the fire.
You have the right idea, Emily! If I'm doing stockinette, I read while knitting and love that. But I've been kind of hesitant to try audio books so maybe that's why I watch shows I have seen before. Then, I can look at my knitting and still follow the storyline. I need to try audiobooks, though, because tv is rotting my brain.