The Zen of Craftsmanship

I've been having a rather frustrating time with Rosy Fingered Dawn. Yes, I've gone back to her what with the mystery shawl being finished. Maybe that's the reason that RFD is causing me so much trouble at the moment - she is sulking because I laid her aside.

I don't know how it happened but I had put her down on the table and left her there when I went to work. When I returned and picked her up again there seemed to be a very loose stitch. I do not know how this could happen as there had been no-one in the house, no-one, not a single solitary soul. I pulled the yarn to snug the stitch up and it got a bit bigger. So I pulled the next stitch in an attempt to even things out. A slightly bigger loop. Moving along to the third stitch... Bigger yet. It dawned on me that I was going to have to pull each and every stitch all the way round to the working yarn before I could get rid of the excess. I don't know how many stitches I have on the needle at the moment and I don't really think I want to know. Suffice it to say that we are talking hundreds.

It won't take very long. It's mindless stuff. I don't really want to be doing anything complicated. I want to watch the cricket (which by the way was one of the most exciting things I've seen in a long, long, time and many commiserations to any Aussies reading this - you played well, it's just that our boys played better). All these thoughts running through my head as I slowly and carefully pull each stitch.

Then I discovered that about 10 stitches had dropped off the needle and run a few rows down. I had to do emergency reconstruction of the lace pattern. That achieved, I continued dealing with the great loop of yarn which at this stage seemed to have grown to about 2 feet long. No, I didn't think to take a picture - I was so fascinated at the way the loop had taken on a life of its own and was defying the laws of physics. How could the thing be growing like that?

I got round all three sides of the shawl. I got to within four stitches of the working yarn and then..What do you think? Yes, I snapped the yarn. I let out a huge shriek and that's when 'im indoors said, "That's the Zen of Craftsmanship for you." Thank you, darling.

At that point I set the wretched thing aside (that "set" doesn't really do it justice - it was more like hurling it across the room in frustration), opened a bottle of something sparkling and watched the cricket boys celebrate a great victory.

I have taken Rosy Fingered Dawn up again this morning. I have given her a jolly good talking to and I think we have reached an understanding. I think she now knows that I am in charge.