Not So Fair Isle

I remember the outside. A little bit, anyway.

In my mind's eye, it is a place filled with happy people, warm breezes and singing birdies. Sometimes I get a little carried away and start seeing streets paved with chocolate and fields of flowering shoe plants but that's only when I forget to breathe properly. Even in my more lucid moments, though, I can't really trust my cognitive skills. "Outside" is not something I can really recall with any clarity.

I haven't left the house all day.

That's not true. I took the trash out to The Dumpster Where The Zombies Live. That doesn't really count, though. I was rushing because of the mottled, gray hand I know is going to one day burst out of the refuse at me. I didn't really get to enjoy "outside," or even register that I was there.

It's that stupid sweater. Mel suggested that I probably offended the Knitting Gods when I dared to call it by its true name rather than referring to it as The Dishcloth like I usually do with this kind of knitting. He's probably right. However, most of the drama associated with this thing stems from mistakes I made (and forgot about) last summer. Since I was dutifully following the Blog Sweater Curse Rules back then, I'm at a loss to explain the whole matter.

Recent knitting hasn't gone badly at all. I even did something vaguely Fair Isle-ish-except-not-really-because-I-don't-think-using-only-two-colors-counts. I'm on the second neck decrease and have had few problems. I should be celebrating right now.

But, I'm not. Every time I work a round, I find some error from knitting days gone by. I've spent more time fudging little repairs than I have actually knitting. It's crazy! And keeping me inside which will probably result in my getting Rickets or something.

I know what you're thinking. I should probably just let it go. I accepted a long time ago that this is never going to be a garment that will be worn outside the house. Unless, of course, there is an eclipse. I'd wear it during a full eclipse of the sun unless there were other knitters around. For the most part, though, this is going to be an Indoor/Laundry Day Sweater.

Even if it is a wasted effort, I'm still going to finish it. Then I'm going to photograph it and post it on Ravelry just like it was what I meant to do all along. I'm just going to have to arrange it somewhat "artfully" so that no one sees the true horror of my Indoor Sweater. It is highly unlikely that there will be a full eclipse of the sun every time someone views my knitting nightmare.

I'm going to do all this just to say that I finished. I figure I'll also probably learn a few lessons along the way given that I've not done much in the way of color work before this. For example, I've already learned what the book means when it says to "keep the floats loose." My puckery Indoor Sweater has been quite the tutor on that matter. If only for that lesson, I suppose the time spent away from the sunshine has been worth it.

And yes. I do, in fact, see the irony of my Indoor Sweater being the thing that has kept me inside all day...

SA