Thursday, February 26, 2009

k-brow: freeing the Noro

Today was windy and cold. On a wild whim, I decided to wear Rosedale to work. I knitted this sweater more than a year ago, and I have had mixed feelings about it since I cast it off the needles. So many errors, so much awkwardness. I knitted it because I craved a technical challenge; the corrugated ribbing + intarsia panels were so seductive. The funky, candy-colored sunset Noro Kureyon just made me happy every time I picked up the needles. But my raglan lines were ugly and the intarsia panels were puffy. I never wore it. The Kureyon was itchy, even though I knew it would soften up, if I soaked it. Probably a good blocking would cure the puffitude of the intarsia, too. Alas, I couldn't bring myself to love it. Today, I almost did. It was so warm, and so many people stopped me in the halls to admire the crazy colors and sporty design.
This evening, I decided it wasn't fair to keep the Kureyon enslaved in a sweater I had no love for. Not since I've experienced true love, in the form of Icarus, or the Malabrigo mitts. So I decided to free it for other uses.

I did not reckon how damn difficult it would be to frog corrugated ribbing, let alone intarsia. I learned anew, that I'd had 3 balls of yarn working at any one time on this sweater, and all the little scrips and scraps and woven in bits were enough to make Jesus cry. Not the baby Jesus, either, but the full grown one. It was like unraveling clown vomit for awhile. I've done about half of it, and I'm giving myself a break. This yarn needs to be washed and skeined again, later, to knit again. It's so crinkly and crunchy. But the Noro love in my heart is strong.

4 comments:

Chelsea said...

Grr, frogging intarsia should be...I don't know, illegal or something. I frogged out about five inches of a cardigan WIP I decided I wouldn't like, and it took nearly two hours, with the five colors to untangle from each other each row. Grrrr. Good for you for setting the yarn free!

((My blog is acting up, so I'm assuaging my need for communication by commenting on everyone else's blogs today.))

Unknown said...

I am sad to see Rosedale go to pieces...but I'm sure the wonderful display of colors will rise again in something new and wonderful!

Anonymous said...

ditto to barb's comment. i especially laughed (and hacked up part of a lung) when you wrote about which instar jesus you made cry. haha! you'd better keep up your blogging antics when on the other side of the usa!

Opal said...

oh dear! poor jesus! i'm with miche and barb, i'm sad to see rosedale go. but i do understand the need for you to let it go. if the love isn't there, it isn't there. i look forward to seeing the noro in its next incarnation. :)