Knitting frustration

For many months now i have been working and and off on a very long, slow knitting project. It is a very fine linen cardigan on very small needles (2.75mm). It is grey, natural linen, laceweight. I am knitting it in one piece, so the rows are v-e-r-y l-o-n-g, nearly 400 sts each. I am lucky if I knit 1 cm a night (4.6 rows to the cm). Presently, it looks like, well, arse, frankly. This stuff is like fine string to work with, but the fabric does have a lovely hand, and apparently is even nicer when it's washed.

I work on, row after tedious endless row, because when it is done it will look like this. Except longer and looser, as is appropriate for my body shape.

But last night, two disasters. First, the ball I was working on had begun to deconstruct itself a few nights ago. The yarn started appearing from somewhere in the middle of the ball - not the center; that had fallen out in a neat little pellet about a week ago. This was issuing from somewhere else. I ignored it, just slowly working out the tangles as they appeared (which slowed me down even more). Last night I pulled a bit more out of the ball and this appeared.

Sandra, the yarn untangler extraordinaire, worked on it for about an hour and gave up in disgust. Never mind, I have plenty of that yarn. I just need to get another ball out of storage.

Two hours later, having sorted the stash (which isn't that extensive and apart from part-ball leftovers is mostly sorted into project bags with patterns) and three balls of linen were still invisible. We both knew we'd seen them somewhere; I clearly remember putting them somewhere where they wouldn't be disturbed because they fall apart so easily. Sandra found them thsi morning, safely stashed on the bottom level of the coffee table.

I've weighed them and I have plenty, so can safely discard the small tangled ball. Now to wind them onto cones to improve my chances of being able to knit with every metre I have. This is one project that may not even be finished for this summer.

Comments

[Jan]

My sympathies, M-H, as I spent some hours last week untangling a skein, the threads of which stuck to other threads. I spent hours on it and Miss Ten finished it for me, spending probably another hour on it. I would have spent less time, but it was a good lesson in concentration for her and she was desperate to do it. I had already started it some months ago and put it aside in disgust.

I hope all your other balls are easier to work with.
Jan

[Jody Podbury]

I only worked with sport-weight Linen and it does have a tendency to tangle. I started using balls from the outside to stop exactly that sort of tangling happening. I can only imagine about lace weight.

On that note my Linen Cardigan softens with every wash so it will be stunning once complete.

[Andrea James]

Respect! I love the look of fine linen and that will be a beautiful cardi. I hope it ends up being worth the frustrations!