Fleeing from the Precipice

A month ago, I stood, poised on a precipice, ready to turn my back on my comfortable knitting world of cotton yarn and flat squares of dishcloths,

ready to leap into the world of a shaped garment knit out of luscious cashmere and merino wool made for a tiny, perfect baby girl (coming niece).

I looked down into that abyss, weighed my options, and then I picked up my skirt and ran, hauled it out of there! I know myself, and that abyss was deep, dark, and dangerous.

It's something about the sewing and fitting. As Rebecca ** said in her last post about sewing together crochet circles into an afghan, "the sewing together kills the joy." Aaah, my thoughts exactly!

Ever since a home ec class project which had a sleeve with a cuff that involved facing, interfacing, clipped seams, and a buttonhole that had to be picked out and moved, sewing has left me slightly shaken.

Couldn't do it. Couldn't knit the sweater. Could . . . not . . . do . . . it!

So, I fled. And, in fact, I fled so far that now (in the spirit of fully embracing my female prerogative), I'm going to crochet instead of knit, make bootees instead of a sweater, and use silk instead of cashmere.


But it's still for the same longingly-awaited, tiny, perfect baby girl. I'll show you the bootees when I'm done.

If I don't change my mind again and decide to make a cap tatted out of cotton.

**(By the way, Rebecca's blog is Poshyarns and is a great place to see fabulous sewing and knitting. You get all the vicarious pleasure of enjoying exquisite sewn pieces and intiricate knitting without ever lifting your needle!!)