Turning the Corner

I was slogging through the edging on Boundary Waters:



*Was* is the operative word, now I am coasting.

This is the first corner, and I never thought I would make it. I could not get this edging pattern in my head, and referring to the chart every (small) row was getting to be a drag and a half.

I kept thinking I would quit, rip back, and change to the edging I do like and have memorized (see here). This pattern would look nice with the other elements of Boundary Waters too, it is angular, geometric, like the lace in the shawl.

But I liked the shawl's intended edging. I like how it fits the theme of the shawl: it looks like a wave, and is (I think) half of the Print O' the Wave pattern. How fitting that the edging for Boundary Waters should be water.

There are a few irritants knitting this pattern as written: the pattern calls for knitting the first (outside) stitch on each row, and I am accustomed to slipping this stitch. I can see the reason why: it will make a more elastic edge. It's a good reason, and so I have been trying to knit, not slip. But this requires that I pay attention, because my default is to slip.

There is also an issue that has come to my attention with the slip-stitch at the joining edge: if I slip the first stitch, with the yarn in back, then knit the next stitches, that leaves a little bar on the back where the yarn passes over the slipped stitch. This bar of yarn is not there if I slip the stitch with the yarn in front, and then move the yarn to the back for the rest of the row. But (and you knew there was a but) this is awkward for me to do, and I find myself flailing around with the yarn (well, OK, maybe not flailing, but it is an awkward yarn move). All this results in too much thinking, not enough flow. So I have decided to content myself with the little flaw-which-is-not-really-a-flaw, and have the bar-stitch on the back. Bleh.

I have knitted this edging pattern before, on Fir Cone. I remember not being able to get the pattern repeat into my head then too, until the very end. This time, I told myself that I would go to the first corner, and if I couldn't get it by that time, I could rip back and start the other, known edging. I knew if I worked on this one for long enough, or in a continuous session or two, I might catch on. And I did! Finally.

How did this happen? Cold medication. I tell you, sometimes I need to turn off the chattering monkey-mind and just go with the flow. A slight fever probably helped. With fever, medication and sappy movies, my mind just got into the groove, and we (together) have turned the corner.