That's the way I felt when I first cast on for Charlotte's Web. I took myself to a quiet room and concentrated on getting into the pattern, which is absolutely addictive. I don't think there's too many knitters out there who haven't already knit CW, but this is my first.
Knitting lace has always been a little intimidating to me, probably because I haven't done a lot of it, but I do love it. When I first looked at CW's pattern, I thought, sheesh, what have I gotten into? So I read through it, searched the web and found Between The Stitches, which has a short tutorial that was totally helpful and simplified the pattern. I HIGHLY recommend printing that out before you begin, if you're a lace newbie like me.
I love watching the colors change through my fingers as the Koigu goes racing by, and it wasn't until about Row 48 that I noticed that on every right-side row, I'd be holding my breath until I got to the end and then let out a big "Whew!" Now that I'm on Row 97 of 154, I'd most likely pass out if I kept that up, but I'm much more relaxed now. This is the third time I've knit with Koigu, and I'm always amazed by the beauty of it, its softness and quality. I mean, I made a whole sweater on US3 needles with it and never tired of it, it's that good.
Since I began CW, I've practically deserted my Top-Down Pullover, but I'll pick that up a little today. It's just all that white, cotton stockinette is not exactly inspiring, and with VK and IK coming out with their fall issues, it's got me thinking ahead to those crisp chilly autumn days ahead. What did catch my eye was an advertisement from Blue Moon Fiber Arts promoting their Raven Series. My God, those colors. Obsess? Who? Me?
Now on to updating my Ravelry notebook.
Leslie, your knitting has definitely evolved. I'm loving your work at the moment... :)
Posted by: Nora | August 12, 2007 at 05:17 PM
Yay! I'm so glad that you are doing the CW! It's a really rewarding knit once it's finished! Just keep track of those darned YO's! :)
Posted by: AJ | August 12, 2007 at 09:56 PM
The LYS that I go to, out here, is called Simply Knitting. (It's in Santa Clarita.) They don't have much of a supply right now though, since they've had two 50% off sales in the past three months.
My suggestion, if you want Koigu galore...check out Wildfiber in Santa Monica. They seriously have tons of it! There's one wall of it, and it has almost every color you could think of! (It's one of my favorite stores, though not one of my favorite salespeople.)
Posted by: AJ | August 13, 2007 at 11:46 AM
The CW looks beautiful--I love the colors--especially the one in the foreground. It's coming along really well, jut keep on breathing!
I bought the yarn and pattern for a Charlotte's Web long before I knew how to knit--I saw it in a shop window and just bought it on the spot. Oddly, I never have gotten around to knitting it. Perhaps I'll drag it out this winter.
Posted by: Stephy | August 16, 2007 at 07:32 AM