Building Blocks

My current stay-at-home knit has been the intarsia. I try to work around 10 rows at a go. Given the total 112 rows, I'm hoping this would be a fortnight's worth of work. That is, the weaving in, neatening and sewing not yet taken into account. Hopefully. This pattern is not a difficult knit despite my very scanty experience with intarsia (my other one being the intarsia cat for Ji Yuan's sweater a couple of years ago). The pattern is very regular and geometric, nothing like Old Tiles. All I have to do is be very systematic, very patient, and don't get bothered by the ugly mess behind the scenes. Just like I always try my best to treat the cacophony my girls create at home like sweet music and not lose my cool.

So you want to see the mess? Here you go. The problem is compounded by the fact that the yarn is used doubled. Hence for every block of colour, there are two balls dangling. I have to put all the balls in a woven tray. Having said that, I still like it enough to trade for another kit with Michelle.

And you know what? I somehow feel like that inside too. Kind of tangled up and cheerless. We went to watch Tricodex by the Lyon Opera Ballet on Saturday evening. It was a truly entertaining and beautifully executed show, a thousand times better than Ola Kala. My first thought was that the characters are so Dr. Suess. Little did I know that they are based on the book, Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that even Tricodex couldn't lift my moods. I know I get PMS but my hormones are still not working my way post-M. Oh well, maybe I'm just coming down with something.

Comments

[Robbyn]

The intarsia blocks look absolutely wonderful. I love that effect and, while I don't like intarsia much, it is something I will probably want to try someday.

I hope your spirit lifts soon. If I had any sun here today, I would send you some :)

[Tracy]

If you're having a touch of PMS, don't do the intarsia, I know what I'd be doing with it in your situation and that doesn't mean patiently knitting with all those balls. Go finish that beautiful stole, it was nearly there wasn't it? That'll give you that warm, smug feeling we all crave (it also means you can get the pleasure of choosing something else to knit!)

[erin]

Wow, building blocks looks challenging! The colours are so nice, especially the tweedy diamond in the centre. Hope the blahs will go away soon.

[Kerstin]

It's so beautiful, Siow Chin ... may you have the patience of a thousand nuns! (Ok, so maybe some of them weren't so patient.)

[Jennifer]

The building blocks are looking so beautiful and difficult! I'm sorry you are feeling down. I hope you find cheer and joy in your day today.

[Teresa C]

That is really stunning and mind boggling. I did a KF intarsia with doubled threads, different fibers, the whole deal. Now I can say I have done it. I can't wait to see this when you get along a little more.

[empress]

I want to be like you when I grow up LOL! That's beautiful work. Kaffe F. would be prould of you.

[mimi]

What a hard work! It's just so sweet of you knitting such a complex design for your ill friend.
I had a lot of hormonal flutuations too that seemed to be endless. Recently, I feel alright! I hope yours will passs soon too and you can be happy again!

[joy]

Your cushion is looking great! Two balls for every block? Boggles the mind.

[mrspilkington]

siow chin, it's gorgeous! i'm sorry that you're a little down. maybe a little actual dr. seuss might help? or a childhood favourite -- i love browsing through an old favourite to lift my spirits...hope you are feeling better soon.

[Kris]

Your intarsia is very cool. I can't even think about being able to do something like that one day.

Hope the blahs leave you alone soon.

[eyeleen]

Wow! Your intarsia is stunning and the back mind boggling. I hope you feel a better soon.

[marjorie]

this is insane...

[Dorothy]

What beautiful work! I am impressed and amazed. Sorry you're feeling all tangled up both literally and figuratively. This too shall pass, so just hang in there. That's one nice thing about hormones - they may be down, but they usually come sailing back up again!

[Marine]

Hello from France !!

I love to read your blog, nice socks !!!
Your intarsia is incredible !!!

[Erika]

How beautiful! You must feel a sense of accomplishment in making this amazing piece of intarsia! I am sorry you're feeling not yourself. Hope you feel better soon!

[Mary Beth]

You do such beautiful work always! Does it help at all to know that you lift my spirits when you show such incredible knitting?

[Jenni]

If I didn't know better, it looks like it was weaved. What beautiful work.

[lyn]

Oh wow... my jaw dropped at the sight of all the crazy yarn behind! But you did a fantastic job... love it :-)

[Michelle]

What a different look for the beautiful front and the tangling behind the beautiful work.
Haha ... I hope I can have more exchange from you, unfortunately, I don't have any kit that I can exchange with you.

[lauray]

Hope you are feeling better by now? My head is spinning looking at your intarsia ball of yarns!

[emy]

Lovely! I am sure the finished product would be magnificent. Now, would I even dare to dream of knitting one for my apartment?

[juliafc]

Your intarsia is absolutely gorgeous. I swear, that intarsia is going to take over from lace when more people get a gander at how that is turning out. I love intarsia myself. At the risk of offering a suggestion where it's not wanted, the balls make me do this. . . if you worked out how long a piece of yarn you need to knit one block, you could just measure off that yarn, leave it dangle, and then you just pull it through as you twist the colours together. No bobbins to play maypole with, and the work doesn't look like a Mariachi player's hat with all the bobbly balls dangling together when you pick it up. If you ever saw Kaffe knit one of his pieces, he uses short lengths of yarn and does a lot of weaving ends in as he knits. What it makes for in fiddly it saves in large scale untangling. Personally, I work somewhere between his three foot pieces and true bobbins myself by just estimating how long a length it will take to knit the entire block of colour. But we all have our preferences. It's lovely.