The Interminable Knitting Project: Interminable No Longer

          I have three rules about knitting.

          1. I don't knit scarves.
          2. I don't knit lace.
          3. Variegated yarn is Satan.

          And yet, four years ago, I found myself fondling a wondrously soft skein of variegated magenta/acid green lace-weight merino wool singles and thinking, "This is pretty yarn. I should make a scarf with it. I should knit it in a lace pattern."

          To review, I don't like knitted scarves. I don't like knitting lace patterns. And I hate variegated yarns, which, no matter how pretty they look in the skein, invariably look, when knitted, like Something Threw Up.

          But the yarn was so soft. And so pretty in the skein. And so very soft. I ignored my Three Rules and found a lace pattern and cast on half a million stitches. It took me four years to finish the thing. Because I hate knitting lace. And there were a LOT of stitches. All that counting. All that ripping back when it turned out that I'm inept at counting.

It is a very pretty lace pattern. Too bad I didn't chose a plain color,
which would show it off effectively.

          Every time I picked the thing up, I thought, "Why didn't I get a nice one-color yarn? You can't even see the lace pattern because the magenta is fighting so hard with the acid green. And why can't I count? Why do I have to rip back every second row? And why am I knitting a scarf? I don't like knitted scarves." It was a strategic disaster. It was discouraging. Still, I kept banging away at it. I don't like to leave projects unfinished.

          The only thing it was good for was airplane knitting. I made a lot of progress on various flights hither and thither over the years.

          And then, last week, I measured it and realized that if I knit a few more rows, it would be long enough to wear. And, since our house is currently inadequately heated and scarves are hot indoor fashion gear for K and me, I thought that a warm soft merino wool scarf, however ill-conceived and ugly in color, would be just the ticket.

The Interminable Knitting Project in An Unfortunate Colorway, finished at last.

          I am wearing it right now. It is soft and warm and lovely and I don't even care how ugly it is and how poorly the lace pattern shows up. Because it is warm and the house is cold and that is all that matters.