My Dish Rag Commitment

First, a little exposition in case you are Just Passing Through (Constant Reader, just skip to the next paragraph).

I have a Great Grandmother* who could crochet and knit. She always had a crochet bedspread going. Whenever she would have to wait somewhere, she would pull out a bedspread square. As a result, there are more than a few spreads in the homes of various family members. A few years ago, I decided that I wanted make one too. My crochet skills don’t amount to much, so I have to knit. Knitting takes a lot longer than crochet. A. Lot. Longer. I’ve named the thing my Epic CounterPain. The first square from my pattern was finished on March 27, 2006**. My goal of 52 squares in 2007 brought me to the halfway point (excluding the trim).

cpinsevenstrips.jpg

Half a spread. (Folded in quarters: 1/8 of a spread is visible.)

My goal for 2008 was 24 squares – I thought that two a month was reasonable with a new baby.

In eight months, I’ve made seven.

thehalf.jpg

Seven and a half.

I am going to finish 12 of those squares before the first Dish Rag Tag box gets back. Each square is about the size of a dish rag and takes about the same amount of time (two Monks and a Psych) to complete. I have confidence! I like a challenge! I can beat the box! I can do this thing.

The real trick is going to be doing all the other things that need doing.

*This is Great Gran’s mother. I live in her house. Great Gran is my regular grandmother – let’s think of the “great” as a superlative and not as a mistake I made when I was 2 because Great Gran was taller than her mother. She has finally forgiven me because of Ellie has made her a real Great Gran.
**It’s times like these when I regret not categorizing my posts.

19 thoughts on “My Dish Rag Commitment

  1. Kate/Massachusetts

    Your Counterpain (!) is absolutely awesome! I have been reading and watching it grow for a year or two now. It will get done, I am sure! All things in time. It is truly beautiful!

    Because of your Counterpain posts, I bought the book “Knitting Counterpanes” by Mary Phillips Walker. I drool over that book but have not gotten past the dreaming stage. I never seem to find yarn that speaks to me! lol

  2. Anita

    But it’s going to be SO beautiful when it is finished. I once made 24 dish clothes as gifts in a period of a couple of months. It was a lot of knitting! But I know you can do it! Go Girl Go! You will have a huge sense of satisfaction in the end.

  3. erin

    The counterpain is looking soooo good. Just keep at it, and don’t give up Emily, no matter how slow going, it’ll get done one day 🙂

  4. Diane

    Emily—your bedspread is gorgeous! I am new to these online communities of knitters–and it is a revelation (or a recognition?) to learn that I am not the only one who measures projects/rows/squares in the terms of how many tv shows it takes to finish.

    Good luck on your mission to complete your project!

  5. Judi Hames

    How COMPLETELY GORGEOUS! Thank you for taking the time to explain it to us non-knitters. I had wondered what a counterpain square was, but didn’t want to appear completely idiotic. 🙂 It is sooooooo beautiful!

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