Knit In Progress: Nuvem

Even though I haven't been knitting much lately, when I do knit I find myself quietly working away (albeit über slowly!) on a project that I had started way back in October.  This was a project that I was so excited to cast on for and was quite gung ho about it for a few weeks before my interest started to wane and I ditched it in favour of something else.  Seriously, how fickle can a knitter be?  If you're a long time reader, you know that I'm probably the most ficklest of them all.  Well now this project is back on the radar and I'm determined to finish it before the end of March.  That is, if it doesn't finish me first!

I'm not going to keep you in any more suspense, the project: Nuvem.  I swear, this knit is the complete and total epitome of "black hole knitting".  I've taken this project to several knit nights and plopped down on the couch for extended periods of time...each time/night I would spend at least 2 hours of non-stop knitting (and that's a good chunk of time), just to hold the project up and realize that it has not gotten any bigger.  I've worked on it diligently for the past week but to no avail...the thing is still the same size!!  Even my ball of yarn is still the same!

A little background in case you haven't heard about Nuvem: it's a lovely shawl/wrap/practically a blanket pattern from Martina Behm of Strickmich.  She is also the designer behind the hugely popular scarves Hitchhiker and Lintilla.  These designs are cleverly constructed and you can bet that Nuvem is too.  You start in the middle with a provisional cast on and knit in the round using two circular needles.  You knit and knit in the round (yup, no purling required here!!) until you have about 20% of your yarn left over.  From there you create the ruffle and bind off.  Easy peasy, right?  Sounds totally do-able, no?  Well, no doubt about it that it is an easy knit.  Completely mindless, really.  But what makes this project take forever and a day to knit?  The fact that you are using 1740 yards of laceweight yarn!  

On the left, your typical cake of yarn.  On the right, that's 1740 yds of lace!

A few times I've sat there and felt like I've knitted for hours and must have made a slight dent in my yarn ball, but then realized that in reality I've only knit a couple of rounds and the yarn ball is the same size.  Still.  Currently each circular needle houses a little over 400 stitches...that's over 800 stitches a round!  Not to mention that it's only going to get bigger since you increase stitches every second round.  I'm no where near the halfway point in my yarn, let alone the 20% area.  I made a promise to myself that I will not be allowed to start any new projects (unless it's a KAL...those are different.  Don't ask how), until I get Nuvem and at least four other projects off the needles.  Sounds fair, don't you think?

The goal for today is knit at least 2 rounds...anything more will just be a bonus.  Sadly, the main task for today is tackling the sink full of Lego with a toothbrush.  Note to self: don't dump hundreds and hundreds of filthy Lego pieces into the sink at 10pm at night thinking it won't take long to clean.  Cause it will!