Saturday, October 14, 2006

An Obstacle Overcome.

I don't remember a lot of my Western Civilization course. It was a long time ago and I wasn't all that interested. But I remembered this great story this morning. The Greeks are fighting their way home and the general is leading them through rough and mountainous country. The going is rough. The toiling army reaches the crest of another mountain and "a great cry of discovery went up. 'Thalassa! Thalassa! (The sea! The sea!)'." (It's that phrase that sticks in my mind)

Yesterday's post chronicled my toil up the mountain. I know it was long-winded. (I'd been sick. I needed to get caught up.) I had no idea discovery was so near.













This just looks like I'm blocking mitered squares. And I am. (Diane is right. I can solve the not-spilling-orange-pop problem by keeping the afghan in my room.) But remember that image I had yesterday? The one with me, the ruler, the pins and a lot of muttered swearing? That was the real sticking point, especially the ruler part.

I know I am a terrible photographer. Something you have to put up with it if you read this blog. So here's a closer look.
















That white background is actually graph paper, 10 squares to the inch.

I can turn my ironing board into a blocking board. The whole procedure was easy. I am so excited ( I know, I know. It doesn't take much). Blocking the mitered square afghan is a nightmare no longer.

And not only was it a light-bulb-going-on moment, I knew it was. It's one of the joys of learning something when you think you are past the age of discovery. Not an experience I was expecting when I grit my teeth and decided this time I would get knitting right. And "Thalassa!" sounds so much better than "Graph paper!"

My ironing board can easily hold 4 squares. Maybe even 5.

Hot damn. I have got to get me some more pins.

(I couldn't help it. I Googled "Thalassa." The general was Xenophon.)

2 comments:

jdknits said...

Hi,

I linked over here from the Yarn Harlot's blog comments. I couldn't resist having a look since I too, was a Julie McC back before I got married and moved up in the alphabet a bit.

Loved the story -- and the fact that you had to Google the general!

I'm off to catch up on other entries and find out what those square are all about...

Diane H said...

Graph paper! Ironing board! Better than talking Trish into a workshop on blocking! Now I just need to get an ironing board and graph paper -