Thursday, January 19, 2012

A disturbed night

I didn't have particular trouble falling asleep last night, but after I woke to go to the bathroom (as I do virtually every night), I could not get back to sleep. I believe I'd been awake at least half an hour when I got up, at 3, thinking that since my stomach was rumbling, perhaps a small snack would help me get back to sleep. At 3:30 I was back in bed.

I fell asleep and into a scary dream. I don't remember what it was, but in the dream, I was telling myself, "It's a dream, it's a dream, wake up wake up wake up!" I woke shuddering, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Lather, rinse, repeat: a different but equally scary dream, and waking myself out of it.

The third dream went on longer (or I remember more of it), a mix of true and not. It all felt true, of course, and only afterward was I thinking hey, I don't work in the library. And why was my brother there? But at the end, when it was feeling totally real, it got very scary: I came home to find the door wide open, kicked in, and I felt this surge of fear and panic and the cats! What happened?

I woke up gasping, and had to bury my face in Carlos's fur and breathe for a while before I was calmer. (He purred me off the ledge; what a good boy.) When I looked at the clock, it was quarter of six, and I decided to just get up.

Shit, though. That's no way to start the day. Sleeping pill tonight.

In happier news, I did start knitting a test moebius last night. I did the dishes first, then as my reward I sat down with yarn and needle in front of the video and cast on. Granted, my longest needle (29 inches) is not what she recommended (47 inches), so who knows what I will end up with, but the point is to try the technique.

I will say that I loved doing the moebius cast-on! Some new knitting techniques are a struggle and a fight for me, while others feel right and natural. This combines the sort of move I've used for crocheting hanger covers* with a yarn-over, one of my favorite little neat tricks. Fun.

*Did I mention doing those for a friend? They're actually pretty easy, if your tastes run that way. You crochet over two wire hangers held together, and end up with one strong, non-slippery hanger.

The moebius itself is mind-blowing. If you're familiar with a moebius strip in paper, you're on your way, but knitting it shows very clearly how weird it is to have only one edge. And although I've done a couple of rows, I still can't picture what the binding off will do, or look like. I requested her book from the library; perhaps when that comes in it will help. Or perhaps I just have to see it to get it. Meanwhile, I'm essentially knitting a scarf from the middle out.

Whoa.

2 comments:

  1. The knit moebius is on my list for this year. How kind of you to lead the way, as you did with socks.
    :-)

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