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flowing steadily from her knitting needles outside

English translation: seemed to flow steadily from her knitting needles

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:flowing steadily from her knitting needles outside
Selected answer:seemed to flow steadily from her knitting needles
Entered by: NancyLynn

13:42 Jul 26, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / children's literature
English term or phrase: flowing steadily from her knitting needles outside
The old woman went over to the open window, and the girls suddenly saw her knitwork: a fine colorful carpet, as if flowing steadily from her knitting needles outside through the window. It soon spread over the garden and the meadow nearby, stretching away to the horizon.

Dear native English speakers!
Please advise if the idea is clear here. Is the phrase understandable enough? Does it allow one to imagine the picture?
The old woman is sort of a goddess knitting a magic carpet which is actually the whole real world. Working on the carpet she develops the world, makes it evolve, etc.
This is my translation from Russian.
Thank you!
Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 17:51
which seemed to flow steadily from her knitting needles
Explanation:
Hi A,
I would change 'as if' + progressive to the suggestion above to make it flow better (no comma).
HTH
Selected response from:

NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 06:51
Grading comment
Thank you for your help Nancy! Thanks everybody!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6which seemed to flow steadily from her knitting needles
NancyLynn
4 +4See comment below...
Tony M
4 +1sounds fine to me
Aisha Maniar


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
sounds fine to me


Explanation:
although I would loose the "as it", just "...flowing steading..."
or you could rephrase it as "flowing steadily out of the window from between her knitting needles". You couls also use "growing" instead of "flowing" but your own wording sounds fine to me and I do understand the allusion.

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Note added at 4 mins (2005-07-26 13:47:25 GMT)
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lost the \"as if\"

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Note added at 5 mins (2005-07-26 13:47:30 GMT)
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lose the \"as if\"

Aisha Maniar
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Elizabeth Lyons
16 hrs
  -> thank you :-)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
which seemed to flow steadily from her knitting needles


Explanation:
Hi A,
I would change 'as if' + progressive to the suggestion above to make it flow better (no comma).
HTH

NancyLynn
Canada
Local time: 06:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 75
Grading comment
Thank you for your help Nancy! Thanks everybody!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
9 mins
agree  Ulrike Kraemer
12 mins
agree  David Copeland
21 mins
agree  Nick Lingris: Yes, plus Dusty's corrrections.
2 hrs
agree  jennifer newsome (X)
3 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
3 hrs
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43 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
See comment below...


Explanation:
I would say "..saw what she was knitting" (instead of 'knitwork'), and "...flowing steadily from her (knitting) needles out through the window" 'instead of 'outside')

Otherwise, I think it's fine, and paints a lovely picture!

You might want to say "stretching far way OR stretching off..."

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 260

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  KathyT
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Kathy!
agree  NancyLynn: yes, knitwork has an old-fashioned flavour
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Nancy !--- I rather thought so
agree  cmwilliams (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, CMW!
agree  Rachel Fell: definitely "...what she was knitting..." and I think "a beautifully colored carpet" or "a magnificent colored carpet"
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Rachel! Oh yes, that would be lovely!
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