Why Can’t I Finish This Damn Sweater?

I thought I was so close…finished the placket and the sleeves…so close to finishing the sweater I’ve been working on for nearly 2 years. What is wrong with me? I love to knit, but this past year has been so filled with other life stuff that I find I’ve been barely-able to do more than stare blankly at a tv in the evening after work and then fall asleep.

The sweater was a challenge, knit in a pattern called Modern Lace Henley from knitty.com. It seemed do-able at the time I started. I’d made a lace shawl in wonderful Ritratto, which wasn’t the easiest to knit with so I knew I could do this sweater. Little did I know that increases and decreases in lace pattern are incredibly challenging. There was way more counting than I care to ever do again.

Along the way during this sweater so much happened in my life, my daughter graduated from high school, I became president for this local professional organization I belong to, and on top of all that my job situation changed quite a bit with more responsibilities and even less time to accomplish them in. I should probably have been knitting a simple scarf or something else, but I really wanted to do this English Lace sweater. It was lovely and I’d chosen a spring green. This was a short sleeved sweater and it would be the first I’d done that was a non-cardigan. I remember like it was yesterday (instead of nearly 2 years ago) that I bought the full bag of the yarn color-way at my local yarn store. It’s been so long since I started in fact that my local yarn store has gone out of business.

Over Thanksgiving weekend I made up my mind that I would finish the sweater and so I began the task of fitting in the cap sleeves and sewing up the sides. I’d finally finished all the knitting so sewing things together was all that was left (well if you don’t include blocking, which I still FEAR and DREAD!). Thanksgiving was almost a month ago and here I am still with a UFO…(un finished object). I sit down to do this, but just can’t seem to finish. Exhaustion, work, lazy couch potato-ness all over take me.

Christmas is now on the horizon. There are all the holiday to-dos piled up too. I know I should just give myself a break, but I am a doer…a finisher. I don’t start things and quit them. That is not me.

I have now accomplished the side seams. They have been sewn together. Now just need to get to all those loose ends and weave and sew them in. Then BLOCK. Then try on.

Maybe I fear finishing because it will bring the end to the pleasure of knitting? But there are so many other projects to do. Must finish…get off the computer dammit and SEW!!!

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Knitting Obsession!

Central Park Hoodie: Finally Finished!

I’ve really gained confidence since finishing the Central Park Hoodie this winter. It took me a year to complete, but now that it’s done I have been able to really understand the process of knitting and putting together a garment, not to mention finally learning the art of cables. As an artist I am starting to experiment in my mind with how I could incorporate knitting into my work. I am interested in seeing sculptural examples of knitting and possibly exploring how to knit surfaces with photographs. I don’t really know yet how this will develop. If you know of things out there that could help me….artists you’ve seen or knitters who do this, let me know. I have gotten more into Ravelry too lately, updating my notebook with projects I’ve completed and started to better understand this process. My current projects are a pair of socks and a short sleeved, English lace sweater pattern by Pam Allen that I found on Knitty.It is a more sophisticated sweater with the lace pattern. I wanted to learn how to knit lace and this seems like a good medium range pattern to learn with. I also think there will be a challenge with the shaping and keeping in the lace pattern. Can’t wait. I am thinking about this project constantly. I think it ‘s the color of the yarn…a fresh spring green, that’s most appealing to me. The socks are another matter. Between trying to learn the tiny double points and how to handle them and then just using this yarn that’s too, small for a first time sock project. I don’t quite understand why people are so into sock knitting. I guess it’s supposed to go quickly or something. It’s not happening for me yet. Maybe if I keep at it.

Just Starting....Love the Green

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