FO: 1621 days

There are projects that don't get finished. Sometimes, it's because something new and shiny comes along, but sometimes, it's because I'm scared. It's silly, but if I feel like something might not fit/work/turn out perfectly, I will set it aside until I can face it.

This sweater is the oldest of these scary WIPs. I cast on for the Central Park Hoodie, in July, 2008.

It's funny to think about how much has changed since I started this sweater; also hilarious? The fact that I started a SWEATER in JULY. In fact, I took this as a "beach knit" when my sister and I went on a little vacation that summer. I don't recall doing any actual knitting on the beach, which is great, since Cascade 220 is 100% wool.

I finished the back in a week. It just flew off the needles.

From my ravelry notes, I can see that my first problem came with the right front piece. I knit it longer than I should have, and decided to put it down instead of fixing right away.

That right there is one of my biggest problems when I make a mistake.

If I had fixed it immediately, the I wouldn't have lost the momentum.

Here's the really embarrassing part: all sweater pieces were done in 2009.

My avoidance of picking up stitches prevented me from starting the assembly process.

My fear of messing up this long-term project caused me to just leave it in the closet, unloved. My lack of experience with seaming an entire sweater was the root of that fear.

Sometime in 2010-2011, I knit the hood and button bands, and then in the last week of December (2012), I picked it up and resolved to finish. It didn't take long.

And after a nice blocking on New Years Day (and a couple of days after that), I have a new sweater. And it fits. It's not perfect, and I still have a lot to learn about seaming.

But it's mine. I finished it.

This wasn't my first sweater, but it was the first sweater of its kind for me.

Here's to more scary finishes, for you and for me.

Catch-all

Hey hey!
Thanks for all your kind words on the shawl that Rachel and Rue knit. Every time I see it hanging with my wedding dress, I get excited!

The wedding is just around the corner, and I've been crossing things off the list pretty steadily. I also opted to eliminate a few tasks I'd set for myself. I knew trying to get everything done would make me crazy, and I'd really like to avoid that.

Forty napkins are completely finished. The rest of them are made, but need to be washed and have labels sewn on.

I managed to finish my April Wonky Bee blocks this weekend, for Jessica. She's working on a quilt-as-you-go log cabin quilt, and sent along scraps to use. I added a few pieces, and really enjoyed making these.
A log cabin is always happy-making.

I also finished my first charity quilt. The Houston MQG has chosen the Star of Hope as our 2012 charity.
Through fabric donations, we've set a goal of 100 quilts for the year.

I supplemented the fabric I was given with solids and the DS print on the back. I really think it turned out great, and I was happy I was able to finish in time for our first donation date.

So, I've also been working on two non-obligatory projects.

Gray Plum, a new knitting project, from Veera Valimaki's Summer Plum. I'm knitting this KnitPicks Palette and I love it so far! I plan to take this for honeymoon knitting. Veera is also the designer of Stripe Study.

My other fun WIP is a project with one of my favorite lines, Echo.

About a month ago, I had this:

After this weekend, I have a mini quilt top:

. I assembled the back, too, and I love it as much as the front!

I'm awful about measuring quilts, but I'm going to try to remember to do that from now on. I used several other scraps to supplement/compliment the Echo. This one probably won't get done until after the wedding, but it's been a nice distraction!

I also obviously won't be sharing a finished Swoon anytime soon (hey, that rhymed!).

I expect to post pretty sporadically over the next couple of weeks, but I look forward to sharing wedding photos with you very soon!

WIPs to finish

Like most of you crafters, I want to make all of the things! I tweeted the other day that I feel directionally challenged when it comes to crafting.
I feel pulled to several projects and crafts. To find some direction, I first want to document my list of outstanding WIPs.

There are a few I'm not listing, but these are the items I most desire to finish.

Knitting

First up, the embarrassing 3.5-year-old Central Park Hoodie. I'm so painfully close to finishing. All it needs is for me to finish picking up the second side of stitches and knit that button band. Then, seaming.

Second, the Gray Skies Cardigan. This one is another nearly-finished sweater. I think I have one partial sleeve to finish and seaming.
COME ON.

I've also got two single socks that need buddies.

I'm also close to finishing my Stripe Study shawl.

Quilting

I have four quilts-in-progress at the moment.

There's Single Girl, which I haven't touched since April.

There's Bottled Rainbows. I've completed four of the sixteen blocks, and this is a long-term project. I like to do a block every now and then, but it would be rad to finish this before the end of the year. The bright side is that it's quilt as you go, so, once the top is complete, the rest should go really quickly.

There's Rain or Shine, which is probably the closest to being finished. I only have six more blocks to make for the top. I've actually been working on this one for the past few days. I'll have an updated progress photo to share soon.

And of course, there is Swoon.

I've made six out of nine blocks, which you can see in my Swoon flickr set. Lucky for me (and you!), Katy has assembled a group of (300+) quilters for a Swoon-along! Feel free to join in on the fun and make your own Swoon!

In the next few days, I'm going to share my additional goals for 2012. But you can surely expect to see progress on these nine projects in the upcoming months!

Yes, it's true.

It's probably not shocking, but I started another project. I know, I know. Not necessary. A little frivolous.
I don't feel guilty, though. Not one bit.
I'm loving every minute I get to craft.

So, whats' the new project? It's Rachel's Bottled Rainbows.

Saturday afternoon, I had my first block constructed, and partially filled in with eggplant, jewel-toned gorgeous scraps.

Sunday, I spent more time on the block.

Olias was feeling snuggly, though, which definitely delayed my progress a bit.

I was able to finish the first block yesterday afternoon, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I definitely encourage you to join this quilt-along. It's leisurely (which helped encourage me to join!), and I really enjoyed the soothing process of going through scraps to make the first block.

It was sort of similar to making a mosaic, or a collage, which has an air of nostalgia to it.

I'm not sure that I'll use all of the colors Rachel recommends, but I've been digging through the solids I already have and matching them to scraps. I think an orange or a green block will be my next task!

In other crafting news, I finished the second front piece of my Gray Skies cardigan, and have started the final sleeve!

Details, details

I picked out buttons for my Boston cardigan this weekend.
Since last I posted about it, I:
-finished the body
-wove in the ends
-finished both button bands
-finished half a sleeve.

I'm so motivated to finish this baby, but I did have to pick up my Multnomah a bit this weekend, as sleeve stockinette can get a little repetitive, especially since I'm doing full-length sleeves.

Any thoughts on the buttons I chose?

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday Monday!

What a difference a week makes

Here's a picture of my Favorite Cardigan progress as of Monday afternoon.

I'm about five inches past the sleeve separation.

How is that even possible? I'm amazed at how fast I'm knitting this baby up. I don't want to jinx myself, but I guess I've just been really motivated by the deadline. Sometimes, deadlines are a good thing.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm using Malabrigo. I love the slight variation in color. The Marine ranges from dark purple to a slightly lighter blue. I'm a little less than halfway done with the second skein.

I'm still contemplating sleeve length. I think I'll have plenty of yarn to do full sleeves, but it may get more wear if I do 3/4 sleeves. I'm pretty sure I'll do the button band before the sleeves for two reasons: 1) the button band is always the biggest pain in the ass, so I'll get it out of the way and 2) I can then use as much as I have left for the sleeves.

Boston Marine Cardigan

For my vacation sweater, I chose Wendy Bernard's Favorite Cardigan. I cast on Wednesday, and I'm just a few rounds away from separating for the sleeves. It's going fast. I still plan to make the others on my list, but I'm betting that this simple cabled cardigan can be knit the fastest, since it is one piece, and is mostly stockinette. Plus, now that I can cable without a needle, the cables are a breeze. And of course, working in Malabrigo doesn't hurt with the speed and enjoyment.

I took these pictures after a few hours of work. I love the color, although it's hard to photograph. The color is more of a navy/dark purple than what the pictures show.

I think this second photo is a bit closer to the true color.

I'm hoping to separate for the sleeves before the end of the evening, but I'll definitely be through them by the end of the weekend. I'm not even done with the first skein of yarn yet!

Help me choose my new project

My sister and I are going to Boston next month. We've never been, so we decided it would be a fun vacation to take together. I've decided (because I'm crazy) to try knit up a cardigan in celebration of this, in hopes that the fall weather (this seems like a safe bet, yes?) will allow me to wear one while I'm there.

The problem is, I can't decide which of the following four five patterns to start:

You can click on each link to see a picture of the potential project

Garter Yoke Cardigan

Ms. Darcy Cardigan

Lush and Lacy

Vine Yoke Cardigan

Emerald Isle Cardigan

Alternatively, I could try to finish my Central Park Hoodie.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Am I crazy for thinking I could knit one of these in five weeks?