Big Plans Brought Low

I finished my Kinetic scarf from Fall 08 Knitty and it is love pure and simple. I held a lace weight mohair together with Karabella's DK Silk Merino and it is the softest, most luxuriant thing I have knit in a long time. I will definitely be making more things from the Karabella Silk Merino. It comes in a lace weight, too. Maybe a very lacey sweater for summer office wear in the frigid air conditioning.? A pale, icey blue?

With one project finished I could start another with head held high. A sweater for me from Rowan #7. Yes, Rowan #7. It was an era of shoulder pads, high-waisted pleated trousers, and most especially the models skipped and gambolled through the shoot. The models are happy in their knitwear, as it should be.

It is a cardigan with a very large ribbed border and then the top is lace. I have started and ripped back the lace pattern 4 times. I know it is always hard at the beginning of a lace pattern to get it all set up. It takes awhile to get it in your head. But this is a 9 stitch, 2 row repeat. Do you know how row 3 is different that row 1? It is offset by one stitch. So it is the same 9 stitches in row 1 and row 3. The beginning of the row is fine. I get to the end of row 3 or on my second repeat of row 1 and something is off. This is my tv watching project. It has to be easy. Sigh.

And so, to begin again.

Kathy

It's so warm!

Let's do a little project review of what I'm working on right now:

Habu Sweater - kind of stalled

Kinetic Scarf by Norah Gaughan from Fall 2008 Knitty - deciding to go on and make it longer or stop now. Pros & Cons: if I stop then I am done with a project and therefore can start something else with a clear conscience, but it may be too short, but if I go longer it may be to big too wear as often as I think I want to wear it, but I love working with the yarn - Karabella MerinoSilk DK & Neighborhood Yarns Loft lace weight mohair & silk. The Karabella is to die for and I will be making a number of things in that yarn.

2 1/2 inch crocheted squares out of alpaca to eventually make an afghan for our bed. I have done the math. I need about 900 squares. If I make 10 squares a week I will be done in about 2 years. But they are very portable. I can fit everything I need in a Glad snack bag. This is repurposed yarn from an earlier afghan project. I think this is a better plan.

Knit Along Scarf - A simple looking lace pattern that I invariably f*** up after 2 inches. Very close but very frustrated.

Crochet Cardigan out of scraps - Done on the fly. I need to revisit.

Arty Farty Sweater out of Merino Frappe Stripes - Done on the fly late at night in a burst of inspiration that left me once I had to make my experiment look like a sweater that a sane person would wear.

I want to start a cardigan from a very old Rowan. Rowan #7! I have some lovely grey wool & cashmere from Simply Shetland in a dk weight. However I don't trust myself to pick the right pattern that will flatter me. Sharon is helping me with some ideas of how to adapt the pattern.

I love to start. I love to knit. But when I hit a roadblock or get bored I want to move on to the next thing. I think my adrenaline rush comes at the beginning of the project or when I have mastered something. It does not come at completion. I enjoy wearing what I have made but at the point I have worn something for years what I went through to knit it is just a fog.

How do you get yourself to the end of the project? Any games or tricks?

Kathy