I know that I have a tendency to make things harder for myself. I want to knit/sew all the things and making adorable embroidered curtains for my kitchen and make homemade meals from scratch everyday. I also know that isn’t realistic. I know that by over burdening myself I will get less done. Today a languishing knitting project taught me these lessons all over. I have been knitting on my Farmstead Cardigan for almost a year. It was my last year KnSwMo sweater. I started on November 1 full thinking I would be wearing it at the end of the month. But then came the blasted collar.
See I finished the body and one sleeve in the month of November. Then I finish the other sleeve this summer. What stopped me from going on was the tedious nature of the front collar. It requires DPN and long expanses of quite time. I had gotten two of the lace squares knit in september but it was such a bummer to sit down and knit them that I gave up most days before I even started.
Enter the PNW Hoilday Brunch. For most blogging events or knitting events. I try to wear something handmade. This time I challenged myself to wear 90% handmade. The only things I am wearing that isn’t handmade are my undergarments, tights and shoes. I have been furiously knitting and sewing and planning for the last month or so. The big final push is this week!
The Farmstead Cardigan was one of the pieces that I based the outfit around. So that means that collar has to be done. I’ve started and stopped knitting the last 7 pieces 12 times in the last month.
Today I decided that I could just change the lace. Why I didn’t think of that before I’ll never know. I do know that it has made all the difference. I takes me about 40 minutes to knit thru one repeat of the new lace and I only need 5 more. The sweater will be just as beautiful, and I can start wearing ASAP. instead of being a languishing WIP that I feel guilty about not finishing.
I do that too sometimes – get stuck inside an idea so that it makes it difficult to see the obvious solution. Good for you for being flexible! And for what its worth, I love the new lace. Be sure to post a picture when it is all done!