#WIPWEDNESDAY

Working, working, working on this sweater. I finished the sleeves earlier in the week and have attached them to the body. I’ve got enough decreases worked that it’s starting to resemble and actual sweater and I JUST WANT TO BE DONE WITH IT. I thought starting from the bottom would make the process seem a bit faster since the parts are more broken up and I don’t have to do the sleeves last, but endless gray stockinette has become a chore.

What I have realized while working on this sweater is that I rarely make something only for myself anymore, and definitely not anything quite so big. I’m either making something as a gift, or making something as a design sample, or testing for someone and I really do love all of those things but I can barely remember the last time I just knit for the sake of knitting or to make something just for me that then doesn’t need to be edited or photographed or published.

I started this sweater as a pallet cleanser and maybe it’s reshaping my thinking along the way; Knitting doesn’t always have to be work.

Oh and that Ravelry/charts in the photo business has resolved itself without fiasco. The woman removed the photo’s without issue and I was able to answer a few questions she had about the pattern. So thank you everyone for the encouragement and advice! 🙂

 

Mindless Knitting

March is here like the lion that she is. I was all ready to pack up the winter woolens but I woke up to a little blizzard. I stepped outside and kind of shouted “what the fuck?” into the wind. I think I heard a neighbor snort in laughter at me as he shoveled his driveway.

I’m in a bit of a designer rut. Part of it is the changing season, part of it seems to be a slow-down of Ravelry interest causing lack of motivation. Most of the things I make are winter items so a seasonal slump seems natural. I haven’t made lace in quite some time but that seems to be the logical step for warm weather.

In the mean time I started, for the third? forth? time, a plain gray raglan sweater for myself. I’m hoping it serves as a little pallet cleanser between the constant design brain and gift making mayhem of fall and winter and spend some time making something just for myself.

The yarn is recycled from a sweater I found cleaning out my grandpa’s closet. The original was an XXL gray crewneck with navy stripes. I’ve made this little baby cardigan with some of the yarn but there’s definitely enough left over for a me-sized sweater. I’ve restarted the sweater for myself at least three times now. I’d always get so far on it and just not liked how it fit. This time I’ve started from the bottom instead of the top and I’m almost finished with the body. It’s sort of nice to mindlessly knit in stockinette and not have follow a chart for a change.

I’m hoping third time’s the charm on this one, if not it might just end up being a pile of baby sweaters.