Life and the effects it has on my Knitting

In the last 3 weeks, I have planned a baby shower and a birthday party.  I have had my in-laws down for a great visit.  Then this past week, the migraines hit.  All of this has had effects on my knitting.  Since all of this has affected my anxiety levels, it affects my knitting.  Knitting soothes my anxiety so I must knit to calm the savage beast, which rages inside my head.  At first I took it out on my willow sweater.  I analyzed and then frogged the whole thing, rolling the yarn into nice squishy balls.  I found a new pattern and I've knit the back and sides.  I've started on the sleeves.  I've bought a few books to add to my library, and I've been planning future knitting.  

My daughter, the lover of all dresses, has requested a pretty pink dress to replace the skirt that she has outgrown, and I passed on to cousins.  I've had some KnitPicks Shadow in my stash, and I've been looking for wrap / shawl patterns for it.  

Well, this is when the migraines hit, and I needed to knit to distract me, but I wasn't really capable of any complex mathematical skills or the fit concerns.  So I got out some cotton and crocheted a dishcloth, and then I started to knit a swatch from a stitch dictionary.  Pictures to follow.

Knitting Impatience Take 2

As you know, I've been a little frustrated with my knitting lately.  I think ripping out an entire sweater will do that to you, but I was getting frustrated before I did that.  In fact, I think I rushed knitting that sweater and actually the impatience caused some of my errors.  I've been thinking since I'm prone to reflection anyway.  

I've been knitting for a little over 3 years now, and I think that I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself.  Some of my impatience is due to the fact that my actual skills don't match the skills I desire.  These will come in time as I continue to knit.  I recently heard an interview of the Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (The Yarn Harlot) and she emphasized over and over that she had been knitting for 34 years.  When you compare 3 years to 34 years, the skills are a little overwhelming.  Perhaps time will heal my frustrations. I just need to concentrate on why I like knitting and continue in my practice and the skills will come.

New Willow Cardigan

After much consideration, I have realized that the pattern I chose wasn't really what I wanted, even after I tried to modify it. I made some mistakes, like knitting 11 inch arm holes instead of 9 inch ones, but my gauge was what was called for in the pattern. I just don't think the pattern had the appropriate shape, and I made it a size too large. I have ripped out the other sweater, and I have chosen a new pattern (Thank you ravelry.) Last night I cast on the back panel. I'm hoping this works out. I am knitting a medium, instead of a large, but I am going to try to hold it up to my figure a little more often to avoid ripping out an entire sweater. I guess I'm in good company on that one. I think I have read about the Yarn Harlot ripping out entire sweaters. The new pattern is Berroco's Gretta.

Ribbit, Ribbit

The Willow Sweater will be frogged this weekend. Except for the ribbing, all of the dimensions are just too big. My gauge must have gotten looser and looser as I knit it. I hope the next time I knit it, it will go as fast as the first time, except that it will actually fit. I need to do some measuring and planning before I knit it again. Maybe before I rip it, I should take some stitches per inch calculations to help with my design. Some of the changes I made to the pattern were experimental, and sometimes experimental means trial and error. I guess this just turned out to be more error than trial. Oh, well... back to the drawing board.

God's Hobby

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:13

Knitting Impatience

I have been experiencing a little bit of knitting impatience. I would like to be finished with some of the projects that I've had going for a while, and start something new. The problem is my life has been interfering with my knitting. Yes, I know how spoiled I am to be able to say this. More than likely, I am frustrated with my life and taking it out on my knitting. Sometimes I just don't have the words to express my thoughts and feelings. It is like my creativity has been bottled up. Could this be a form of knitter's block / writer's block? When I started this blog, I thought I had all of these things to share, but now I am not so sure. I haven't given up yet. I know that I have something in there somewhere to share, and I plan on keep trying.

I have been knitting on the brown and aqua tee sweater. I do like the fabric that I'm creating, but I can't seem to picture it finished. I have a loose plan, and I'm just not sure what to do with the sleeves. It is a bottom up sweater, and in a couple of inches, I will need to deal with the sleeves. Do I want to do a raglan or a yoke? I'm leaning towards a yoke. I'll keep you posted.