I fly through most knitting projects. Full size sweaters typically take me on average about two weeks. Baby knits can be whipped up over a weekend. A hat, just a few hours. So yesterday I thought about the dress I was knitting my goddaughter and I wondered why it has taken me 2 months and I had only gotten about 4 inches of progress made. I didn’t like the pattern. So I looked at the project and looked at what else was in my library and I said this shouldn’t be this hard and I frogged it!
I felt such a wave of relief when I did that. And then I decided to make the Summer to Fall dress instead and you know what?
Last night I got all the way up to finishing the back panel of the dress! That’s about 10 inches of knitting that I finished and in the last 2 months I could barely get through 5 inches in the other pattern. All I’ve got left is the front of the dress to knit. It’s like a block was lifted. I wasted all this time because I felt like I needed to finish something and then realized I was the only person putting that pressure on myself. I can always just knit something else if I don’t like it. And once I let go of what held me back I was moving full steam ahead. So I hope to finish this over the weekend and then I’m thinking about knitting a few toys after making Wasabi the Whale the other weekend. It’s also Bark in the Park for the Nationals at the baseball stadium so we’ve taking the dogs on an adventure and seeing how they like baseball. Wish me luck and say a prayer that Cher is a polite dog the entire time we’re there.
Tag: #yardsofhappiness
Stitching Status: Decisions, Decisions
So I’m currently working on a pink dress for my goddaughter I started ages ago (April to be exact). I’ve got 10 inches of stockinette stitch for a good 200+ stitches and I’m forcing myself to push through it to get to create a box pleat (my first time). This better be cute when I’m finished because it hasn’t been a pleasure and it’s probably why I’ve laid it down a million times for other projects. I haven’t taken any pics of it so instead you get pictures of the dogs.
Whenever there is thunder Cher finds a way to squeeze herself behind me in the smallest space. She doesn’t care what’s going on and she just has to feel safe behind me. I don’t mind at all.
And this is Jellybean with one of her favorite toys, a pink dinosaur. I like to think they’re having peace talks after she flung that dino around and nibbled it all over.
I’m also still contemplating what to make with my 4 skeins of bright pink Berroco Modern Cotton. I’ve thought about making this top but I think I’m one skein short. There’s also this free pattern but I’m not sold on making such a simple top. I may just pull out my sketch pad and see what I can come up with on my own. Fingers crossed. What are you guys working on right now?
FO: Lipstick Henley
Let’s start the week off with a finished object, shall we?
Sunday evening I finished off my modified version of the Lipstick Cardigan – this time I made a Henley! And in case you forgot what my first Lipstick Cardigan looked like, here’s a side by side comparison of the two projects.
When I made the first version I didn’t make it with the intended ease, I wanted it to be a fitted summer cardigan and I love it that way. This time around I decided since I was going to use Berroco Modern Cotton yarn I should make it with the ease intended but turn it into a top instead of another cardigan. And the first time I made it I kept thinking that the shoulder detail needed to POP more so I made it in a contrasting color so it really is highlighted.
I love that this is a longer back style but I didn’t love how my short rows turned out. I didn’t do the German short rows and just did traditional wrap and turns and I ended up with some small holes on one side – but only I will notice unless I point them out. Not the cleanest but hey it’s totally wearable. Plus I like to point out my issues since everyone likes to think I have perfect knits – I make lots of mistakes! I also toyed with making it a bit longer and remembered that this is cotton and after wearing it all day it will stretch a bit more so I’m fine with it as is and will just see how much it really grows in the front on its own.
I decided on going with a henley version, a lot of people have done that modification if you look at the project pages on Ravelry. I worked it like the cardigan pattern and then once I had about 4 inches for buttons I decided to add in 6 stitches and join in the round. I also sewed down the placard/button band to make it more stable since cotton can be drapey. Oh and since it was cotton I went with garter stitch edges instead of ribbing.
Perhaps if I make this one again it would just be a full on crew neck instead of even bothering with buttons. It really is a great pattern that’s easy to modify (I also still didn’t do the lace sleeves and opted for stockinette stitch sleeves). And with the ease built into the pattern it’s light and breezy for the insanely humid DC summer days. Now I have to decide what to knit for myself next! I’ve got a pile of more Berroco Modern Cotton but in a super bright pink! I’m thinking a feminine top should be next, any suggestions?
