I have completed my swatching for the Lunar Phase MKAL. I am so excited about what I have learned about putting together colors in the past year or so. In my mind’s eye, I envisioned this shawl being like a water color painting – with subtle changes. My swatch has more of the pop of color than I think the MKAL will (after all, we only need 80 yds of the pop of color) and I think I have achieved the watercolor effect I was looking for. While this was not my outward intention, it very much reminds me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
I have likewise spent much time thinking about the other little swatch. I think that swatch might be destined to become Find Your Fade I just need to figure out a few more colors to add in, more swatching will ensue. And, that does not disappoint me at all. I have learned the value of swatching, even swatching for a shawl. Yes, Gentle Reader, the swatch is your friend.
I discovered this week that I knit tighter at a smaller circumference, which is not a good thing at all. My sleeve on Strokkur is a much smaller gauge that the sweater body. Here is the stupid part of this: I realized this about 10-ish rounds in, but I ignored that little nagging voice saying to me “DANGER, WILL ROBINSON” and “THIS IS NOT RIGHT, STOP KNITTING” Some 50 plus rounds later, I finally listened to the yelling in my head and measured gauge. Yeah, when that voice speaks to you, you need to listen. Now, I am having a bit of a debate with myself – rip out sleeve one and start over or knit sleeve two at the correct gauge and then see how much yarn I have left with the hopes that I can then knit a 3rd sleeve at the correct gauge without ripping out sleeve one. The one good thing in all this…It has been snowing here for the past couple of days and wool knitting is all the rage when the snow flies! Ha.
I read a blog in the past week that has made me shake my head in confusion – the gist of the post was that they were all about the process, not about the finishing of projects and stated that they finished almost nothing in a year and that was okay. Wait, what? You want to make but not actually make anything? As my daughter would say SMH… big time! LOL I am not that at all, I am a PROJECT maker versus a PROCESS maker. Don’t get me wrong – knitting is my superpower; it is therapy, and when I am knitting, I am in my happy place. But, I knit to make. I guess that I what really makes me happy is a finished object that someone will love and, hopefully, wear often! I still don’t understand that post, but to each their own I suppose.
Now, how about some links?
First up, this made me cry – this was in the NYTimes yesterday for International Woman’s Day “Since 1851, obituaries in The New York Times have been dominated by white men. Now, we’re adding the stories of 15 remarkable women.” When I first read the line, I thought – so no women died? But, then I realized that a woman’s significance in life was nothing – in life and death. It is painful to think about and perhaps we need not a single day where we celebrate women, but we should celebrate every day.
Steve sent me a link this week that made me smile. Knitting can make you a Super Hero…
Up for a sweater challenge? Hannah Fettig has a Mystery Cardigan perking along and it is not too late to join in!
Carol Sunday’s Capture the Moment is awesome!
And, finally, Marie Greene has us turning our minds to spring with Lace Market. Oh man, I love it and am pondering yarn subs.
That is all I have for the week, have an awesome weekend and I will see you back here on Monday!
P.S. The flowers above are from one of my Sunday School students. I am so surprised they are surviving as they are, I don’t have the best of luck with indoor blooming plants!
We are like minded. I have to have a finish to wear or gift or donate. That is where my joy comes from , in addition to the calm the knitting brings to me. I was so happy to finish my shawl and know I WILL wear this one. My mom would say, “it takes all kinds” 🙂
and I would try playing yarn chicken and knitting a third sleeve. That’s just me….
Hmm… I love having a finished product, but…..SHINY!!!!! Sometimes it is hard to focus. Right now my hand is in a brace and it is too painful to knit. Ugh. (My dog went one way and I went the other, and now I have tendinitis and a flare up of arthritis that I never knew I had. At least it isn’t fractured. Hence the brace.) SO, there is no knitting for the foreseeable future. 🙁
I love the links, and not just the knitting links. I am enamored with Lace Market and possibly even have suitable yarn! If only my hand would heal…
Hmn, I’m all about enjoying the process, but it’s no fun if there isn’t an end to the project. That’s why I knit instead of working on an insanely big embroidery project that will take me years to finish or something like that. That’s probably also why I like knitting hats so much.
Love that superhero scarf!
I’m the kind of knitter that loves to start a project, knit during the project and finish! I cannot figure out the process or not state of mind. I do love everything about knitting. I do tend to finish all my projects and I keep the wips around four (but today there are six!).
Pretty color combos!
I knit, and finish, a lot of things that I then put in a drawer and forget, or just don’t have the opportunity to wear. My charity pile now contains 2 beautiful lace shawls… I like to make them but my cup runneth over, shawl-wise. So I am trying to find some way of knitting without cluttering the place up! Or maybe I should indeed take up some giant embroidery project that will take forever!
Like you, I love the process but it’s the finished project that really makes me happy. Probably because it means I can start something else!
As much as I enjoy knitting, I , too, most certainly knit to Make! The swatch with that yellow pop sure makes me happy – look forward to following along on the MKAL to see what it becomes!
Process and project go hand in hand so I’m not sure I understand (or agree with) the person who never finishes anything. Knitting is only a worthwhile process if you end up with something worthy of sharing. IMO, anyway. You have so much going on and it all looks beautiful and interesting. Enjoy your weekend!
I didn’t think of Starry Night until you mentioned it, but now it’s all I can see — and I love it! I really like the other swatch as well and think the colors will look great as a Find Your Fade. I think this post is a great illustration of why you should swatch other than to get gauge.
I have pondered for years and years whether I’m a project knitter or a process knitter. I think I’m a little of both. I love the process, but there comes a point in every project when I’m a bit bored with the process and want the project — and I never cast on a project without wanting the project.
I really like to Make Things, too . . . but I do enjoy the process along the way. (And I guess if I didn’t enjoy the process, I wouldn’t even attempt to Make Things.) I can’t imagine never finishing anything. It would be like . . . swatching all the time. (And who needs that.)
XOXO
Process and Project are two sides of the same coin, says she who is more a “process oriented” person and not driven *at all* by the finish line…and somedays, that drives me batty! ‘Cause I have a lot of UFOs in various stages but I’m not sure that really matters in the overall scheme of things either…I’m in a learning mode in most instances tho’ there are some projects – not necessarily only knitting – that I want and am determined to finish, all things considered…At best, keeps my life interesting ;-))…
Love the colors for your two swatches and tho’ I know nothing about knitting, I think you start the third sleeve and when/if you run out of yarn, then unravel the first that’s too tight…or, you can flip a coin…
Cheers~
While I certainly love having a finished product to wear or use or give, I am unquestionably more driven by & enjoy the PROCESS of knitting/making — challenging myself to learn & explore new techniques is really my jam. The act of knitting/sewing is relaxing… truly therapy. I love making things for others, and get carried away with holiday/birthday fever sometimes, but I do not enjoy knitting to that type of deadline and will rarely press myself to meet it; though sometimes the finish line *is* the challenge! For me, the joy is in giving or wearing something that I truly LOVED to make. This is the person who has recently completed more than one project that’s dawdled just this side of the finish line for almost a decade!
I definitely knit tighter in the round! I think I had to go up two needles sizes on a little sweater for one of the kids not long ago!