Unfinished Projects

You know the feeling. You see a pattern you really love. You can envision yourself or someone you love in it. You head to the nearest yarn shop to purchase yarn for the project. You have your needles, row counter, and stitch markers ready to go. You begin with anxious anticipation. But then something happens.  Either the pattern isn't turning out the way you'd hoped, it's too hard or too easy, or you see another pattern that is more interesting than the one you are working on.  Suddenly your project is in a basket to be worked on later--you hope. 

Like every knitter, I look forward to starting projects.  There are so many choices in terms of yarns, patterns, and designs on the internet, knitting magazines, and in books.  As a result, I often start projects but cannot quite finish them. I once tried to knit a blanket, pants for Lydia, Norwegian mittens, a pullover sweater, and a cabled hat simultaneously.  I would knit a few rows of one project, put it down, then knit a few rows of another, and then switch again.  As expected, I never made any real progress.

This Koolhas Hat for my husband Walter is almost done.  I'm at the point where I should start decreasing stitches at the crown.  I haven't finished because I decided to knit the My So-Called Scarf and the February Lady Sweater for my sister and aunt.

For this Green Gable sweater tee by Zephyr Style, all I need to do is finish the right sleeve.  However, the project is still sitting in my knitting bag because I decided to make Mason-Dixon Knitting's Blu jeans for Lydia instead.   

I recall being so excited about knitting this top-down Custom-Fit Raglan Sweater for Lydia. I was able to use any weight of yarn and design my own sweater using the fill-in-the-blank sheet designer Pamela Costello provided.  I am almost finished the body of the sweater and just need to knit the sleeves. This pattern was too easy.  It involved knitting stockinette stitch in the round with some increases and decreases of stitches at various points.  I think I was getting bored with the pattern and something more challenging appealed to me.

For these Elizabeth Zimmermann Norwegian mittens, I began right before I was scheduled to leave on a trip to Atlanta. By the time I got back, I didn't feel like working on the project anymore.  I found them to be too time-consuming.   

I started these Norwegian socks, also by Elizabeth Zimmermann, in January 2007.  This was the first time I ever made Norwegian socks, and judging from the first finished sock, I can see why I didn't finish the second one. It didn't turn out very well.  I remember having problems figuring out how to decrease and at the same time continue the design while using double pointed needles.

There were some knitting projects that I could tell after working on them for a few rows that I wasn't going to finish them.  For example, I chose Justine Turner's Bella dress for Lydia because it reminded me of patchwork quilting, which I enjoy.  However, after changing yarns at various points in the pattern, I realized I was not going to have the patience to complete the dress. 

I often feel guilty seeing these unfinished projects lying in a basket or a plastic bin. I had such high hopes when I started working on them. In time, I'm sure I will return to some them with much of the same enthusiasm I had when I first started. The nice thing about creating something is that there are no deadlines.  You don't have to finish a project until you want to. The yarn, the needles, and the pattern will be there for you when you are ready.  

Comments

[Walter]

Beautiful knitting and a very attractive, informative blog. Keep up the good work, Joy!

[Victoria]

I've often thought about feeling guilty about leaving WIPs in the basket, but it doesn't last. I'm like a magpie; something pretty, shiny, and new will always distract me.