Persistence Pays

I've stepped away from knitting and picked it up again a few times over the past few years. This time I've been more focused, concentrating on finishing the things that have languished and fulfilling obligations. This project falls in the second category.

Stinkerbelle asked for new fingerless gloves ages ago. I can no longer recall when but she's been telling people that I was going to make them and talking about the pattern we settled on. Mostly she's been waitinf patiently because other stuff was more pressing or - lets be honest - exciting.



But, as I mentioned, I've been trying to fulfill promises lately so I unearthed the yarn and pattern from my stash and cast on. I can't say that it was my favorite project.  This pattern looks cool but the large spaces of color necessitate some long floats. I really dislike long floats. They prevent my from developing a flow.



The results speak for themselves. They look great. The main color is a variegated purple/blue/gray and the contrast is navy blue. Those are totally Daria's colors.  So the skulls and colors really work for her and she loves them. I did tell her to take good care of them though, because if it took her this long to get these made it could be a really long time until I made a new pair.

Ten on Tuesday - I Feel...

It's kind of a roller coaster ride around here lately. There are warm days like we had over the weekend where I go around in flip flops and no jacket and they're followed by days like today where I wake up to snow and an urge to bundle up. I can have a day full of joy and laughter with my girls that is followed up with a reminder that my life is not all that it could or should be. So talking about how I feel is kind of a mixed bag.

Here it is, the good and the bad because these days the two are intertwined. These days I feel...

1. Excited - this weekend my daughter and I shopped for a prom dress and we found one. It was much easier than we expected and, most importantly, she is thrilled with her choice.
2. Joyful - when I watch Miss M learning and growing it fills me with joy. This is good because she is challenging me in ways my older daughters never did.  Crayons on the windows and walls - check. 
3. Frustrated - I'm still jobless and it's been much longer than I ever imagined. I never had trouble like this before but this economy is different. Then again, I'm also older than I was.
4. Old - I have aches and pains that are new and really unpleasant. But the clearest sign are the reading glasses that are my constant companion.
5. Hopeful - at my core I am an optimist and I feel like something better is just around the corner.  It has to be.
6. Accomplished - After a really long knitting drought I've finally picked up my needles again and it's so nice. Even better, I've finished a lot of projects - old and new - and they've turned out well.
7. Satisfied - I've read some really good books lately. There have been a few stinkers too but most of them I've enjoyed. It also feels good to be doing something that is occasionally thought provoking.
8. Lethargic - It would be more accurate to say that I feel out of shape. I know that I need to just get out there and raise my activity level and I've started a few times. It turns out that I'm better at stating than continuing.
9. Proud - My girls are surpassing all of my hopes and dreams and expectations and it's such a great thing.
10. Apprehensive - sometimes it feels like things are moving just a little bit too fast and I wish I could slow it all down a bit. 

Challenges in Knitting And Beyond

I really love the idea of an Olympic Challenge. Aside from being a fabulous excuse to sit and watch the actual Games it's nice to challenge yourself.  Maybe the level of difficulty doesn't quite rise to the level of the giant slalom or skeleton (yikes!) or figure skating but a well chosen project that goes a bit beyond what you've done before can be every bit as daunting.



This year I decided to knit a sweater for Miss M as my challenge. It turns out that choosing the pattern was the most difficult part of this knit. It was complicated because I wanted to knit a rainbow and I ordered a set of rainbow yarn that I then tried to match to a pattern. Should the rainbow be at the yoke? Should it be everything but the yoke? Colorwork? You can see the problem.



After weeks of sifting and sorting patterns on Ravelry I finally found Lillian Lucy by Ann Molvik. The simple body was perfectly suited for a rainbow and I loved the sweet ruffles at the cuffs, neck, and bottom. In this case the rainbow was not just bright, it was practically neon, so I tried to balance it with soft grey for the ruffled bits.



This was such an easy knit.  Once I figured out how many inches each stripe ought to be I flew through the knitting on the body. Then came the sleeves and not only did I have to figure out how wide each stripe should be - I had to make sure I had enough of each color.  Because I was so nervous about it I weighed each remaining ball of yarn and kept doing so as I knit the sleeves. In the end I had plenty of each color.



I really love this sweater. It all came together so smoothly that I finished in one week flat. That includes the blocking, the installation of the zipper, and the covering of the inside of the zipper with pretty ribbon. It's a new personal best for me.  I guess I'll have to reach higher next time.