If you follow me on Instagram, you know that (while fretting about my Texas relatives and everyone else in the vicinity) I had a very productive weekend seaming my fisherman sweater and sewing my first pants. The good news is I’m going to make it across the Summer of Basics finish line in time! The bad news is my fisherman sweater is done, which leaves me with three stockinette projects to choose from:
- Finish the purple lopi sweater from the top-down tutorial
- Finish the grey summer cardigan
- Lengthen the black cardigan
As eager as I am to cast on another meaty project, I’m feeling anxious about the WIPs hanging around too long, so I’m declaring September finish-it month. I also have the two tees that still need their top-stitching, and some assorted mending/repairs to do. And this forced pause should prevent me from starting anything new before I’ve done my proper Fall planning.
I’ve been knitting ol’ purple while the fisherman was blocking and awaiting seam time, and I should be able to do the finishing on it next weekend. It’s so quick! Then next up will be the grey cardigan, which I’m dreading. Every time I think about picking it up, I am overwhelmed with ugh, so I’ve been reaching for the purple one instead. You know I have this idea that if I’m not knitting a given thing, I must not want it very badly, so I keep thinking I should either frog this one or give it to someone else to finish. But then I look at my sketch (from back in March) and I really do want this sweater. I just don’t want to knit it!
Merely typing this plan is making me squirmy, but if the promise of funner projects (including the big-pleated top) gets me to tie up all the loose ends, so be it.
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PREVIOUSLY in Queue Check: July 2017
I’ve seen your schedule for the next two months. I think mindless stockinette is the ONLY thing you can do during that period, so this seems like a good plan.
Might seem counterintuitive, but if I don’t have some engaging knitting to retreat into at nights, I’ll lose my mind!
I’ve already started my Fall Knitting for Christmas adventure, stockpiling mitts and hats.
Oh…sometimes it is so hard to finish what feels like a boring knit….but perhaps it’s just the day, the moment after completing something more challenging. It’s all about that re-start, that re-boot if the excitement if the design and the need in your wardrobe. Thinking you’re going to pick this up one evening and it will be that comforting knitting, the mindless knitting that brings such calm, peace and thankfulness. You’ve got this — ’cause the joy at the end of the journey is just that, pure joy :)!
That grey cardigan is going to be awesome when finished!! Hope you can finish it! But..no pressure. :)
Karen, see this coming month as the month you will quickly be adding to your wardrobe!!!! Then you can play! And the grey cardigan will be a staple!!!
Exactly. The mental relief of not having the piles of unfinished things everywhere cannot be understated.
Isn’t that funny how that happens? That has happened to me a lot – where I really want the finished garment but can’t bring myself to knit on it! Such a conundrum!
Usually, it does mean I don’t want it badly enough, so this one is really confusing! I fear it might be that I really want it but not in this yarn. I don’t know. But I’m gonna keep going! Someone will love it in the end, if I don’t.
I’ve actually become more partial to grey things lately — I like the way a grey piece can be added to more colorful pieces without being as much of a stark contrast as black. (The fact that my hair is *finally* all grey may also have something to do with it.) That being said, I have a 2/3 finished Boxy in pale grey that’s been on the needles for just about a year now…
I used to joke about having the world’s largest collection of grey sweaters, and now it’s sort of the opposite. All my yarn in waiting is grey!
Choose one day a week, preferably one with a favorite TV show, and devote that one evening a week to the WIP. The rest of the week you are free to knit or sew as you please. For myself, i find that when i get to a certain point near completion, I want to drop everything else and finish that one thing to get it off my mind, but thats just me. If you wanted to be all editorail about it, you could declare “WIP Wednesdays”, or something like that, and get all your readers on board, prizes for the oldest WIP finally completed, etc.
Once a week is a good idea but too slow for getting all this stuff off my WIP shelf! I’m just gonna power through it.
It’s always more fun to start a new project. And it’s also more fun, when you are knitting something you are in the mood to work on. Life is short. Do not do what you think you are suppose to knit but knit what is full-filling at the moment. Eventually, they all will get done. And it’s ok to decide a project is not what you really want to make.
When I have a project that I find hard to work on I set myself up for success: (1) nice cup of tea (2) engaging movie or podcast (3) light a candle (4) visualize myself wearing the FO as part of a cool outfit (5) put another project I want to start when this one is finished in my line of sight. Good luck!
I’m with you on all but the last one — the temptation is just too strong!
I love the purple sweater’s color, that speaks to me. But the gray one will be a workhorse in your wardrobe – you can power through!
It is such a good purple.
Having two huge art deadlines (installing exploding beer show on Thursday! – don’t worry, no shrapnel), I ended up having to bail on the #summerofbasics although the items I’d planned to make are still on my radar, and one of them us up to the armpits (whoo-hoo), but I’m a little distracted by the WIPs around me. I’ve been sneaking time on an Alabama Chanin top and am playing games with myself to keep me motivated and reward me (“Stitch for a couple of hours on an art project, and then you can knit for a little bit.”). Frankly, it’s a little nutty, and now the school year is beginning. I’m taking inspiration from your finish-it-month.
I really like the gray cardigan. Is this your own design?
If you can call it a design! Yeah. https://fringeassociation.com/2017/03/29/queue-check-march-2017-a-whole-new-queue/
Aw I love the purple sweater! Such a pretty color.
I’m also in finish-it mode. Except I started a pair of socks. I generally don’t knit socks, but I’ve been doing the “A Year of Techniques” and the socks are in the queue…plus I discovered while knitting the fingerless mitts, the first AYoT project, that having a small project is much better when you’re taking your knitting with you. So I HAD to start the socks, you see? :)
I really do.
Come on, you can do it, with a great podcast or movie in the background, you’ll get it done in no time. And think of the joy of no longer having to knit it.
Yes, exactly!
I love that gray sweater!! You can do it, and you’ll love it and wear it for years! You’re really pretty close at this point.
A couple years ago I dedicated Labor Day weekend to finishing up sewing WIPs from the year. If I couldn’t get myself to finish, it’s probably time to say goodbye. There are a few things I held onto even then, but sad to say they are STILL in my WIP bin and I really, really don’t want to pick them up this weekend! What is it about some projects!
Oh Karen, finish the gray cardigan…I think you will get a tremendous amount of use out it. It’s such a great staple to any wardrobe. The clean lines and crisp look are so appealing. I know the drudgery that you might feel trying to finish something that isn’t exciting anymore, but in the end, I think you will b very grateful that you did. If it helps, mix it up knitting between two projects on your WIP list. Good luck, can’t wait to see the finished items!
Love your idea of Finish-it-September. I have an afghan that I cast on in 2008 that needs one more joining strip and some kind of edge. That’s nine years ago!!! Time to finish the darned thing.
I am working to finish up languishing WIPs as well – things I know I want but am bored with knitting. I give myself knitting rewards – finish this sleeve, get to cast on that pretty shawl kind of thing. It might not work well if I have too many boring projects though. Funny, the one I am struggling with now is my own top-down sweater started as a result of your KAL. :-) One sleeve cuff, a couple of inches of body and the neckline to finish and it is done. Besides weaving in the ends (stripes! Why did you make me crave stripes?!) I should be able to cast on 4-5 shawls by the time this is finished. :-)
About 5 years ago, I spent an entire YEAR finishing unfinished projects. (I hate to admit how many). Now I try to have a clean bucket on Jan 1st every year. I start feeling burdened if I get too many things in progress!
I really like the grey sweater. I think you will really enjoy it when it’s done. You could always decide to do a band of grey and black color work at the bottom to make it more interesting to knit!
My life is so full of interruptions from kids all day, stockinette is the way to go for me lately. (But one of these days, I REALLY want to knit a replica of your fisherman pullover. It’s perfect!)
I love having a mindless knit to get on with, but then again I often knit whilst watching TV or when in company of other people (who are def not knitters) so anything too complicated ends up having mistakes…
I have a just managed to finish a few UFO’s which is leaving me free to think about my next big project (a blanket) and getting further with a friends wedding shawl! As well as Christmas knitting.
Good luck with finding the motivation to finish.
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