Thursday 6 January 2011

Lack of Resolution

Well, I ended 2010 with a completed project - the Sweater of Doom Mark 2 for DH was done in almost plenty of time for Christmas - in fact, it was sewed up, washed and dried by the 22nd. There wasn't even a sniff of deadline panic in the air. He said he loved it, and wore it often throughout the holidays - whether as proof/evidence, or penance for not getting me gifts from the children, I'm not sure.

As you can see below, the shawl neck, even when on a hanger, doesn't hang/fall quite right, and I haven't worked out why; in comparison to the picture on the front of the pattern, the neck starts earlier and is therefore longer/larger: perhaps that has something to do with it. Still, that is one big tick ticked, and now I shouldn't hear any nags about knitting him something for a while, I guess.




My first Finished Object (FO) for 2011 was a return to normal-sized things, a pretty little frilled shrug that is destined for my youngest niece as her birthday present later this month; my sister Auntie Fashion had gifted me 3 balls of Rainbow Glitz yarn






















which, although the colors look quite subtle in the ball, has a sparkly silver thread intertwined throughout, and I thought it would go admirably with the Sirdar Denim Tweed DK 2210 pattern that I'd picked up last year sometime. However, I added a ruffle/frill to the sleeves also, because they looked odd without, and also because without some kind of edging, the knitting rolled ...

















As you can see, the yarn is self-patterning (and see how clever I was matching not just the sides, but the sleeves as well ?) and the almost fluorescent pink doesn't show it's true jarring nature until the yarn is knitted up.

I am now working on a little cabled sweater for my baby nephew, whose 1st birthday is next month.

So having made such a promising start to the New Year, I wonder how long I shall be able to maintain it for ? I haven't made any New Year's resolutions for some years now - I prefer the relative informality and reduced expectations/pressure of setting goals instead. I achieved 2 out of 2 last year - and quitting smoking wasn't one of them, oddly enough; so I am casting around for a couple or three goals for this year: things that I want to do, that are achieveable, that are not a total drag or completely miserable in their worthiness, yet are realistic: so no suggestions for becoming a nicer/better person, please.

7 comments:

  1. This knitting is BEAUTIFUL!

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  2. If you can quit smoking you can do anything, no ideas though, sorry ;-). My partner's resolution last year was 'to be a little bit worse every day' and he says he managed it so successfully he is doing it again this year, and my mother is joining him. Not recommended ;-). I love your jumpers! If I were your youngest niece I would just die of happiness.

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  3. That's brilliant - matching the body colours to the sleeves, impressive!

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  4. Thank you, Letty :-)

    Susie, I too would have died of happiness if I'd had clothes like that as a kid: but combine the 70s with parents who were almost Puritan in their attitude to 'fun' clothes, cut your hair themselves, drgged you round heaps of mossy rocks (ie ruins, castles etc) ....and you have an emotionally crippled and fashion-stunted adult ;-)

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  5. Both turned out wonderfully. I love the deep shawl collar on the sweater, and yes, the shrug sleeves would have looked unfinished without the frill.

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  6. I love your "goals" not "resolutions" take on the year! As soon as I thought about goals they popped into my mind quite naturally - while resolutions are just draggy ;-) Looking forward to hearing what you choose this year. And as Susie says, if you can quit smoking I think you'll manage whatever you set your mind to!

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  7. (I clicked the wrong button & deleted her comment)but AC said:

    Nice work on matching up the variegated yarn! I like the man-sweater--it looks cozy.

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Thanks ! I love comments :-)