Finishing Objects

It's been a good year for me so far. I have a good satisfying job with long term potential, even if I did end up working yesterday (I'll get my Saturdays back some time!). I have a happy marriage. I'm finally beginning to tidy my cluttered little apartment a little bit. And I've stuck to all my hooky goals this year!

I've been finishing instead of starting to the extent that I've only started (and finished) two small projects since I made my finishing resolution. This hooker has also not purchased a single ball of yarn this year. I admit, I'll need to get a blanket quantity for a wedding present before the year is out, but that purchase was included in the goal. It means I haven't broken the yarn diet even a little bit. I'm proud!

I've been working on these socks this week, and it's been nice to have a project that goes by so quickly. I pulled out the heel on the first one because I realized that I was putting too many stitches from the foot and not adding enough chains at the back. It was causing the socks I make to pull across the top. Even with just that first row of heel, I can already tell it's going to be more comfy.

I should have these socks finished this week, and that knocks my current WIPs down from 17 to 16! That means I have only 9 left to go until I hit my goal of 7. Not too shabby for someone who started with 25 projects. This is the halfway point. Now, to be fair I have a lot of time consuming projects left. Not all of them are going to take that long, though. I think I can do it in the first half of the year.

This picture doesn't show all the WIPs or all the finished projects, but it's nice to see some of what I've finished already.

After the big long sweater project that I worked on very diligently, I needed something fast and simple to cleanse my crochet palette. I started this scarf a few years ago intending it to be a Christmas present for my brother. I then ran out of time and decided it was much too warm for someone who lives in a very warm climate. It sat half finished for a long time, so I pulled it from the WIP pile and  knocked it out. It was nice to work on something that went by so quickly!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make a cup of tea and get a bit of sock finished before I head out to my hockey game.

Good morning sunshine!

It has been an absolutely frigid winter. Two pairs of pants and four layers on top in the cold hallway where I work.

Thankfully I have lots of wooly things to keep me warm. How does everyone else do it?

These had been unfinished for ages, but I really needed something to keep my hands warm and couldn't find my other fingerless gloves that had partial fingers. It's also nice to finally have them done!

The big excitement for me was finishing this sweater over the weekend. I've been working on it since May on and off, and it's one of those projects that felt like it would never be done.
Above is before blocking.

This is after the first blocking- I decided it was too loose blocked like this, so I reblocked it and made it somewhere between the two. I might just lay it flat and let it sit like the unblocked sweater because I like the collar shape in the top photo, but for now it's a drapey collar and a snugger bodice.

I love this sweater! I had to pull the sleeves out so many times- I easily pulled out a whole sleeve and then some figuring the first one out. But now they're perfect- not too tight, not too loose. They fit with no sleeves underneath, or with a light layer. They also fit inside a heavier sweater.

It's almost time for me to leave for work, where I'm excited to show off the finished sweater to my knitting coworker, and to the people who watched me working on it over lunch the last few months. Now to add some layers on top.