I don’t know about you, but I have had a bit of a week. Been up to Oregon and down to Southern California while someone was using my debit card number in Indiana and New York. I’m under pressure to make the most important business decision I’ve ever had to make. And the cold rain is not helping, in part because it’s a constant reminder of that capelet I’m not finished with yet!
Speaking of finishing things (or not), ever since I did that WIPs on the shelf post I’ve been thinking about what and how I knit — or more precisely, what I finish. I couldn’t help noticing that three of those four projects were flat. If there’s one thing that’s become very clear to me, it’s that, whether we’re talking about big ol’circulars or 4-inch DPNs (or, y’know, a giant double-ended Tunisian crochet hook), I’m happiest when I’m working in the round. With a combination project like the baby sweater or the TV slippers, I’m noticeably fidgety during the flat parts, eager to get to where I can join. Why is that, I wonder? I knit on circulars even when knitting flat, because straight needles make my wrist hurt, so it’s not simply a matter of needle preference. Am I fundamentally opposed to having to turn my work? I think there’s just something soothingly holistic for me about working in the round, seeing a piece take shape in three dimensions like that. But I really don’t know.
So that’s been in the back of my mind for a few weeks, how knitters all seem to have a particular groove they fall into, and how different it is from one knitter to the next. Then the other day (too late to weigh in) I ran across this great post on the subject at Completely Cauchy. For her, what gets finished are projects — blankets mostly — that are A) wildly colorful and B) knit in chunks that get seamed together as she goes. So that’s my question for you this weekend: What are the things you’re most likely to stick with? Don’t be shy.
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