Relief

I think that's the best word I can find to describe how I feel about finishing this:

the eight year sweater.

I don't honestly remember when I started it, but eight years is likely to be a true assessment of how long it took me, start to finish, with several periods of hibernation. It started as a joke about how long it was going to take me and became reality. I guess that's a warning to be careful what you suggest to Time.

When the book Poetry in Stitches first came out, it was available only in Norwegian. I thought about asking a Norwegian co-worker to translate the pattern for me I loved it so much, but opted for waiting for the English version to be released. There were kits of the yarn available and I decided to use the kit rather than agonize over selecting colors myself. I loved this sweater and had no problem with making it exactly as designed.

But, I now know that, in my soul, I am not a color knitter. I learned that I can do it

(see the nice even stranding inside?)

but, oh how it pains me! It is sooo slow. I have to rearrange the stitches on my needles so much more carefully to keep my tensions balanced just so. Thank god I learned continental and could hold one color in each hand. It might have been a 20 year project if I didn't know that technique. And while I've been told it's so much easier to keep the pattern straight when you've got the visual cues from the color changes below, I found myself counting as much or more than when I work a stitch pattern.

I am a texture knitter. Give me cables or complicated lace, throw in beading even and I am a happy knitter. Hand me fair isle again and I may poke you with the nearest dpn. There are many gorgeous color patterns out there, but I will leave them to the color knitters and admire them from afar. When I want color variation, I'll look to the dyers and knit beautiful socks from a single strand.

But, today, I have some detail shots to share with you of my biggest color project ever. It may not be my last (never say never again), but you're not likely to see another something like it from me anytime soon. I learned some things too late that would have helped me love it more, but I wasn't up to ripping out and starting over (the edge band) and so it is "good enough for who it's for," as my dad would say.

asymmetrical front

sleeve flowers, close up

clasp

whew!