kitty companiona

kitty companiona

Friday, December 30, 2011

The Race to Finish

The madwoman has been knitting like crazy!
The sweater must be finished by the end of the year!!!  Am I laboring under the Presidential Mandate, 'No Project Left Undone'?  You would think so.  Or maybe it's just a good excuse to neglect all the things I should be doing around the house.  Like that sink full of dishes....

Yesterday Zip and I drove to Lemoyne to the PA Factory outlet to get buttons for the almost finished sweater. I took a skein of yard along to match them up.  I thought these looked good when laid against the yarn, but when I put them on the sweater....Blech!!!


Now what to do???  Not another 50-mile trip back to the outlet.  I guess I could use them temporarily?

Then I looked at the back side of the button and EUREKA! they looked cool!!!


They might be wrong-side-out, but I think they look 100% better.  What do you think???

So last evening I finished the last few inches of sleeve and the sweater is done with a day to spare.


I still need to block it to stretch out the ribbing a little bit.  It is soooo nice and warm!

This is the third sweater I've done since reacquainting myself with my knitting needles last January.  Thanks to Julie at Knitting at Large, they all fit perfectly.  My faith in sweater knitting has been renewed!
Some of the important lessons I've learned are ALWAYS knit a gauge swatch, take accurate body measurements, draw a schematic and DO THE MATH!  You can have a sweater that fits your own personal shape every time.

I guess now that the excitement is all over, it's time to go to the kitchen and apply my creative talents to cleaning up the dishes.  SIGH!!!

13 comments:

  1. Pat that sweater looks gorgeous - love the buttons and color! Now you can't possibly be doing those pesky dishes you may get the sleeves wet on that new sweater!

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  2. Oh I agree...the back side of the buttons is perfect....very smart gal you are.....

    the sweater is beautiful and I know you are going to enjoy wearing it so much....Good job on meeting your deadline.....I have to admit I have several knitting projects that are not going to be finished by the first of the year....oh well...there's always next year....

    Happy New Year....

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  3. Wow I can't believe you finished it so fast!!! I agree the other side of the buttons are nicer :-) I stink at math so I'm thinking advanced knitting is out of the question for me - LOL!!!

    Wishing you and yours a warm and wonderful New Year!!

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  4. I love that sweater and the buttons are great on the flip side! I have been finishing up some old knitting projects myself. One hat done...now onto the sock.
    Happy New Year!
    Courtney

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  5. Smart gal to turn the buttons - perfect. I'm glad you decided to abandon chores for awhile in favor of fun. I've been doing that most of the week!

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  6. Yippee! Congrats on finishing a beauty before the year ran away! Very clever to try the "wrong" side of the buttons and learn that they are "perfectly right" for the sweater! :-) Happy New Year!!!

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  7. Pat, what a smart gal you are, flipping the buttons was a stroke of genius. They are perfect and so is the sweater.

    Now about the dished, let Zip do that and start on another project like designing a rug or another knitting project or your dolls..

    Take care, Hugs. JB

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  8. Wow! Gorgeous sweater and I LOVE the buttons on the backside!! Great thinking!!
    Those pesky dishes..... they are a constant source of irritation here too! My dishwasher works outside the home for a living LOL!
    I have been thinking of pulling my knitting needles out of the closet( they are probably moldy as it's been many many years since I've looked at them! You are inspiring me to see if I remember anything at all .... starting with casting on!! LOL!!
    Happy New Year to you and Zip and the fur babes!!
    Hugs!
    Cathy G

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  9. Your sweater is fab, I haven't knitted an adult sweater for years and the thought of it is daunting.
    I used to knit fairisles and cables, the lot once but not for years now.

    Well, Christmas is over for another year thank goodness, just got to get Jan and Feb out of the way and we are on our way to Spring, can't wait.
    Me and Tom wish you and Zip a good 2012, just relax and take time to smell the roses as they say, lol

    Briony
    xxx

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  10. I love your sweater, and the reverse buttons look so good! Maybe you can persuade the kitties to do KP duty? Seems like those furry little tails might be great for swiping! Hope you have a wonderful 2012!

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  11. Pat ~
    Your talents are extraordinary! Beautiful sweater and your button solution is perfect!
    Happy New Year to you and Zip and the furbabies, of course!
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  12. Beautiful wool ....because its made of several tones I think the buttons were OK ...but the backs are 100% perfect.
    I like to use any excuse not to do the boring house hold jobs ...the older I get, I find the longer it takes to wash up.... maybe I just drift off into another world to forget what I'm actually doing. xx

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  13. Thanks for leaving all those comments on my blog in 2011. I hope that you will continue to visit me in the new year.
    I always feel special when you visit.

    Pat, would you believe that I got another calf this evening. We almost lost it as my husband was milking and I had to go get him to pull the calf out. It wasn't breathing I shook him until he took his first breath. Number 8 in 7 days.

    Happy New Year to you and Zip and all your fur babies. Hugs, Julia

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