Projects
A Perilous Place
Dear friends, knitters, and fellow travelers on the road-to-Rhinebeck sweater:
Your girl is in trouble.
I am at the most perilous point in the journey of any handknit sweater. The danger to me, my sweater, and the completeness of my set of Tulip interchangeable needles is grave.
One look at this picture and you’ll know how bad it is.
I am inches away from finishing the second sleeve on my Waffle Pullover.
As I knit the final decrease rounds on this sleeve, I’m in the groove. My magic loop is magic looping, I’ve got a great system for counting the rounds between decreases (that system is a lone green removable marker, so yeah: GREAT system), and most importantly, I know how to work those decreases smoothly into the 4-round mosaic stitch repeat; it’s locked into my memory and my hands. I’m almost home!
And yet, there is a high likelihood that when I reach for this sweater in October, in the annual frenzy to throw all my handknits in a blue Ikea bag and head for the Hudson Valley…it will still have these needles in the sleeve.
Despite everything I’ve accomplished on Waffle Pullover—remember how I had to knit most of the raglan yoke twice? good times!—all of this, every bit of it, is at risk. I have abandoned a sweater at this exact point too many times to mention.
My desire to cast on a new project is at its highest whenever I am working on the second sleeve of a sweater. Drastic measures need to be taken, such as removing myself from all other projects and all other yarns, blocking my access to Ravelry dot com, not taking any calls from Ann or peeking into the MDK Slack channels, and if necessary, taking a long train ride to nowhere, with nothing but Waffle Pullover to keep me company.
This time I’ll be strong. Hold me in your thoughts.
the two times i have knitted a top down sweater i have followed the guidance of an old friend from my knitting group.
she always knitted the yoke , split off the sleeve stitches then continued on the body until her current ball/cake/skein of yarn ran out, then she knitted the sleeves, then she went back and finished the body.
i was a bit sceptical but it does work – enthusiasm levels are still fairly high when dealing with sleeve decreases, length adjustments etc and then when you do go back to the body you know exactly how much yarn you have to get the body length you like (e.g. I prefer 7/8ths sleeves and as long a body as possible).
please finish the sleeve. it looks as if it will be a superb sweater.
I do this too, this way I can make the sweater as long (or as short) as I like, my inner yarn chicken daredevil is not guessing as to how much yarn I need to leave for the sleeves. Trust the pattern and the amounts, you say? Pshaw!!!
Also when the body doesn’t exist, the body isn’t heavy or cumbersome while dealing with sleeves in the round. Always this turning of the gyre!
Great work around idea! Go Kay!
What a clever idea! I’ll have to try it next time I knit a sweater.
I do this too. It’s so much easier than having to sling the whole sweater around and around as you knit the sleeves, especially if you are using 2 colors.
I’m in the midst of that right now! Wish I’d thought to do the sleeves first!
Agree wholeheartedly.
I say yes to this! I have been doing the same for years. It’s especially helpful when playing yarn chicken. In fact, on my last cardigan I was so concerned I would be short on yarn that I put the sleeves on waste yarn just before starting the cuff so that if necessary I could go back and finish with icord if I didn’t have enough yarn for ribbed cuffs. Happily, I had plenty of yarn.
Love this idea. I will use this in the future. Thank you for sharing
That’s a good idea. If I ever get around to making an actual sweater I’ll try it.
You can do this, Kay! I want to see you modeling the finished sweater next time! I’ve never made a sweater so even this far has me impressed.
OMG! This is me! I have five (5)!!!! Sweaters in this exact situation. When you figure out how to break through Kay LMK.
Every time I see this sweater, I LOVE the colors! They are just yummy and calm at the same time. I am rooting for you to finish the second sleeve. BUT, I completely understand the compulsion to now look elsewhere just as you are in the home stretch. This is how I am about pretty much every creative project. And my husband would argue that I’m also like this about meals. While eating breakfast, I say “We could have salad again for lunch.” And while eating lunch, I say, “Do you think you could make your red sauce for pasta tonight?” On the other hand, I’m really being very good about my current doll project and actually doing each repair slowly and in order as an experiment in discipline. But all of the other dolls who need repairs keep seeming to say, “What if you just put Evelyn to the side for the moment and fix my eye rocker mechanism . . . ?” Anyhow, come on second sleeve!
Have confidence in confidence alone.
I just finished my Crowberry that had languished for months in the exact same place. So if I can, you definitely can!
I’ve been anxious to see your progress. I’m about 10 rows from starting the main body ribbing. What I would give to be nearing the end of the second sleeve….. yours is beautiful and I love this pattern….. I’m doing a navy with a variegated lighter blue with teal. It’s going to be amazing and yet I also have been tempted to plan the next sweater…. I’d told myself -ironically – to wait until starting my second sleeve before jumping into my Ravelry list …. It is all about perspective.
While it probably won’t be Sweater Weather, I was hoping to see your completed Waffle Pullover at Shakerag next week.
Hold steady, Kay!! You can do it!
We’re all going to call the yarn police. (Ha ha) I’m confident that you will remember your past experiences – you can do it! Jen (Geigley) finished her Mosi….i just have the button band on my non-Stria (knit without stripes)….I’m sure you can hear us all cheering you on!
So close!!! I’m a strict monogamous knitter, and top down is my go-to. If my eye is wandering at this point, I allow myself to look through patterns for the next project, and even do some swatches to get the juices flowing BUT won’t allow myself to abandon my original project until it’s done. Then I can jump right into my next one guilt-free and maybe even wearing a brand new sweater!
I have learned my lesson! I, too, am a monogamous knitter. I still have ONE incomplete sweater vest with lots of yummy cables from about 12 years ago. I just don’t know why I can’t go back and finish this baby…
I am sending you all the Successful Sleeve Island Departure vibes I can muster! You can do it!!
YOU CAN DOOOO IT!!
Oh Kay!
Don’t deny yourself the thrill of the finished sweater, please. That’s the knitter’s high you can ride for days and allows you to freely jump off of the diving board into the deep end of rav patterns with total freedom. You can do this!
I’m relieved! I thought there was A yarn chicken crisis at hand! No excuses , you are this close to A sweater, get her done!
Not getting much sympathy from me,sister! I had to rip mine back to the mid raglans and there I am foundered.
(but seriously I get it. It needs like a DMV appointment level waiting room knitting situation )
OK, now I feel a wee bit better about the 2 sweaters in this situation! If Kay can get stuck there (and admit it, mind you), I can own my failure to launch these sweaters.
My distraction was due to going on vacation with my husband for 2 weeks and not having the space in my luggage for either of those projects. However, I COULD fit in the needles, instructions, and all 6 skeins of yarn for my Artus shawl (by Natasja Hornby). Go figure!
I have learned, while mosaic knitting away on this glorious shawl (all 400+ stitches across) that having the mid-stream sweaters glaring at me on the same work table does wonders for my ‘sleeve sloth’. Just the thought of round-and-round tubes of stockinette seems very restful! A great impetus to finish the shawl and get back to sweater completion, I think.
You can do it. I am getting farther and will be wearing mine come hell or high water! We need the photo!
Kay, you’re in the home stretch! It’s time to make your favorite beverage and power through, enjoying every final stitch! You have the cheerleaders of MDK Society for encouragement! You can do this! Go Kay!
Oh! You’re so very close. Please remain strong and steadfast . . . because I want to see this one finished . . . to tempt me to cast on for my own.
Everyone in the Slack chonnels is saying, “You can get the sleeve done in the airport.”
Like Nike says: Just. Do. It
We believe in you!
Funny enough, I actually use new project as a way to recharge ahead of the last push for sleeve completion (it doesn’t work for weaving ends, mind you).
So I leave sweater aside, sleeves still due, and cast on a different, small’ish project (sweater for a child, hat, scarf, shawl). Then I make a ridiculous move and stop working on a new project after a day or two, to finish the sleeve. I basically tell myself – here, have a taste of this dopamine cake, but you can only have the rest once you finished your main.
It works every time. I’m so desperate to keep knitting this new shiny thing, that I look forward finishing the damn sleeve.
But those pesky ends… They sometimes wait for their turn for months (or, ahem, years…).
Meh! Weaving in ends is over rated. And not always necessary. So many other more fun things to do!
Really what are loose ends other than funky fringe, any way?
My dear Kay,
Pack it for your trip to Shakerag next week. What better place to finish than sitting with friends under the sun or covered by a shaded canopy?
I feel seen.
Just think about that first crisp day in the Hudson Valley, anxious to don your new sweater! Compare that to the utter self-loathing at pulling it out of the IKEA bag with your beloved Tulip needles still attached. Actually, you don’t strike me as the self-loathing type, but I had to get your attention.
By the way, these pictures over the course of the life of this sweater have caused me to break down and order an amuse bouche of Tulip ends and cords just to see what you’re on about.
Just keep swimming, Kay!
Maybe you could model it at the Friday night fashion show at Shakerag???? A preview of sorts??
Great idea!
I am in the exact same place on a sweater I started in February. Those summer knits are calling so I created a rotation between a few rows of the sleeve and a summer project. It seems to be working but I did double check with the friend I am knitting for that they did indeed still have two arms.
My thoughts are with you!
Still has two arms…cracked me up LOL. Knit on, happily!
You have to finish this sweater so you can be an inspiration to all of us! The colors are great and I cannot wait to see you wearing it.
Understand, yes. A friend calls your situation ‘sleeve island’. Especially on top down yoke sweaters, when I get to the sleeve split, I knit them first. There is less sweater bulk to circulate as you go around the sleeve.
Finish the sweater. If you finish it, you’ll be able to wear it without subjecting yourself to Tulip Interchangeable Acupuncture.
Sometimes, doing the sleeves before completing the body does help with this. There have been some occasions where my sleeves didn’t match in size, especially in width, even though I used the exact same number of stitches as the other. Tension, I suppose. It’s all about the process. It’s more fun time knitting. And when you are finally done, you have that beautiful extra sweater.
Omg, Kay, finish!! Then you can brag about it!
I am with you 100%. I currently have three sweaters without sleeves – Overgrown by Anna Johanna (the body is done and one sleeve was finished, then I cut the sleeve off because I realized I used the wrong size needle for colorwork-in-the-round on sleeves!!), Cadence by Sophie Ochera (one sleeve is completely done, the full colorwork body and the other sleeve are peeking out of my yarn basket right next to the chair where I am currently knitting a summer sweater – I see Cadence everyday and wonder why it’s still sitting there, not knitting itself), Amikomo by Noriko Ichikawa – because who wants to knit a gray wool sweater in the summer?? –and wait, there’s one more — the Lake Stripes Tee by Ozetta (a short sleeve tee in blue and white stripes). And THAT one is sitting, waiting for sleeves, because one day I went on Ravelry and saw another blue and white stripe sweater (the Samso sweater — and it has LONG sleeves?!?!?) that I just had to knit — why? who knows? And I won’t talk about the yarn I’ve purchased since I started these four. I’ve often wondered if I’m the only one with half-finished projects lying in wait. Now I know. In Ann, I may have found my doppleganger!
Sorry, in KAY I may have found my doppleganger!
Wait! Kay is MY doppelganger! Are we all each other’s doppelgangers?
Cut the yarn, block it, and wear it! As it ravels back over time someone will see it and think ‘How cool! How inventive!’ – and next thing you know it will be on every runway, deconstructed ‘it’ stuff.
I’ll continue to be here for you whenever you need something rationalized!
I suspect most of us understand that itch to start thinking about ***the next big thing*** when we are within sight of a WIP becoming a FO. And since, for me, actually casting on a new project is often a long process, I do usually start thinking about it about it while I’m still a couple of knitting-hours out.
The key is being very firm with yourself. (Stop laughing! We can be firm with ourselves!) Knit a row. Or a pattern repeat. Or to the next shaping row. Then you get to look at ONE pattern source. ONLY ONE!!! Maybe your Ravelry library. OR your Ravelry favorites. Or the “What’s New” feature, or that Field Guide with the interesting ideas. But ***only one***. Then back to your knitting while you think about that one pattern that spoke to you this time. Rinse and repeat until you either have an FO or a pretty good idea of what you want to do next. (This is the hardest part for me, because I want to knit ALL THE THINGS next!)
Now you get to alternate between knitting and considering what’s in your stash, or maybe actually stash diving. Do Not Go To Your LYS at this point.
Usually, by the time I have a pattern and yarn picked out, I’ve got my FO. If not, I’ll allow myself an inch of swatch per day until the current WIP is completed. And since swatching, for me, may involve trying out different yarn candidates as well as looking at gauge, drape, and whether I really like that pattern stitch, it can last a loooong time.
Hang in there. You can do it! FO-dom is within your — oh did you see the neat cardigan on that lady? I should ask her what pattern it is…………
I can’t believe I just wasted 3 minutes of my life for you to complain about being ADHD about your projects. Just finish it already. I usually get bored with the rinse and repeat and mess mine up. Just stick with it and finish it.
This is why I knit my sleeves 2 at a time whenever possible. Although that’s difficult when there is more than 1 color as the multiple balls can tangle quickly
I do not knit with a circular needle. How can I accomplish these items
If you knit with double-pointed needles and have a set of them that’s long enough, that would be one way.
I’m guessing there are similar raglan pullover designs that are knit flat and seamed and could be adapted to use this waffle stitch pattern.
Go Kay, go! When you finish that sleeve, you’ll be an inspiration to all of us with cute project bags full of UFOs.
You could take a train ride to the June 14th Knit in Public event at the Valkill cottage on the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. There’s a great post on the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site Facebook page with photos of Eleanor knitting at various times and places. I’ve been hoping to visit this site for years as well as making a trip to Rhinebeck, but this is the year and time.I’m checking train schedules and lodging options now to see if the trip is feasible from my NC home.
You’ve Got This!!
It’s really looking good. Great color choice, love the gray at the neck and wrist! You go girl, know you can do it. Keep your eye on the prize.
It’s really looking good. Great color choice, love the gray at the neck and wrist! You go girl, know you can do it. Keep your eye on the prize. In the fall you will be so pleased with your past self.
I have at least 5 sweaters waiting for finishing the final sleeve! What’s wrong with me? Same thing – I get lured into something else. I wish I were as far along in the waffle pullover. I’m almost at the bottom body rib mark but have been distracted by a needed baby blanket. Sigh. I love this sweater and really do want to finish it.
I’ve been there, done that! But I keep “got to get it done” in my head. I’m almost worse about weaving in ends and blocking. The crazy thing is that I don’t mind weaving in ends. I hate blocking and I don’t know why.
Be strong, Kay, be strong! Perhaps my Waffle Pullover will be my Rhinebeck Sweater as well!
Kay, we rely on your guidance, your ability to hack your way through patterns where we would be hesitant to go, and your intripid forthrightness in warning us of the trouble ahead. We admire your skills and your honesty about the trouble ahead (this sweater) as well as the rewards (thinking Sophie Scarf). Consequently, we want you to know we are with you through this dark night of the soul. You CAN press ahead. You CAN finish this sleeve. You CAN complete the last inch and the ribbing. We admire you and trust you. We are at your back. Forge on!
BTW, I recently pulled out a sweater to wear that I had knit over COVID–a heavy Icelandic that I have not needed, but thought I might. As I pulled it out I was baffled. I saw that there was a sleeve missing. I had visions of moths from the cartoons gnawing their way as if eating corn on the cob through an entire sleeve. OF course, no. As you describe, I had put it away to deal with those supposedly matching decreases another day. (And I then put it back into my freezer (anti moth) so it would be prepared one day for me to add a second sleeve–but not yet.)
When I say we have your back, I mean we have YOUR back, regardless of our own frailties.
Ha, I have too many UFOs to count. This is why I took up test knitting. I am accountable to someone else! I can’t let them down.
I grit my teeth, avert my eyes from distraction, and soldier on to the bitter end.
Unfortunately, now all those other projects in my queue remain in the queue. Sigh.
It’s such a lovely sweater! It is too late on this one to offer my suggestion – I do the sleeves as I would two-at-a-time socks, and first (if bottom up) or after the yoke (if top down) – two circulars, one taking the front sides of the two sleeves and the other taking the two backs. So both sleeves knitted at the same time, no second-sleeve-syndrome.
Takes a bit to make sure set up correctly, but then the sleeves are always even, the decreases always happen in the same place (and if wrong, they’re equally wrong on both sleeves), and better still, they’re both done before I too get the dreaded Project Fatigue…
I love this, I could do top down putting the sleeves on two circular needles instead of using stitch holders and then continue with the body.
I can do the sleeves (and I actually prefer finishing the sleeves before the body) but why, oh why, are buttons so hard for me to sew on? I have one sweater that I finished about 2 years ago, bought the buttons but the two have not met. I need to buy buttons for yet another sweater! Along with the others, we feel for you, Kay! Looking forward to seeing it finished sometime……
You can do it!!
When I am at the “oh so close to finishing and my eye and mind start to wander ” stage, my go-to is tell myself “I’ll just work on it today. ” Then if it’s still not finished, the next day “I’ll just work on it today.” Usually that’s all it takes to actually see the end and get excited about the finish. So you can do it, Kay!
I feel your pain, I have 7 ROWS left on a gorgeous, expensive turtleneck that I have not touched for almost a year.
Oh. The. Guilt.
I have a completed shawl collar cardigan nearly sewn together, it is 23 years since I started it. My new year resolution is to enter it in my local show.
Knit on to the final buzzer Kay. We know you can do it. When your willpower wavers just ask yourself, “Would Sabrina give up?” No, of course not. She would focus on the game, or rather task at hand, firing 3s from and logo and and making sure she got the job done. If that doesn’t work, my advice is a padded room.
p.s. The sweater is gorgeous.
p.p.s. I knit the sleeves before finishing the body too.