Making Progress

For the last couple of weeks it hasn’t felt as though I’ve made much progress on anything.  Although I’ve been working on several projects, they’ve all been in middle stages with not much to show, and very little feeling of accomplishment.

But now I’m beginning to feel like things are coming along.  Last night I finished knitting my Optic Waves Shawl and this morning have gotten it onto the blocking board.  That’s a huge accomplishment.  Knitting this shawl has felt like diving into a bowl of spaghetti:  the more you eat, the more there seems left to eat.

 

I knitted and tinked some at our Wednesday night knitters’ group.  Tinking is almost always likely as you get engaged with talking to others and looking at what they’re doing.  There was some FABULOUS show and tell last night!  Then I came home and completed the rest. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it the same size as the pattern since I had a different yarn and smaller amount but I was still able to stretch it to 21″ x 70″.  Pretty close to the pattern size of 29″ x 80″.  I’m looking forward to taking it off the board and seeing how it fits.   It felt like it took a really long time to finish this shawl, but I just checked and, including the start over a little narrower, it’s only taken three weeks.  

I’m so glad I frogged the Self-fringing Bias Shawl I originally made with this yarn and made this one instead.  It’s much nicer.

My digital camera won’t allow me to take clear close-ups, but I got quite a lot of quilting done on my March TIF project yesterday.  I was hoping to be able to complete the quilting today.  However, as usual, I’ve decided to add a little more detail quilting than originally planned, so it will take at least tomorrow and possibly more to finish quilting.

Once that’s done, I can turn over the backing edges for binding.  I’m planning to stitch them with an uneven blanket stitch.  Then I’ll  begin the embroidery and beading.  I might actually come close to finishing on time.  A lot depends on whether I have the right beads in my stash.

I also got past the gussets on the second of John’s Undulating Rib socks this morning, so now I’m heading into the home stretch on the foot. 

I’m anxious to get started on my next knitting projects, so I’ll be glad to finish these socks. 

The question is whether to knit or quilt today.  I think I’ll do both.