Boatneck Sweater Nears Completion....Sister Beefs up Competition

For all you doubters, here it is: proof that I haven't bailed on my original plan.  Though, I have altered it a bit....  I have to confess that I've skipped several projects in order to begin this one: The Boatneck Sweater.   I feel I have fair reason for this.

The two projects I've passed over are the sachets and pillowcovers. 

Sachets? These are not something I would use, nor do I know of any expectant mother who would put them to use....so I deemed it unworthy of my time ;) Not to mention, that the skills I would learn/practice, I have already mastered: stockinette stitch & seaming.  And now comes my bow.....

And the Pillowcovers?  Well, these I would actually enjoy keeping or giving as a gift, but I feel I can come back to do them at a later time.  This sweater was all too pressing, as I wanted Lily to be able to wear it before the warm weather sets in!

And.....I have dragged my feet!  As I knit, I discover that I am quite ADD.  I can begin a project, but it is another thing to complete it.  My excitement wanes & drifts....  I have only to finish the left sleeve on this puppy & it will be done.  I could finish it in a few hours max!  But as the weather warms, the sun is shining, birds are chirping... I become more interested in cleaning, decorating, and visiting with friends.   I may have to turn the air on high so that my Lily can actually wear this sweater when it is completed!   And, don't you know: I will!

Lest you worry that I may never complete another project---my sister has gotten the knitting bug recently.  And we are quite different in many ways, but particularly in our zeal for knitting.    What started (and remains, quite honestly...) as a curiosity for me, began as a full-throttle quest for my sister.   Each conversation we have consists of a new stitch she's learned, a new project, a new yarn!  She feverishly knits socks and is now spinning her own yarn and has purchased sheep: what??!!  Yes, you can't make this stuff up, people. And this is what I have learned to admire about her---find her interests, and she dives in completely! {Committedly, too,  I might add.} This is a whole new level of competition for me.  I fear I may be out of my league here.

Nevertheless, I am rolling up my sleeves again as the competition heats up.  I am pretty sure that, living on a college campus, I cannot get a sheep--nor do I really want one....but I can knit and I can learn and I can prevail!

GAME ON, TERI!

Completion

I have a sense of how God must have felt after looking upon all that he created in the beginning of time..... "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31  From start to finish, this quilt took me almost four months to complete, and I cannot describe how satisfied I am with it!  Is it perfect? No.  But it is decent and lovely.   Seaming it together was--dare I say it--a breeze!  And where there are imperfections, I see character :)  

As this project was being knit together, my little girl has been growing.  I feel that each week, she is embarking into a new season of expression and exploration.  Currently, we see a lot of personality coming to the surface.  Take something away from her that she is impressed with, and she will become very feisty; very quickly!  She is beginning to discover her knees and may be crawling soon...   Over the last four months, she has begun uttering "dad and bob..." and loves to smack her lips together.  Clapping is a new skill, too!   All of these things become faded memories, I'm told and I've already experienced.   I'm trying to savor the moments, and wish I would've recorded them on a calendar.    

So, what's next?

Well, in the knitting realms of my life, I have begun the boat-neck sweater for Lily in coral colored yarn--which I need to finish quickly, because Spring is also on its way.  I also recently won a bid on shopgoodwill.com for a bunch of needles and crochet hooks--including a circular needle!  Super exciting---I spent $13 on approximately $50 worth of needles :)  This has gotten me even more motivated to begin other projects. 

And as for mothering, I may soon be following my Lily around the house and.... outside in the yard.  I look forward to warm, sunny days roaming the park and tending to garage sales with the little lady, traveling and visiting family and friends.  I learn more & more how meaningful it is to be engaged in conversation with my daughter; to comfort her and assure her, to speak words of life and truth and love over her.