Brady Scarf from Ruhama's - Day 4

Finished and unfinished

This week was all about things finished and things unfinished for me.  Professionally, I turned in a manuscript--an unheard of two days early!  That tug you feel when you’re finishing the first sock or mitten? The siren song of a new and more exciting project?  How suddenly ANYTHING looks more interesting than finishing what you’ve got on your needles?  Multiply that by about ten and you’ll feel what every writer feels at the 3/4 mark of their manuscript.  Your head is suddenly filled with new stories, deeper characters, more promising plots...everything but the resolve you need to finish your current manuscript.  Both are lessons in discipline.

I’m over the halfway mark of my Brady scarf, and I won’t lie to you...despite its wonderful design and enthralling colorway, my eye is wandering.  I keep fingering the yarn of my next project, lured in by the silky brown fibers.  I’m grateful to you, DestiKNITters, because you keep me accountable.  I do really like this scarf, but were it not for you (and my admittedly self-imposed deadline of no more than six episodes per project), I might stumble and lay this down.  But I won’t, I promise to soldier on, row after colorful row. I finished my book, and I’ll finish my scarf.

As a lesson to myself, I took today to sort through what I call my “knitting tower,” the place where I keep all my current projects.  And some...ahem...not so current ones.  I said goodbye to socks that I knew, deep down in my heart, would never welcome their mates into the world.  With a sad but resolute sigh, I unwound the second set of toes and pulled out the needles.  Same with two scarves half done, for I’ve admitted they’ll never see bind offs.  Two other unfinished projects, however, I kept.  I dubbed them worthy of finding the time to finish.  Balls of yarn--both those pristine and those unwound off forgotten projects--were returned to my stash while other fragments went into the trash.  Into the drawers went a succession of planned new projects, which felt tremendously satisfying.

It wasn’t easy, but it felt wonderful.  A reboot, as it were, of my creative fiber self while I reboot my creative writing self into another book.  For on both fronts--like my projects--I am finished and unfinished.

Knit Along: Noro Legwarmers from Yarn Company - Day 6

Startitis and finishitis...

I’ve never been much for willpower.  It is a standing joke in our house that if there is a sweet I like nearby, I’ll eat it.  Period.  It won’t matter that I’ve promised not to, or that it’s supposed to be for someone else, or that I’m already up a few pounds.  

So it’s a problem that willpower--or determination or discipline or any of those nasty words I rarely subscribe to--is what’s required to finish this leg-warmer.

Writers will tell you that in the final chapters of the book in progress, suddenly all sorts of new projects will take on a fantastic lure.  All at once you can think of twelve new stories itching to be told, projects clamoring to draw your attention from the tough job of finishing the current work.  This is no different.  I have "startitis"--or is it "finishitis"?  My eye has been drawn to loads of next projects and I can’t think of anything interesting to say about the final ten inches if tiny size 5 stockinette stitch other than “oh, goody, an increase row!”  

And that is not interesting.  I’m not even sure its dignified.   These pieces are beautiful, and deserve better than such prattle.

So where does that leave you, intrepid DestiKNITter?  Well, I’d consider it a true failing to bore you, so here’s where we’ll leave off.  I have kept you alongside for the biggest challenge of this project--getting solidly into the second piece.  I promise I’ll finish these lovely pieces from The Yarn Company, even if they do end up as something other than leg-warmers (sleeves on a shrug perhaps?), but I won’t make you watch when I have other lovely projects from my New York visit we can explore together.

Anymore than I’d make you witness my scarfing down the last chocolate Donette in the bag even though they were supposed to be a treat for my son.

Some ugly shortcomings are best kept private.