Defiant

Have you ever had a knitting project, or any project for that matter, that refuses to be done? You may remember the prayer shawl burning a few years ago.... It was a moment that I wasn't very proud of, yet I have to admit, it felt good to do.

I am nearly at that point with my current project.

Have you seen this book??

It is a marvelous book and I have enjoyed knitting shawls from it in the past. It is well written and the designs are fascinating! I have started the Ireland Folk Shawl and it is lovely.

The problem is: I can't count. I started the shawl a few years ago and quit because, frankly, I am not such a good knitter from charts. I learned to knit from written instructions and I have difficulty making the transition. Well, in a fit of clearing out UFOs this was on the top of the list. I love the shawl. Really. Love. It. So, out it came from time out and we started visiting each other every night.

I have ripped out more than I have knit. The pattern is a series of four rows of pattern in five sections. It isn't that difficult, really. It just seems that I can't keep my yarn over and knit two together straight. Finally, though, today, I have hit my stride. The body of the shawl requires five pattern repeats. Then, there is a knit lace border. I can't wait to start that as it is always my favorite part of any shawl pattern -- to knit on the lace edging!

What do you do when you get stumped by a pattern??

More and More Projects!

I am in love! I read about this book on Deb's blog a few weeks ago and ordered it immediately. It is wonderful! The projects range from a simple cell phone cover to a more complicated sweater. And all these can be completed in a week or less. Now, that is my kind of knitting!

For several years now, I have toyed with knitting all the projects in Knitter's Almanac, but I haven't done that yet. Now, however, it intrigues me to work 52 projects in one year. Yeah, I know, I probably do that many now, but this somehow seems more interesting to me. They are pretty little things -- things that I wouldn't normally make. And, the yarns are sumptious -- and most of the projects won't always require more than a skein. And, I can use what is in the stash for those more ambitious projects.

Right now I am only toying with attempting this challenge. But, I keep going back and looking at the books and dreaming and planning and dreaming and planning and... well, you see how it is.

Have you ever done such a challenge? How do you set your goals?