I *finally* finished it!!

Background: I learned to knit when I was on a semester abroad during college – that was 1987. While in Wales, I purchased some GORGEOUS charcoal grey alpaca yarn and started making a classically styled cardigan. At some point, about 3/4 of the way thru making the pieces of the cardigan, I decided I didn’t like the pattern and would never wear it. That was 1988.Fast forward: Christmas break 2005 I decided to “take up knitting” again. I’d made random attempts in the intervening years, but now was time to get back at it. A few projects along, we began packing up to move to Cairo. I “found” the grey alpaca cardigan pieces again.

It is SUCH nice yarn. I’ve carried it around with me for nearly 20 years, I’ve gotta do something with it. I frog out most of the pieces (for those of you who don’t knit or crochet, frogging is unraveling the knitted pieces into yarn again – it is VERY wavy from being knit. Much like hair after being braided).

All “the experts” say that once you’ve frogged out the yarn, you have to soak it and hang it to make it flat again. What a PITA!!!! I’m far to lazy to be bothered with that, so I picked a basketweave pattern V-neck that may work with wavy yarn.

I started knitting it before we left the States last August (2006).

I JUST finished it (with a few intervening projects) with only a few modifications from the original pattern.

• I find full length sleeves annoying, so I shortened the sleeves to be 3/4.
• The neckline is supposed to have a “picked-up-and-knitted-on-after-the-fact” ribbed edging, which I could not, for the life of me, get to work. I recently retaught myself to crochet, so I put a simple shell edging on the neckline instead of ribbing.

The worst part of knitting a sweater, for me, is the finishing. Blocking, sewing the pieces together, weaving in the ends, etc. Today, I finished the last seams, crocheted on the neck edging and the sweater is FINISHED.

20 year old yarn, finally in a form that I will wear and enjoy it!!!

The completed sweater:

Neckline crochet detail:

I’m so proud!