Pushing Through

Sorry for the poor color on the photo… I took it in a dark house last night… should have waited for natural light.

You know when you’re working out and you hit the wall and you know that if you can just keep pushing through that you’ll be just fine, you’ll finish the workout?  Well, sometimes knitting it like that too.  I am making 2 little shrugs – girls sizes 2 and 5 – for a wedding that my girls are flowers girls at in early October.  I’ve hit a wall.  A wall of frustration and boredom – normally the kiss of death for any knitting project I take on. 

I started working on the larger shrug (I’ve learned that if I’m to make 2 of anything I should make the larger or more boring of the 2 first) in June.  I got all the pieces knitted and started sewing them together.  But the sleeves didn’t fit quite right.  I figured it was just my poor sewing skills and decided that when I made the second sweater, I would do the sleeves from the top down with a circular needle instead of sewing them in after the fact.  When I started the second sweater I checked gauge (i.e. tension, i.e.stitches per inch) I realized that I was way way off.  Way off.  Wowza, was I off.  So I went down 3 needle sizes, got gauge and called it good.  Now, I’m working on the first sleeve.  I’m sort of winging the decreases and making notes so I can replicate them on the second sleeve.  I’m also trying it on my daughter as I go so I know it’s going to fit (I’ve had to add 4 inches to the sleeve since she’s long and skinny). 

Here’s the problem.  I have 3 weeks until the wedding.  3 weeks to finish one sweater and do the ribbing on the 2nd is not bad.  However, should I go back and reknit the first sweater???  I’m thinking yes.  But what if I run out of time!?  Plus, what I really want to do is knit… something else…

This,

and This,

and This,

oh yes, and This.  (but I’m still searching for the perfect yarn for that)

And that doesn’t even account for Christmas presents that I need to start working on.  Somebody help me!