Two out of Three and a Mountain

And what a great two they are. One to England in quite some style and one I thought might never happen for me. Incredibly enough I have actually finished Moonlight.

Last seen like this:
Now looking like this:
In finishing this cardigan I do feel a bit like I have achieved an historic victory, sure it's just been a bit over two years in the making rather than 75 but more than one year after I finished knitting the pieces of this cardigan, which was more than one year after I started knitting this cardigan, I really feel like I have scaled a mountain!Turns out if you just pick up a needle and some yarn you can turn those odd shaped bits of knitted fabric into something rather nice.

Pattern: Moonlight
Yarn: Rowanspun Aran - Gables
Needles: 5mm wooden straights and 5mm circular needle
Started: March 2007
Finished: 20 July 2009
Notes: Almost perfect - there's just the small matter of having knit the right front wrong. Gawd knows how but I haven't got the stocking stitch panel correct - it's too wide on the right so it doesn't meet nicely with the panel of stocking stitch on the arm.
See what I mean? It's actually been quite reassuring taking these photos as it's not as obvious as I thought it might be. I found the mistake only as I was sewing the final sleeve in place. I just couldn't face the idea of ripping out the collar, unpicking the front and re-knitting it after all this time, so lopsided it shall remain. It made the decision about whether to add the buttons or not an easier one!

A huge mental block has held this up for the past year or so. There's a little bit of knitting for the collar in the midst of the seaming and every time I've got the pieces and pattern out to look at what I needed to do it just sounded too hard to get going with, this combined with the typical doubts about whether it would fit/what it would look like when seamed etc and made the finishing of this seem like a real chore. I'm all for knitting what I want when I want, this is a hobby after all but I'm so pleased that my sporting KALs made finishing this up into the fun it should have been all long.

It was of course quite straightforward when I just got on with it and I am delighted with the fit and feel of this despite the dodgy front panel. I think the adrenalin is still flowing from the ascent to the finish as I feel like I might just re-knit this pattern one day soon in another yarn, if I do I'll try and make sure I a) finish it in less than two years and b) knit both fronts correctly!

Comments

Geek Knitter said…
Oh, well done to you! It suits you right down to the ground.
T. said…
It looks lovely!! I think the colour is perfect on you (and the pics are great too - how many tries this time?)
Marianne said…
Another great colour for you! and yes, of course, I imagine everyone who's knit a sweater or two.. :^).. has a dodgy spot and if you're lucky there's only one.. been there, done that(more times than I care to admit), and will most likely do it again. It's all part of the process, and how we learn,eh?
Good going you! It looks delightfully cozy :^)
raining sheep said…
Awesome. The color is great and man, I love finishing a project as well. No one will notice any mistakes - I know this from personal experience (hahahaha!).
dreamcatcher said…
It looks great, I just love the colour! Must be such a good feeling to finish it. I have the same shade of the Rowanspun, still musing what to make with it - but have queued Moonlight :-)
Caffeine Girl said…
What a terrific color. And as for the "mistake" -- isn't assymetrical in?

I'm relieved to hear that I'm not the only one who decides to live with "mistakes." I admire the perfectionists who will frog anything, but I'm not that patient.
Charity said…
You look wonderful! What a great finished piece, and a good lesson learned along the way, eh? I don't know how many times I am surprised at how smoothly things go when I "Just Do It", but I know I'll be there again... :o)
marycatharine said…
It looks wonderful on you! I wouldn't be able to see the little mistake unless you pointed it out, I doubt it's anymore visible in person. The colour is fantastic on you :)
Lea said…
oh well done - and a great colour too.
Rose Red said…
Good for you!! Love the colour, it's just great. Isn't it funny how we procrastinate over some knits - I've got one too that I really must drag out and finish...next month!

Oh and I'm not clicking on that link either....heh!
florencemary said…
Yay, well done with the cardigan! I can't quite see what you've done wrong, so I guess that means it's not that obvious... another yay!

And weren't England brilliant - for once! I love it when Freddie does that majestic pose when he gets a vital wicket...
Linda said…
It looks lovely, that yarn is a nice colour isn't it. Great fit and I can't notice the front problem. :)
sheep#100 said…
Very cool sweater design.
Way to go!! It looks great :)
Anna said…
It looks terrific on you - great colour and great style. Maybe it's one of those knits where you know exactly what you did wrong but no-one else ever notices. I had to look pretty carefully to see what you meant.
Rachel said…
I don't know this pattern...but I'm about to look it up cuz yours looks great. I'm loving the color choice. Congrats for finishing it. Isn't it funny how something so small and in the end, minor, can be such a huge roadblock. Been there, done that! Kudos to you for pushing past!
Kyoko said…
Well done! Such a wonderful feeling to finish off a project! I have few that has been going on over two years... It's terrible of me.
I love the colour and the design of the cardigan!

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