A looooong time WIP, finished at last!

Well, I've been promising some knitting content for ages, so it's about time that I finally follow through!  :-)

According to my project page in Ravelry, I cast on for this back in February of 2008 when I was living in Germany.

 

It's the Auburn Camp Shirt by Chrissy Gardener, originally from Interweave Knits, Spring 2008 (and now available for instant PDF purchase on the Interweave site as a stand-alone pattern).




 

I've used the yarn called for in the pattern -- Naturally Dawn (50% silk, 50% wool fingering weight), in my very favorite shade of dark teal.  


 

Initially, I was excited about this project (in fact, I ordered the yarn even before the magazine was released, and cast on as soon as I had the pattern!), but I was using a vintage pair of steel needles, and they were driving me crazy, making my hands hurt, and the yarn was just too darn slippery on them.  I worked on this project on and off for the next two years (mostly OFF!), and then finally decided to just buckle down on it during our road trip this summer, and pushed my way through it.


 

When it came time to knit the cuffs and coller, I ordered a pair of KnitPicks Harmony (laminated wood) fixed circulars in the size I needed (can you believe that I DID NOT OWN a pair of size 3 circulars? How very strange!), and suddenly the project felt like a total joy!  My friends, I cannot stress this to you enough -- the right needles make all of the difference!  Finding the right needles for you and your project (which for me means either KnitPicks Nickel Plated or KnitPicks Harmony, depending on the project) can make ALL THE DIFFERENCE for comfort of hands, and not driving yourself crazy with yarn that sticks too much (mohair on bamboo, anyone?), or slips around like crazy (silk on steel = stark raving mad knitter).


 

Overall, I love the color and the shaping of the sweater, but since it's so drapey, I'm not sure about the wearability of it (lots of flopping of knitted fabric, and I don't like how it looks buttoned, etc.).  I'll have to work on that aspect of it, but mostly, I'm just SO FREAKING GLAD THAT I'M DONE!

(For my minor mods and other details, click through to my Ravelry project page.)

Well my dears, it's naptime for the little ones right now, and for the next 2 hours before the boys finish up with school, I plan to relax on the couch, watch something mindless, and knit on a crazy fun, instant gratification scarf.  More details soon!