No Pressure, Good Pressure

I keep weekends.  I wouldn't have to.  I am retired but now weekends is one of the things that can trip up the unwary.  I try to do something just a bit different on Saturday and Sunday.  It really helps that I follow F1.  That is very much a weekend sport but I do it in small ways too. I always try to work on something just a bit different on Sunday.

I worked on this yesterday. It is going to be a simple ordinary vest.  I am using large needles and knitting a fairly open fabric.  I can knit on this after other knitting is done for the day because of the size of the needles.

I usually feel a strong urge to finish a thing, but this is different.  It is yarn that is leftover from another project.  It is a relatively quick knit because of gauge and no sleeves.  It wasn't a plan.  It just sort of was cast on.  Funny that. It is quite relaxing, a no pressure vest.

What I am putting pressure on myself to finish is this. 

Not bad pressure, just a sort of strong urge to wear this garment. I really want this top. I have wanted it for a long time.  I knew just what sort of sweater it should be and it is interesting that even after so long, the sweater is very close to what I saw when I bought the yarn. Often, the sweater I saw when I bought the yarn is very different than what is actually made from it. A good example is my red Third Coast sweater. That was bought to make a Bountiful Bohus but became a very different sweater that I am wearing right at this moment.  

I want the Hacho sweater badly and that makes for a little bit of healthy creative drive.

I wore my first Lipstick sweater, my Ripstick 

on Saturday so that I could remember to get some measurements from it, most importantly, the measurement from underarm to hem on the front of the sweater.  I am getting close.  The original Lipstick is straight to the pattern, 13.5 inches and on my Hacho Lipstick sweater, I was at just shy of 10 inches.  I should be at 10.5 inches after weekend  knitting.  It is never very much, but it is getting close.

I can see the end and I am so glad. There is a short row back hem that is three inches longer than the front but that is easy and fast.  Each row gets shorter. Then sleeves but I will make them all stockinette again and they are only short sleeves. Not too much work.  

I can see and almost taste the end of this one.  Then as much as I want to finish the grey Mrs. Hunter' sweater, spring is soon on its way and I have a top in the WIPs bin that I want to wear for spring.  Then it will be a few lighter summer tops but they always go quickly.

So many things to look forward to.  I love that about knitting.