Avoidance and Resolution

I had a profound revelation yesterday about one of my projects.  I was watching Bobbie of the Inspired Knitting podcast yesterday.  She did a 2 part Frog or Finish podcast and it was really interesting to watch her assessment of the WIPs.  Somewhere in there, she spoke and it made me think about my own avoidance troubles with a project I wasn't quite into. 

I have loved my colourwork Scandinavian Star vest pattern since I started knitting.  I planned for it and started to knit it several years ago.  It was one of the projects I was going to knit and finish this winter.     I have been avoiding both my older colourwork projects.  It isn't that I was avoiding them, I realized.  It was that I was avoiding one of them.  The Star Vest is knitted bottom up and that is what it was all about.  I utterly loathe bottom up sweaters.  Utterly and completely.  

The idea of spending time knitting with no idea if it's going to fit seems ludicrous to me.  It might work ok for many but I have fit issues.  My upper body, shoulder to bustline is an inch shorter than average.  I have a large difference from my upper bust measurement to my full bust measurement.  My hip to waist ratio is way off average and has always been an issue when I sewed plus it is short.  And last, the distance from underarm to hip is several inches shorter than average.  All these are things are hard to adjust and adapt if you are starting from the bottom.  Starting from the top means I can try it on as I go to get the fit I want and need.  (All the same issues arise in sweaters knitted in pieces).  No matter what the pattern says.  

So I thought about the vest

and then I very quickly ripped it out.  

I left the bottom bit for now.  It was such a twisty mess.  There was a huge difference between pulling back the stuff knitted in the new way I learned versus the older way I did it.  It will be there if I need it to finish whatever I make.

That job done and that weight off my mind, I set out to find a new pattern for the yarn.  I really do want to knit the yarn.  It's Cascade 220 and who doesn't love that.  

Opps, there I go.  I have a sweater plan already and it will soon be underway.  I think I need to finish London Fog first.  And there is also the gorgeous Hiraeth to do.  Plus that new Staffin.  Yum.  So much to knit and so many more to cast on.  It's a great kind of life, this knitting life.