I think with work stress that I get into this brain space where I think I am thinking coherently and apparently I'm not. The next month at work is going to be incredibly stressful. There is still so much to do and I feel like I should be putting in extra hours but I can't with all I have yet to do for homework. This coming weekend is Nihon class so I want to be prepared. I feel pulled in two opposite directions. The rub is that I invested a lot in this class and I want to be prepared for every class so I can get the most out of it I possibly can. On top of the stress to get homeowork done, we are at a critical point in implementing this budget system. After class this coming weekend I can put in many, many more hours at work. I want to to ensure my portion of the project is ready. It just feels like I'm in a vice right now. I'm a bit on overwhelm.
My husband wonders why I get so stressed about my homework. I know from experience that once you get behind, it really is hard to catch up.
So...as my Saturday post detailed I had to frog front and back of the vest to the armhole shaping. I spent Friday and all day Saturday(from 5:30 am to 11pm) with a couple breaks here and there to finish making up for my terrible mistake.
Today I'm putting all the pieces together and I put the shoulder seams together, seam up the sides and put it on. You know what? I neglected to allow for armhole ribbing.
Translation: I didn't really make that much of a mistake before. Yes. All that re-work and apparently I was closer to where I should be with the prior pieces than where I am currently. No. I won't frog BUT...I did the short rows again, I picked up the neck again, I sewed shoulder seams again. So I got to practice the techniques again. Not all was lost but it sure is a disappointment.
So the end of the front and back pieces(unfinished) are exactly at the shoulder point. Yes Naomi. For the crewneck which will HAVE sleeves, this is the right place for the body to end. For the vest, vest AND ribbing should FINISH at the shoulder point. ARGH.
Lesson to be learned. Slow down. All the garment have to be done by the end of the course. If I am a bit behind, it is ok. If I absolutely have to I can re-knit the vest in something else before the end of term. I will talk to Jean about all this when I see her Saturday.
I will finish the vest as-is and see what she says. I'm not liking this yarn so I probably won't wear it much but I must say this....the rest of the vest fits perfectly! See, all the calculating, figuring, etc. is worth it! I'm gaining confidence(slowly). The more I do, and the more I screw up and learn from it, the more confident I feel.
I thought I would have the vest completely done early today. I'm not. I still need to do the armhole ribbing. I also thought I would have the crewneck pieces sewn. No. I still have to finish the short rows on the crewneck back, block the pieces and sew them together.
I have finished the back/front up to the armhole and one sleeve for project 4, the v-neck(see photo below). I will attempt to finish the other sleeve this week during my lunch hour. Now this yarn is lovely to work with. Berocco Ultra Alpaca.
Thanks for all the support guys!
3 comments:
It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I admire how you are battling through. Take care of yourself.
You know, Naomi, I have never seen you fail. Your efforts are seldom wasted, and, in fact, are inspirational. I have learned from you sharing your experiences, and I even thought of your tenacity when re-knitting my top-down sweater sample for the 4th time after making the same mistake in the same place each time. It's correct now, and I won't be sorry when I finally get one knit in my own size!
The Nihonists (my word for you clever and fearless people taking this course under fairly difficult circumstances) seem to get a bit tense before each class. Forgive me if I'm too unconnected to understand the situation, but aren't these garments learning exercises? Is learning only measured by having absolutely perfect garments? Or can something be imperfect, but the creator still grasp the concepts and know how to do even better the next time? As an exercise to learn, it seems like this vest is a complete success!
I think it's fair to ask whether it's reasonable to complete each garment perfectly, when there are such long stretches between classes with limited teacher consultation. Seriously, your class and Ms. Wong might revisit the expectations of the course in light of the issues that have come up. (Just askin'.)
Your goal is to learn. And from the sidelines, I think you are wildly successful. Brava!
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