...seeing things through

I actually finished the Weald poncho (from The Knitter magazine, issue 110) in the last couple of weeks. Right down to the tassels! 

Of course it's far too warm to wear now that Spring is edging into Summer - and I'm not entirely sure how flattering a garment it is for my matronly bosom less-than-sylph-like frame - but it is certainly comfortable and cosy enough for me to think I might actually wear it when the weather gets a little cooler. For now I'm mainly focussing on the sense of achievement that comes with having completed it. Right down to the tassels!

This may not seem like that big a deal, but I am the Queen of the Unfinished Project, which makes it a gargantuan deal for me. Right at the very end, during the easy turtle-neck ribbing stage, when the finish-line was literally inches away, I nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by recklessly detouring into a completely different project - a dear little knitted basket... 

"It's only a brief distraction - it's such a simple little project it probably won't take more than an afternoon - it'll make a nice change from the ribbing". 

Famous last words. Hours of increasing discomfort (chunky wool on smallish needles and a very tight basket weave stitch is not kind to wrists) and more than a bit of frustration (repeated trial and error with cast-off edge to get the correct tension for the basket to hold its shape). At one point I was in real danger of having two projects circling the drain. Only the seductive colour and texture kept me going - those gorgeous Monet waterlily hues in the yarn, and the stitches like little brush strokes...

        

I literally pushed through the pain barrier to finish the basket (very pretty but totally impractical, no idea what I'll do with it) and then powered on for a few hours more to complete the poncho. Right down to the tassels!

So I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. I'm becoming someone who sees things through. Ok, maybe those things are just a tiny frivolous knitted basket and a large comfy poncho that only a slender Pre-Raphaelite-style model can look good in. But I had to start somewhere!

P.S. The tidying and decluttering and cherishing of beautiful things continues. Goodbye old formerly favourite boots that have gone unworn for over a decade. Hello unexpected moments of visual pleasure...

'Best' recycled glasses brought
down from the shelf to be washed,
casting blue reflections in the sunlight.