Yep, I've definitely got it. A strong case of finishitis. Maybe it is because fall is in the air around here, but I am pushing to finish the projects on my needles, and ignoring clamorings to start any new ones. I pulled out Diamond Square today, as I had set it aside a few weeks ago because I was at the armholes and would need to read the rest of the instructions (and was at a meeting where I was supposed to be paying attention to the speakers and not my pattern). Turns out I am really close and the only thing I needed to read over was how to make a left- or right-pointing triangle.
That flag-looking extention up at the left top of the photo is a right-pointing triangle, in case you were wondering, and I have three more of those and two left-facing triangles and four more regular diamonds , two for the front and two for the back, and I will have knitted the whole top. Although, as you can tell, I have been lagging and will have a lot of ends to weave in. The last of the triangles are done on one side only and fold over the tops of the shoulders with a short seam on each side connecting the top portions.
As you can see, this is a knit that uses very little seaming. I must admit that seaming is one of my least favorite parts of knitting... used to be weaving in ends, but I conquered that fear several years back. The owner of the LYS where I work is particularly fond of the way a seam looks when sewn together with mattress stitch, and I will grant that it gives an invisible finish (remember when invisible zippers first appeared on the scene, you old-time seamstresses like me?). I have been trying to get the hang of it these past few months (though not choosing to knit anything that will give me more practice) and also have thumbed through all the books we have at the shop as well as the ones on my bookshelf, and then, while going through some piles of stuff I was planning to dump, re-discovered a book I bought a decade ago, while trying to uplift my feelings about finish work. The "I Hate To Finish Sweaters" Guide to Finishing Sweaters appears to be available used through Amazon, but out of print as a new book. It has great, concise drawings and text for lots of kinds of seams, and I guess I better hang onto it, at least until I master mattress stitching.
Another integral part of finish work took place today as well.
Here is Seraphim, blocked and drying in my upstairs workroom, where it is still plenty warm....
I began to like blocking a whole lot better when I discovered blocking wires. Miriam, Seraphim's wise and clever inventor, just posted about locating welding rods to use for blocking wires, and that is truly the cheapest way to go. However, if you don't have access to a place to buy welding rods, you can order blocking kits from various online suppliers. I got one about a decade ago, then buried it in the closet of my high country house (where lots of knitting had been taking place at the time I last used them)... luckily, I stumbled on them this summer, just it time for the extra help they provide in blocking something this large... I have used one rod on each side of the midline up top, requiring only a few pins to stabilize the rods, and then threaded a rod straight down the middle, helping get that nice, clean line. That left the 31 points to be pinned out, with only a bit of the shawl spilling over my blocking board (another piece of equipment borrowed from the sewing world). I counted the points so that I could begin the process of making the 31 tiny tassels to attach. Hmmm, looks like it will still be awhile before this beauty gets her fashion shoot....
I did manage to get a lot more time to spend on my new favorite, the Lacy Kerchief... she is now somewhat near the midline in her stole shaping and then decreasing starts, working back to a lovely leaf lace point....
As you can tell, I am still very enamored of this pattern and find it easy to follow in most situations, making it a great carry-along project.
Better still, very little finishing will be required... what part of finish work gives you the heebie-geebies?
This may be my only post for the week... tomorrow begins the hectic work week, which is three action-packed days for me, with little computer time, then I am going to be having laser surgery on Thursday and was told to plan to recuperate the next day as well. Good thoughts and prayers for my successful entry into the world without glasses are welcome... I can't remember when I had even 20/40 vision (I know I had to wear corrective lenses back when I first got a driver's license at age 16), so being within the range of 99.8% of the surgeries done will be a success for me.
