Eleanor cowl

I have knit Eleanor in about 2.5 weeks.  

I experienced all the phases in short order:  anticipation, cast on joy, the thrill of the first many rows, the settling into routine.  Then, wow, this is more rows than I thought, then the BOREDOM, and the antsyness of WHEN WILL THIS BE DONE, then the lack of focus in the last three rows that led to tinkdom and frustration, and hopefully, now the ending, soon.  

Cast off, blocked, done.

And that was in a small project.  It's harder with bigger shawls, and horrible with sweaters.  It explains a lot of UFOs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

What I can't figure out in the human psyche is why the project joy turns to routine, then boredom, then restlessness. Given what other knitters confess, I think it is universal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Eleanor cowl, Knitty, Deep Fall, 2010

Mods:  None.  Knit as written.  For once, I did not have to go up a needle size.

Yarn:  Cascade Venezia Sport, peacock blue, purchased at Webs, 12/2012

I did not enjoy the pattern.  The lace patterning was choppy, unrhythmic.  There was no flow to the rows or the knitting, for me.  I truly like the FO (warm, cozy, soft, pretty), but would not rush to knit it again.

(iPhone picture.  Chin omitted deliberately.  Color not true, but the Cascade link will give you a better reference.)

Comments

[margene]

Venezia is one of my favorite yarns, but a pattern with no flow or rhythm would make the knitting process frustrating.
Big projects loom as never ending even though I enjoy the process. We think too much of the end rather than the journey.

[Carol]

If you want to knit another cowl, try Brooklyn Tweed's Ptarmigan. I resisted it for a long time (when friends were knitting it up) and then suddenly found myself knitting one after the other. I've knit 5 since early Dec. This is not uncommon with the pattern as shown by the evidence on Ravelry.

[Lynn]

I suppose I ought to get around to knitting mine. In between Meret and the February Blanket (and the spinning and weaving).

[Anne]

I think we are all just fickle.

[Caroline M]

I get bored just as soon as I start thinking about the next new thing. It doesn't matter whether it's spinning, knitting or weaving - as soon as I start thinking about "next" then the shine has gone.

[Carole]

Love it and it's done! yay!

[June]

Hedonic adaptation - but with the good projects, the mid-project slog can also be viewed as a stable, comfortable relationship, always there when you need it, never changing. I've been working on the Artichaut shawl for >1 yr, knitting a few hours a week. I'll be sorry when it's done, even as I am impatient with rows that take 15-20 min each.

[Judy]

That boredom issue has been a problem on the last few projects. It has me searching for a new technique or bent to hold my interest. Double knitting?

[Cheryl S.]

I do have that problem with a lot of projects, though some just fly because I'm so excited to have the finished object.

[Etherknitter]

Or brioche! Knock yourself out.

L

[gayle]

Well, at least it's really pretty. The real kick-in-the-head is when you slog through and complete something that doesn't even live up to expectations...
I've got a whole pile of UFO's that started with a white-hot passion and lost their heat somewhere along the way. Maplewing and Lyra are two that I can see from here as I type. Still want them, just can't make myself finish them. *sigh*

[Melissa G]

That's probably why I prefer to work with colorful yarns. Yes, they do require simpler patterns, but that frees me to just put my hands on autopilot (and multitask); when I do watch my knitting I can be entertained by color play. Also, I like Susanna IC's patterns because she designs with both flow and change.

[guigDeecy]

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