Stitch after stitch.
What's enough knitting progress?
INSIDE: yarn tastings, progress of projects, shawl updates + how we treat our minds when we don’t meet our expectations…
I’ve been yarn tasting again this week and knitted up a swatch in Knit Picks Simply Wool Worsted in the ‘Wilbur’ colorway.
It’s 100% Eco-Wool and has the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label. It’s made in Peru. The color reminds me of river stones or beach rocks.
The strands are smooth and the white flecks among the gray-brown adds appeal. It’s a natural color, not dyed.
I think the natural colors of sheep are gorgeous.
Here’s what Knit Picks says about this yarn:
“You'd have to shear your own sheep to get any more natural, this 100% Eco-wool yarn is good for you and Mother Earth. The product of centuries of shepherding tradition, the balanced twist and dense, plump hand give this yarn fabulous definition for textured or cabled sweaters and accessories. No dyes or bleach are used to process the yarn; the eight natural shades are created by meticulously sorting the fiber as it comes off the sheep.”
Suggested needle size to get 4.5 stitches to an inch was US 6-9. I’ve realized my tension is tight so I started with a US 9 for the swatch.
It’s knitted up beautifully and I can imagine a super warm cabled sweater in it.
Claire Slade’s Plaiter Sweater knitted with the Simply Wool looks incredible! Or the Clarsach Pullover by Heather Pfeifer.
I’ll knit a ribbed hat as I only have one skein which is 218 yards.
The Stone Croft shawl is coming along, I’m up to the last lace mesh border. It’s the small version, so it’ll go around my neck like a bandana.
I’m pretty sure after blocking it’ll be larger but not so large it can be wrapped around my back and shoulders. 😊
The Venezia Shawl isn’t as far along as I’d hoped.
Which leads me to the stories we tell ourselves. How much progress is ‘enough,’ and what do we measure that by?
When I say ‘not as far as I’d hoped,’ my past self expected I’d achieve more.
I hadn’t placed given myself any specifics (i.e by next Friday I’ll have 30 more rows done or I’d be up to a certain part of the pattern.)
I just expected more progress!
The whole point of my current projects is having no set deadlines. I just pick up the needles on whatever one I feel most like doing.
But… then I berate myself for not doing more on the one I’ve neglected.
This doesn’t serve me!!
Do you track your progress or set goals for your projects?
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
And another question for you: What natural color is your favorite?
Please reply or leave a comment.
Mystery Quote Of The Week
“Knitting not only relaxes me, it also brings a feeling of being at home.”
Who said this? Comment or press reply! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s quote and author was…
"Knitting is repetitive, rewarding, and calms me down like a warm bath."
— Vera Brosgol
Comment below if you got it right.
Crafting Trivia Question Of The Week
“What does the term ‘vanilla’ refer to if used to describe a knitting or crochet pattern?”
What’s the answer? Leave a comment or press reply! 😊
(You’ll find out if you were correct next week.)
Last week’s question and answer was…
What section of a crochet hook determines its metric size?
The shaft.
Did you get it right? Leave a comment if you did!
Have you experienced any crafting joy this week? What are you working on?
Leave a comment or press reply.
P.S. You’ll be fascinated by the things shared in this week’s Sunday Scroll…
(Disclosure: Any purchases made through links may earn me a commission.)
Before you go…
I'd say "vanilla" means something uninteresting, kind of "blah"... But no idea if this is it!
As for natural colour wool, I love that kind of light greyish brown that is hard to define. Rosa Pomar has some really beautiful from Portuguese sheep. These colours just feel comfy and warm.
Crafting joys: just started my workshop on Museu do Oriente (1st session last Saturday), and it feels like an accomplishment! Kind of surreal. And am working on a messenger bag in overlay mosaic crochet. A lot of work but it's the kind of challenge I love. 😁
I like the look of that eco-wool you’ve got there! The stitch definition is quite nice, I look forward to seeing what you make with it (especially if it’ll be a cabled sweater 😊).
Similar to you, I can beat myself up sometimes if I haven’t made “enough” progress though I’m getting much better at it. I’m in the middle of a project now that seems like it “should” be farther along but there’s no rush or need to push my hands to an extreme.