Finishing of a Sweater

A continuation of the post "Making of a Sweater", this tells the rest of the story. The picture on the left is my pattern book, after knitting the sweater for four years, which is now in pages, and the rest of the yarn I had left from the skeins I got. (A tip that I share with my students, but didn't heed myself: copy the pattern for yourself so you can conveniently carry it around, in case you lose it, or if you want to mark it, and to preserve your original. )

I am ecstatic to have finished this and thank you to everyone for following my journey! 

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Finishing of a Sweater

December 2016

I finally did it. Solved world hunger you may ask? Well, no I answer. Created world peace? Repaired the health care system? Make the Cubs win the World Series-well they did that all by themselves…

No, none of these monumental things did I accomplish. Yet, in so many ways, the finishing of my sweater seems somehow to be a feat nearly as insurmountable and yet here we are! I finished my sweater after a long four years.

Now that I have finished it, I am not taking it off. I have worn it for five days straight. I hope my husband doesn’t mind looking at that sweater because he is going to forget what the rest of my clothes look like. That sweater fits so nicely, is such a fun breakout color from my usual shades, and is uber warm. We’ve had a dip into deep winter temperatures and it’s been my lifesaver. I don’t think I’m taking it off til Spring!

I learned several life lessons with this sweater, and now that I’m on the other side, I feel as though sharing these lessons might be helpful. Whenever we come out on the other side, we have tales to tell of the journey.

First off, do not put down something you love for a long period of time. My beloved sweater had many long spells where I did not pick it up for months and even years at a time. It was so bad, that at one point when I had an inkling to work on it, I could not find the pattern book. How motivating is that when you lose the pattern book? I didn’t remember where I left off on my knitting and then I couldn’t even remember where I put the pattern to try to find out where indeed I did leave off! Pitiful I say! But how many times do we discover that it is harder to get restarted on something after a long dry spell? So many things can get into our lives to distract us from things we love. When we do try to go back to them, sometimes it can be exhausting, frustrating, time consuming or confusing to pick up the pieces. Even if you are doing what you love in a much smaller capacity, try to maintain some involvement as time goes on. Getting started from stopped is much harder than picking up speed on car already in motion!

Secondly, I realized that a big project is really just many small parts put together. When we see big tasks, we tend to get hit with the feeling of being overwhelmed by its’ vastness. Sure a project can be big, but looking closely will reveal that everything can be broken down into smaller pieces. The sweater was in fact comprised of four pieces- the body, two sleeves and the finishing job. When we look at a task this way, it doesn’t seem so big. How many things in life are like this? Small mundane things and really huge life issues are both easier to tackle in small pieces. Cleaning the house for company, or taking in a life-threatening illness of a loved one. Take it in small bites, one moment at a time, and you will come to see that those moments flow into hours, then days, then months and you are making it through.

Lastly, the immense feeling of accomplishment is incredible! The gratification in a task conquered is wonderful. The satisfaction of putting on something that I created with my own two hands, and know that it makes me feel proud, is priceless.  I feel like Rocky Balboa when he reaches the top of those stairs and punches his fist into the air in triumph. I feel like with this conquered, I can do anything! It’s such an exhilarating encouragement to find a major obstacle overcome. It’s empowered me to finish other projects that have been on the back burner.

There is a mental block when unfinished business is left. Like a computer processing a background program, I believe we might be spending energy on many things that we should resolve and live our lives lighter. Unfinished projects. Discarded dreams.  Unforgiveness and grudges. Some are easy to tackle and others painful and deep. The Bible talks about how hard it is to go around pulling a speck from a brother’s eye when we have a plank of wood in our own eye. What a metaphor! When those things are cleared from our vision, imagine how much clearer we can see. How much farther we can dream. How much more we can recognize and respond to our own hearts and others around us.  

This sweater has taken me on a journey. Looking back at the first reflections I wrote nearly four years ago, this sweater has been knit on while I was a girlfriend, then fiancé, and now a wife. I have learned a great deal about life in these past few years, both in my understanding of who I am as an individual and how I can grow into these new roles in life. Change always comes, and through it we grow in understanding how to become more like the person God wants us to be. I can point out places I’ve been with this sweater, people I’ve been with, memories I’ve made and mistakes I’ve made. Yet at the end of the day, the overall picture is something warm and practical, something that makes me smile proudly.

Isn’t that what our life should be a picture of? A life well lived is full of reflections and memories. We as humans should doing more than just checking off calendar days from cradle to grave. We have a purpose to live a life reflective of our Creator’s grace and beauty, while using our talents and gifts to bless the world around us. In the end, I hope my life is something that makes Him smile proudly.

So as I fold up my sweater tonight and tuck it away for another day, I’m tucking these treasured wisdoms in my heart. Everything has a story to tell us if we have the ears to hear!

The Makings of a Sweater

I have been knitting a sweater for a very long time. Some of you who know me know of this sweater. And know of it's saga. The pattern is "Ambergris" by Ann Weaver and the pattern is from her book White Whale. The yarn I got at Vogue Knitting October 2012 and it is a hand dyed superwash merino, DK weight. 

I am sharing my reflections on this project both from the beginning to the end, and I do hope you enjoy! Now, travel back in time with me.... 

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The Makings of a Sweater

January 2013

Somewhere this fall I got this crazy notion to start a sweater. I did not need to have one more thing on my plate. I do not need one more distraction calling me away from the laundry needing to be folded, the dishes pilled aside the sink or the stack of paperwork needing attention. I didn’t anticipate the distraction that this sweater would cause, the excuses I would make to myself and others about the time I was spending on knitting a sweater I could have simply marched out to the store and bought. Ahh, I tell myself. It’s not the kill but the hunt. Not the product but the process.  We all really just know it’s about that yarn.

That yarn. Sigh. Like a temptress luring you away from reality it sits on the shelf. You try not to touch it and yet the color excites you and one touch and you melt. Me, being the methodical and practical little gal I am,  reasoned with myself with why I shouldn’t have it. But alas the yarn won over, and with a quick and hasty decision and the help of a little plastic card, that yarn was now mine.

That yarn and a pattern for a sweater. Not just any sweater. No sir. I had ambitions. Cables, lace, charts, markers, counting;  the whole nine yards stared me in the face.  But I had gusto and enthusiasm and plunged in naively and excitedly. The thrill of the newness, the challenge, the unknown invigorated and motivated me. I counted, cast on, placed markers and started in on my adventure.

Thrill of it all made it go quickly. The beginning was simple. Ribbing flew on those needles and I was ecstatic as I watched my sweater grow. I was smart enough to read on though. I knew what I had coming for me. There were rough waters ahead and I was bracing for it. I figured on just figuring it out as I fumbled along. I was determined and resolute that nothing would pull me down in creating this sweater. By now this was not just a “sweater” but something of a Picasso. My little masterpiece.

The easy gave way to more challenges and my suspicions were met. I did face challenges; challenges that were beyond me. I asked around and got advice from seasoned knitters. They even helped me swatch and shared and taught me not only with words but actions. I clung to their advice and my needles, and through the toughest patches overcame the obstacles. Now my sweater was onto a new phase. The newness worn off, the excitement now simmering in quiet resolve, my sweater was in the long-haul stage.

By this point I was beginning to recognize the pattern, the stitches and the rhythm. Knitters know this point. It’s a moment of jubilation when you quietly realize you are sailing along with a smoothness, almost becoming one with your project. The click clack of the needles, the yarn slipping through your fingers, it all feels so comfortable and certain. You see progress and growth and the yarn, the large ball now dwindling, is transforming swiftly and beautifully into that sweater. The dreams in your head are becoming reality as each inch of yarn glides through your hands.

This is just the body of the sweater. You know there will be sleeves, possibly pockets, trim and more. Sometimes these other parts feel like you are relearning the process all over again. There’s new challenges as you decipher through the increases, decreases and other stitches along the way. At times these might even feel like they’re unrelated to the sweater I started with, like taking a path leading off the main road. It seems like a distraction or a different direction. However,  I know that it is all a part of making this sweater come together. The pieces will fit together. The pattern says so. The designer knows so. I have to trust it to be that way.

When I finally complete this masterpiece, I realize there’s so many hours of my life worked into each tiny little stitch. I can look back at this sweater and think about memories tied into each stitch. It’s almost like flipping through the pages of a journal.  Reflections on life, thoughts, hopes and dreams are interwoven through the yarn. The sweater is no longer just an article of clothing but a mirror of life.

All this time during knitting, made me reflect on how marriage is much like the process of knitting a sweater. The fresh allure of a relationship is similar to the call of beautiful skein of yarn. It’s all warm and fuzzy and exciting and we can’t wait to jump in with all enthusiasm.  The beginning is easy- you discover each other and their likes and dislikes, what makes them tick, how you can get along together.  Much like the ribbing on my sweater, those early years are full of easy, simple work in your relationship. The happy glow of excitement casts a rosy essence on the memories we reflect on.

We do know that there are tougher waters ahead. Others have warned us; perhaps we’ve experienced it as children watching our parent’s marriages. That territory can be brought about by any number of circumstances; some that we can control, many that we cannot. When we know that hard times will befall us, we can make a choice early on. We will abandon the project, knowing that the sweater will not meet completion but remain another unfinished project to be stuffed into our closet, or we can resolve that no matter the challenges that face us, we will work through it and stick to the goal of completing this sweater. In knitting, we know that the intricate patterns and complex stitches are achieved only through perseverance, dedication and commitment.  So it is in the process of marriage. We can ask for advice and wisdom from seasoned veterans, but we must decide before the tumultuous times that we’re going to follow through to completion on the process of life and the journey of marriage.

Life deals out diversions and distractions, just like pieces of the sweater that seem to fit awkwardly into the puzzle we’re putting together;  yet all the while, we know that it is all there for a purpose. It’s all a part of the pattern. We have to put our faith and trust in the pattern writer. God’s been writing patterns for how to live life for generations of people to fall back on. It’s all there for the taking. His advice is more than helpful suggestions; it is time-proven wisdom from the person who knows us best- our Creator. He’s designed us a certain way and has given us a pattern book so we know how to take each step wisely.

When we combine all of this together, we cannot help but create a masterpiece.  Though it may be a journey, we know that it is really all about process and not the product. We don’t embark on marriage because of a sparkling ring or an elaborate wedding. We don’t knit sweaters because we don’t have the means to go out and buy one from a store. We embark on both adventures because it is the moments that matter and when it is all done, we’ll have something wonderful to look at, to cherish and to warm our hearts and souls. It’s the way the designer wrote the pattern.