Finished Lila Sweater

I mentioned it about a week and a half ago, but I finished knitting my first successful sweater! It's been a bit too warm here in Texas to take outdoor pictures of it, but my sweet friend Molly took some indoors yesterday. Once a completed knitted project is photographed, then it finally feels "done" to me.

For those of you interested in the knitty-gritty details (sorry, couldn't help myself ;) about the yarn and modifications I made, you can take a look at my Lila Ravelry page.

My thoughts on a "big" project like this:

Knitting this as part of a Knit-along (KAL) changed everything. I sought help and encouragement from other knitters who were knitting the same pattern (aside from each of us adding our own personalization to it, of course) at the same time. Having a "goal end date" added accountability and timeliness in my completion. Plus, it was so fun to see all the other knitter's finished sweaters.

For those of you wondering, How long did it take you to knit a sweater? Short answer: quite awhile. Longer answer: it took me around a month to finish, and that includes several days I didn't knit because I was working/sleeping during the day. A better question might be Why knit a sweater?

• Knitting is both a pastime (read: fun) and relaxing for me
• It's entirely customizable. From the yarn to the fit, I made it to fit perfectly
• The finished item is unlike any other sweater, ever
• I enjoy the slow-making process, from planning to knitting to finishing to wearing.

Note: If a big project isn't working and there are no viable modifications to "make it work," in my opinion, it's not worth finishing. A huge, time-consuming project isn't worth the time or resources just for the sake of finishing something. This is the first sweater I've finished, but the third sweater that I've started. I started a sweater in high school that has since been unraveled (thanks, Mom! It helps if someone else does the "dirty work" of ripping out almost an entire sweater). I then knit the beautiful yarn into one of my favorite shawls. The second sweater has been sitting untouched for over a year because it doesn't fit right and the color isn't a good "sweater" color for me. Soon, I'll unravel it and wind it back into balls, ready for a new project. Now I've realized that fit (tailored, but not fitted), color (generally neutrals), and style (simple, classic, not too many busy details) are the determining factors for a successful and gratifying knitted project. In this case, Lila does it all :)