IT'S NOT HARD, IT'S NEW!

I love this expression. So much so that I bought a t-shirt that says so. I bought this from a knitwear designer I started following a few years ago. Here is a link to her. She is one of the most positive people I have encountered, and every Monday she sends a message to my inbox to remind me how I am in control of everything. 

This t-shirt is now a sleeping shirt for my grandson when he comes to sleep over. And I remind him - and his sister - that this saying is a wonderful way to view things. And especially new experiences that seem daunting.

In the recent past, I have repeated this to myself many, many times. Because I was doing a bunch of new things - and they were hard. I kept telling myself they were only hard because I hadn't done them before - and that the next time they will be a lot easier. 

The Voyage Cardigan was an excellent example of how true this "ism" is. Things were only terrifying because I hadn't done them before. And I will be so much wiser the next time around - if there is one.

Here is a picture of the last step in finishing the fronts of the cardigan. I applied ribbon trim to cover the "ends" left behind by the steek. And I think it looks amazing. What a lovely finish, that I would not have discovered if I hadn't decided to try this pattern. 

Things this sweater taught me that I will be better at the next time:

• reinforce the steek with your sewing machine - even when you are afraid your sewing machine will eat your knitted fabric - the crochet alternative is not a good one for me
• be prepared to spend a ton of time finishing a steeked garment - it makes the colourwork go by and match perfectly - but there is more finishing that you can imagine
• be proud of yourself for "going for it" and considering a vest version one day. 

Another project is on the needles - or at least the second sock - from the pattern Larch Peds by Laura Nelkin. Here's a link to the ravelry pattern. It is jam packed with "new" things that did seem extremely hard on the first go - because they were new, I know.

• provisional cast on (which I forget often, since too much time passes before I use it again)
• a lined and folded down cuff, made with using two sets of short rows to create a lined cuff that will never fall down in your walking shoes 
• a method called Lola's Pick-up, this is a technique to replace picking up your stitches on the edges of the heel (Full Confession: I still have yet to try that - getting used to the lined and folded cuff seemed like more than enough for my first pair) Will give that a go on the next pair.
• an alternate way to graft the toe stitches called the Finchley Graft - because the sock needed to be inside out to do it, I stuck with the Kitchener, but will definitely try this on this second sock

I have knit hundreds of pairs of socks in my lifetime (seriously, one Christmas when I was much younger, I knit 26 pairs). Yes way!!!! But I learned more from this pattern and Laura than ever before, including appreciation for her very droll sense of humour. She includes a bunch of videos for each of the new techniques. And as she said, once you have knit a few pairs of these, the pattern will just live in your head. Turns out that Larch Peds is not the only one of her patterns that I love. 

Now in the home stretch of the second sock of the first pair, and yes, that green is from the Voyage Cardigan. 

I have visions of many more to use on my daily walks. Because they won't be hard, because they won't be new. lol