Guys, I’m ready to be done with Starting Point (warning: spoiler photos beyond the jump)
This weekend, I worked on it with a focus approaching on frenzy. As soon as I woke up Saturday, I was at it as I drank my first cup of coffee. Ten minute ride to the grocery store? Starting Point was coming with me. Evening walk in the park? Let’s try knitting while walking!
Yesterday, I also spent the best part of the day knitting on it while binge watching Springwatch, a delightful and oddly addictive program in which British presenters talk about what spring-like behavior creatures all around a park in Glouchestershire are getting up to (I stumbled across it in a blog post by Pastry and Purls, and I’d be embarrassed to tell you how much Springwatching I’ve since done.)
And it’s not so much because I want to see what the finished shawl looks like (I do … though this has been slightly dampened by spying spoilers on Instagram, despite my best efforts to avoid them) or that I can’t wait to wrap up in it’s generous proportions … I just really, really want the darn thing finished.
It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed knitting it. I have. The constant changes of color and texture keep the knitting interesting, and it’s easy enough — as my Springwatch marathon suggests — to work on while watching TV.
But I’m ready to get my knitting time back. We’re on Week 5 of Starting Point, and I really haven’t been knitting anything else. And if you’ve been reading along here anytime at all, you’ll know that I’m really not a monogamous knitter.
The upside of my obsessive attempts to get the thing off the needles is I have made a lot of progress. Clue 4 is almost done on the second piece, then it’s time to join up.
The downside of my frenzy is: I’m much more likely to make silly mistakes in my desperation to just. get. done. Like when I decided, in this simple lace section, to just read the completely wrong rows on the last bit of the lace:
It’s the second time I’ve had to rip back the simple lace. And it’s all my own fault!
But nevertheless, I’m approaching the finishing point — a few more days will do it. Then I’ll just have the ends to contend with (let’s not talk about that). Until then, Starting Point will be by my side (meaning I keep matching it with things around the house):
Starting Point with fern and apricots:
Starting Point with rosé (I mean, how could I not – the pink is a perfect match!):
And Starting Point with some lovely flowers, sent by a dear friend:
I’m taking still lifes of this thing. I clearly need to finish.
So back to it I go. And back to Springwatch (I’m telling you, it’s addictive.)
Are you a monogamous or rotation knitter? How long can you work on a project before you want a change?
fiber and sustenance 
I love seeing your progress! I haven’t been following along with others’ posts, so it’s all a surprise to me. Looks like it’s going to be amazing!
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Thanks, Melinda! I’ve been working on it so much that at the moment, I’m a little sick of it (if you couldn’t tell, ha!) but I agree, once it’s done, I think it’s going to be great … and it’ll be so cozy to wrap up in !!
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I love Springwatch! They also have live cameras where you can watch the wildlife without commentary (though not sure if that is available outside the UK). Look out for Autumnwatch and Winterwatch too! (Though they are usually only a week long).
Anyway, back to knitting: I tend to have a few things on the needles, but be focussing on one project more than others- at the moment I am mostly working on Oa, though I do have Birlinn blanket squares to work on once Oa gets too big to carry around…
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So glad there’s more watching to look forward to … and by the time Autumn and Winterwatch roll around, I’ll be in the UK, so able to enjoy them in real time! Woo!
I’m just the same — I tend to have a couple of projects of varying size and complexity on the needles, and I switch. I love the Oa sweater and Birlinn blanket .. they are both on my to make list!
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A couple of years ago I decided to finish all of my WIPs…for about five minutes I had nothing on the needles! I would like to be a monogamous knitted and focus on one thing, but I find it more practical to have a portable project at all times!
I blame A Year Of Techniques for my current glut of projects :D…although my oldest WIP is Uncia..I tried to work on it the other day but I couldn’t really work out where I’d got to and/or I had messed it up at some point…need to tink back a bit I think!
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A moment with no WIPs … now that’s something I haven’t experienced in a very, very long time. I’d like to get all my unfinished objects finished at some point.
And I hear you on AYOT … I have started each month’s project, but only finished the armwarmers! I’m hopeful the hat will be fast once I get this shawl done, then I’ll start working on my backlog ….
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So so pretty! Can’t wait to see the finished version.
And I’m with you on Springwatch – lovely gentle addictive viewing.
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That’s the perfect way to describe it! And thank you!! I’m really, really hoping I’ll have it completely done and blocked by this time next week !
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I like your description of being a monogamous or a rotation person. I think I can apply that to life as well. I can never read just one book, I usually I have 3 going at once. I can never work on just one craft, I get the first coat on the things I am painting, then cut out some more blocks on the next quilt, then bounce back to whatever I am knitting. Help I need a recovery program for this. Love this shawl you are making. Thanks.
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I don’t know where I first heard of rotation v. monogamous knitting, but aren’t they great concepts. I think it’s wonderful to switch between crafts — I imagine the variety keeps all the projects fresh. Sadly, I have no other craft skills besides knitting! But you’re right, the rotation idea works for so many things. It’s definitely how I’m most productive in work life — if I can switch between multiple projects throughout the day! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting 😀
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I’m not monogamous at all about my knitting. Sometimes I like to work on something small and mindless in the middle of a more complex pattern. I got back and forth all the time. Keeps me on my toes.
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That’s what I typically like to do as well — I think three active projects is the sweet spot for me — one for on the go, one for mindless knitting, and then something complex … so these past five weeks have been very odd!
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I love all the colors in this as well as all of your still lifes of it! I like to bounce about between projects. I should be finishing the baby rainbow blanket that I’m working on (almost finished…only one more set of rainbow!); however I’ve become obsessed with my sock yarn blanket. I also have several UFOs that need to become WIP’s again. I’ll get there!
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Thanks, Paula! The color palette has definitely been a bit of a change of pace for me! I am so excited to see the progress on your sock yarn blanket!! And I know what you mean about WIPs slipping into UFO status!
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That is a lovely shawl, but like you I don’t particularly enjoy just working on one project. Mine are often different crafts, though; I might be sewing one thing and knitting another. I’ve not done very well this year, though. I started knitting a cardigan back in February and still haven’t finished it, mainly because it’s quite plain & I didn’t realize how much knitting stockinette bores me!
I’m glad you’re enjoying Springwatch. 🙂 It still amazes me that a show like this is shown at primetime – 8 p.m. I just can’t imagine it happening on any channel besides PBS in the U.S.
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I really wish I knew how to sew … though I’m not sure if it would be a good thing for me to start acquiring fabric with all the yarn I already have, ha!
It’s funny that you say that about Springwatch … when I read your post, I asked my partner (who’s originally from the UK) what it was and he described it as “a show that could only be on on the BBC” I’ve been enjoying it immensely .. I can definitely see why you included it in a happy things post 😀
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Does it feel the shawl knitting goes by faster b/c it’s in parts?
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That’s an interesting question, Stefanie. I think, on the one hand, it’s hard to feel like there’s anything fast about a giant wrap made out of fingering weight yarn. But the clues — and the desire to not get further behind — has kept me from wandering away from the project. The fact that it’s worked in two pieces, a bit at a time (though you didn’t have to do it that way) also helped. It really wasn’t til clue 4 that the pieces started to get really big, so it stayed a portable project and there was none of the mental block of dragging out a giant thing to work on, if you know what I mean. So when I take a step back, I’d say it probably did feel faster to knit than a shawl of a similar size, knit from one end to another.
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I used to be a monogamous knitter, but then I discovered the joy of Starting A New Project. Now I have to be a rotation knitter, although mostly that means one giant and/or complicated project at home and one portable and/or mindless smaller project to carry along.
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That’s my MO usually as well … but sometimes I get too excited and start too many things, haha! There is real joy in Starting a New Project, isnt’ there?!
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