Brace Yourselves.
The Ten-Year Sweater is DONE.
DONE … DONE … DONE!!! YIPEE!!!
You may have guessed, it’s not really called the Ten-Year Sweater. It’s the Celtic Cardigan by Oat Couture. I don’t have a clue why it took me so long to get it finished. I started and stopped knitting it at least 3 times over the last 10 years or so. Pitiful.
It’s so nice not to have this UFO hanging over my head anymore. The yarn is Cascade 220 and for some reason it looks really purple in these pictures. When I bought the yarn, I thought I was buying navy blue. It’s definitely redder than navy blue, but it’s not as purple as these pictures make it look.
When I was almost to the point of binding off the back, near the neck, I found a humility stitch (you know, like the humility blocks on Amish quilts). It’s a purl stitch right in the middle of a column of knit stitches. And it’s smack dab in the middle of my back. Grrrr. If only I’d discovered it before I started that complicated yoke, rather than when I was almost finished with it.
Normally, I would have just dropped stitches all the way down the column and fixed the stitch, but the yoke is all woven and there was no way I could even figure out which column needed to be dropped. And there was REALLY no way I was going to rip that whole yoke out. Luckily, with a dark yarn, the mistake is well hidden. Here, I’ll point it out for you.
It’s pretty obvious there, but not so much in the middle of my back. If I run into you with my sweater on, just pretend that you don’t see it. ‘Cause we’re friends, right?
Oh, and hey, did you notice my cute little sheepie button on the front? I had to throw that in with the other buttons.
Anyway, I’m feeling reeeeallly lucky. My Lopapeysa sweater was a good fit, and now, this cardigan is just right too. It’s loose and roomy, just like I like my cardigans. I wore it all day today and it’s really comfortable. I should probably start another sweater while I’m on a fitting streak. But first, there’s that little holiday looming.
Are you making any fun gifts???
XOXO,
Anna
Wow, looks great, very impressive. I have a 30 year sweater, started during the 1984 Olympics, and never finished. It may be around here somewhere…but no, must focus on my quilt projects.
That is the cutest sweater ever. If anyone notices the dropped stitch, they are too darned picky to worry about.
YAY! So great to finish those long ago started projects. It is just beautiful. Wear it and enjoy it, No one is going to notice that tiny little error (trust me)!
If you can finish a 10 year project, then maybe there’s hope for me too, The only thing is that mine are more like 20 year projects!!! Love the sweater and I can assure you that you are the only one that can see that little humility stitch, no one else will. And what cute buttons. Congratulations!
Well done! It’s really beautiful. I love the color and the sheepie button.
Your knitting looks beautiful! I recently brought an almost finished sweater, wool and needles to the shrifting store. I hope someone else will enjoy to finish it. It wasn’t my size anymore anyway, so..
Nobody will notice the humility stitch!
it’s gorgeous Anna. I’ve never heard of humility blocks before, just had to look them up.
It’s amazing – and you always need one small “love flaw” to prove that it is hand knitted and not made by some machine….I love the sleepy button. It’s very cool.
I think I am incubating some 10 year socks….
It’s absolutely gorgeous, Anna. The sheepie button is fab as is the other celtic knot one.
I bet nobody would notice your humility stitch if you hadn’t pointed it out. But, if they did – and, worse, said something about it – they’ve got far too much time on their hands! ;o)
It was a strategic plan to take 10 years, right? – to let it go a fashion cycle before you finished it, just to make sure it was really you? Genius. I’m pretty impressed btw – I can crochet a granny square, but I really don’t think learning to knit is in my future. It looks very tricky.
Well worth the ten year wait. It’s gorgeous and no-one will spot your deliberate mistake!
Wow! I am impressed. You are a Rock Star Anna. Have a said Marry Me? LOL I have Lots of UFO’s you could finish. KissKiss
You really excell at presentation on your blog Anna! You ou to head over to Carson’s and see if they need a visual display specialist…have you been to Carson’s yet? I haven’t. Congrats on finishing this beauty, and hooray it fits well ten years later!
I like it!
Hooray for you! It’s all too easy to give up on these long term, kicked to the curb projects. Yours turned out great!
I love the luscious color!
The mistake? only serves to make it “hand made”. It is so hard to see.
enjoy wearing your new sweater! Pin a note to it saying “I made this”…. ;)
you absolutely ROCK!!!
Your workmanship is beautiful!!! I hate making mistakes too…..but you just have to let it go. Happy Thanksgiving to you.
well considering you started it 10 years ago you are lucky it fits you!! unless you were lucky to stay the same size all these years. I wish I could learn to knit – I have tried but I don’t have enough interest in it I guess, I can’t stick with it. It sure is pretty – aren’t you lucky you had all the yarn you needed!!
Wow, that is just beautiful! Love the color (I’m picturing it more blue!) and the pattern is gorgeous. Congratulations!
All I can say is WOW! I can quilt, but knitting is way beyond me!
It looks fabulous! I have to admit that if I had started a sweater ten years ago, it would be a bit tight now!!
Yay!! Well done you Anna! And it looks fabulous (I’ll ignore that HUGE mistake you made that’s right……um…….oh, I can’t see it!!! )
Just gorgeous!! Imperfection is Always the best way to go! Love it!
Congratulations on your finish!! The best finishes are the ones that have taken a long time to achieve.
Looove your buttons.
… no one is going to notice your humility stitch….
Beautiful, Anna—my resolution for this year was to make one Christmas present every month through the year so that I would have nothing left to do or stress over now. Yeah—that lasted through about April. I did make my mom some mittens and dishcloths, and I want to knit a hat for her and sew a wet bag. I have seen tutorials for them on some of the cloth diaper websites. My mom is 82 and goes to water aerobics at the “Y” several days a week, and I think it should work for her bathing suit.
What a magnificent sweater! Well worth the ten years. Absolutely stunning! And by the way, thanks for pointing out your humility stitch because even with the arrow, it was pretty hard to see. I’ll bet it looks great with jeans, or a long skirt. Or anything at all!
Congratulations! I sometimes have thrown away perfectly good projects to rid myself of the guilt over not having finished them. I happen to have some beautiful yarn that I bought to knit a pattern I bought from Oat Couture for my daughter, Paige…..um, twenty years ago. Since she’s now twenty-two, I’m thinking I had better find another project to knit with it!
It’s just beautiful, Anna! I love the steampunk quilt too. I’ve been off the grid for a couple weeks. I’ll write soon to explain. Xoxo
Oh, Anna, that sweater is beautiful! Could you please send me that knit knowedge? I know, I should just study and learn, but surely there’s an easier way. Vulcan mind meld maybe?
Yay. I feel like a proud Mama.
Love your Blue sweater. It looks complicated and it’s definitely beautiful. I have teaching in CA but at the same time I have been knitting Socks, socks, and more socks. I am soooooo not ready for the looming holiday.
It’s beautiful! Okay, that sheepie button helps make up for the lost sheepie sock. ;p
Love the sweater, color is yummy! Good for you for not giving up on it, as I probably would have done! The mistake isn’t even noticable…only to YOU! Love the buttons, too. Great job! I think autumn is your season…finishing a quilt and a sweater in a short time!!!
Congratulations!! It looks great!!!! :)
Yay! You did it! It is beautiful! I am so envious of your crafting abilities! :) No… I have no crafts I’m working on right now… maybe soon?
It’s a beautiful sweater and you must feel great that you finished it! YAY!
what is this? you have a new sport? “make everyone else look bad by finishing all of the projects i start”. you never cease to amaze me. sorry your sweater is purple and you are color blind. love your sheepy button. i’m going to knit a sweater when i grow up. i’m also going to make some quilts. and my friend from indiana is going to fly out to my house so we can make soldered gift tags together for christmas. you’d better get your ticket soon, the prices aren’t getting any lower! oh, and fly into oakland, because if you fly into SF, i’ll make you take public transportation to a more reasonable location.
see you next month!!!!
:waves madly
Congratulations!!! What an acomplishement! I love it.
And I can’t get over the fact that you actually fit, no wait, not only fit, but “loose and roomy”, the sweater you began knitting ten years ago! That is truly something to aspire! Hugs!
Very lovely, though I am a bit disappointed with you about that stitch. Sigh. Your quilt is also magnificent – possibly even slightly better than my mildly wonky squares.
I am not going to knit a sweater. Don’t want to make you look bad.
So proud, finished your sweater, finished your steam punk quilt and even though you don’t like your socks, they’re done too! I think your one funky stitch just proves you’re human. You don’t want to be perfect, do you? Things here have been quiet (meaning I haven’t finished a ding dang thang). All 3 sisters have been here, one at a time, since spring break. And I’m going back to Seattle around Christmas! Oh yeah, I’ve got a secret, don’t tell anyone…I got permanent eyeliner and eyebrows done! Squeeeee! My best friend has had them done for 20 years and I’ve wanted them that long. Finally I did it, you know- no one else to make me feel guilty about spending the money. They will be healed in a few weeks and no more eye make-up to put on. Yippee! Unless I want some mascara. As dull as my life is, it doesn’t make much difference. But I’m beautiful when I wake up in the morning. I sure do miss you. Hope you have great Holidays, love, Robin
Anna it looks so professional. Congratulations on finishing another sweater, and no-one will notice that stitch, lol!
It is splendid! Love the variegated yarn. If I had to knit the sweater, it would have to be named the Eternity Sweater. Enjoy your new beauty.
Yay for you!!!! I know that has to feel so good, and it’s beautiful I love the color. I have one going that is getting up there in years now and I need to do something about it. You may have put the fire under me to get it done.
You’re on fire Anna…. omg this sweater is so advanced! BEAUTIFUL!!! I like the color (I’m picturing it navy blue, pretty!) these 10 years were worth it, congratulations :)
Wow! It’s gorgeous! But ya know, that humility stitch is the very first thing I saw when you showed the gorgeous sweater! :oP
Beautiful! You’ll appreciate wearing it even more.
HURRAY! I hope you didn’t point out your mistake to the Harlot, if you wore this to see her ;o)
Wow – I guess I missed this post! Congratulations on a big finish! Your sweater is beautiful, purple or blue. And I doubt that anyone else will ever find your “humility stitch”!
PS: I have a five year baby afghan:)