At last, some proper cold and wet weather for winter in Melbourne.

It has been a time of cups of tea,

board games with the kids and some serious crafty stuff getting done.  To this end, I joined a great KAL (Knit Along) on Ravelry hosted by the amazingly prolific Andi at My Sister’s Knitter.  It is a KAL for finishing what was unfinished. This was my first KAL and I began with posting in all the wrong places and introducing myself last! I have however, finished some things.

Naked charity shop baby (Lollipop sometimes known as Baby Bunting) has a garment.

She also has a bonnet. But I have not quite got to the promised leggings.

Softie dog Emma also has the sweater I promised My Dear Boy.

Promised mittens finished for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. I call them Welcome Mittens.  The pattern is my favourite children’s mittens pattern Stars or Stripes Mittens  by Odessa Reichel in Petite Purls.

But this pile’o’stitches right here is why I joined Andi’s KAL in the first place.  It was my secret shame.  It lurked in a bag, hanging next to the bag of hap shawl eaten by moths. Can you believe I didn’t even check it when I found the hap moths? I just didn’t want to know.

I started this sweater ages ago, as in years ago, from handspun bought on our honeymoon. It is not very good handspun, it is lumpy and bumpy and a bit fulled. But at the time, it was kind of like a yarn souvenir – I thought the yarn was great and would knit into a marvellous sweater.  Well, I swatched it and wrote two thirds of a pattern, knit the body and a sleeve and then put it away for a long time.  I can’t even remember why.

Andi’s KAL meant finishing it…at last. Firstly, it needed checking for moths. And unbelievably, it was absolutely fine!

Next, I looked at my original notes, found them extremely wanting so rechecked the calculations and got some idea of what I had meant so many years ago.

I got started on the second sleeve following my original calculations. I finished the sleeve to find it very different from first sleeve. I realised then I had changed my mind while knitting the first sleeve so many years ago but had failed to amend the pattern.  I then ripped out my newly finished sleeve and started again only to find I hadn’t paid quite enough attention to the original sleeve and got it wrong again. Ripped it back for a second time and am now slowly, begrudgingly knitting up the second sleeve AGAIN.

Once I unite sleeves and body, I will then reach the end of what I had originally written down and will have to write the yoke pattern to finish it, facing the distinct possibility that I will run out of one of the yarn colours.  Why couldn’t the moths have just eaten it?

Despite this minor bump, all this getting-it-done business has extended to my sewing projects too. Last night, I finally handed over my Dress-A-Girl contribution.  Dress-A-Girl is a charity that sends hand made clothes to both boys and girls in orphanages around the world.  Thank you EB for organising us!

There were four Okie Girls for little girls in hot climates.

And two dresses for older girls in cooler climates.  I drafted this pattern from my trusty Golden Hands 60 Things to Sew for Children (1973). I will leave you with this sweet pic of the pattern, Shift Dress with Trumpet Sleeves (the one on the right).