TGWE # 6: Learning about myself as a knitter

I've started the 6th project in my "great wool experiment."  They are a gorgeous pair of color-work mittens using a gorgeous striped lacey cuff with a blue and white graphic color-work pattern for the hand.

And I think they are probably the prettiest mitts I've ever worked.

And I also find that I have no patience for them.

Working the cuff was particular difficult.  I'm not sure why because the lace pattern wasn't really that hard, but I kept having to go back and fix things---at least I was noticing the errors as I made them.  And I really like the two round stripes of each color.  It brings out the different colors and makes for a gorgeous cuff.  As you can see.

Then when I started the color-work portion I realized how much easier it is for me to do color-work than it is to do lace.  I think it's because I only have to remember 2 things--blue or white--as opposed to a bunch of different stitches (5 or 6 in the lace pattern).

So, after working on the mitten for 30 minutes yesterday I decided to put it aside and work on something else.  Keeps me from hating the project, and allows me to rest the brain.  I randomly selected another lace project from my current unfinisheds...I could only stand 30 minutes of that before I  put it back in my closet and selected the next project.

This one is a sock--in a gorgeous cashmere merino blend yarn in a dark green color.  The knitting is only knits and purls, but put together in such a way that the ribbing forms unique slants and curves.  And I thoroughly enjoy working on this one.  In fact, I knitted on it most of the day yesterday and finished the leg and got into the heel.  That's some pretty serious progress if you think about it.  And I'm not bored.  I'm happy with this project, as a matter of fact.

So, what I've learned about myself during TGWE #6 is that I don't like lace.  Even though I'm thoroughly attracted to it, I have no patience for it.  I don't want to "think" about my knitting, at least not right now...I want my knitting to be the thing that flows off of my needles.  I think that, in the end, I'm much more interested in the yarn than I am in the patterning.

This is a very important lesson to know about onesself as a knitter.  It will help me pick projects in the future and know that IF I HAVE to choose the lace pattern, that I'm going to be very long in the knitting of it, and I'll probably hate it before I'm finished.  But that's ok because I'll love it when I'm done.

Lace knitting is definitely something I need to save for those times when I need to be challenged in my hobby--and right now this isn't even close to that!