Finishing Sweaters

I've been noticing for a while that many - perhaps even most - knitters don't enjoy finishing a sweater. That is, blocking it, weaving in loose ends, sewing up seams, adding buttons or whatnot; the non-knitting part of knitting.

Faced with the general lukewarm attitude of even experienced knitters towards finishing, it's no wonder that I approached it warily. Maybe that's why I put off making sweaters for such a long time. I tackled knitting with double-pointed needles and circulars, colour knitting, knitting backwards and knitting continental-style, all before my first sweater. It wasn't the knitting techniques that intimidated me, it was the finishing. And you hear horror stories of finishing done sloppily, or gone wrong, that ruined what would have been a lovely sweater.

I've realised that finishing off doesn't bother me too much. Yes, I need some quiet time to devote to it, so I don't rush, but there's something magical about putting those separate pieces of knitting together. Those seams where you match stitches, row to row (such as in the side seam), are as miraculous as an invisible zipper. It's both encouraging and beautiful to see. Of course, I really do hate weaving in loose ends, but we can't have everything!

I'm almost done with this lacy sweater from Rebecca No. 27. (Can you see the doily in the background, under the wooden coaster? I made that, too!) I'll put up pictures of the finished object soon.

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Posted by Lana to Bumbling Bees - Girls with Purls at 5/29/2006 01:32:00 PM