Finishing projects

There is something very satisfying about finishing a project, especially if it is something one has worked on for a long time or something that is very obvious and makes a difference in appearance.  I have finished one of each of these this week and I am feeling sort of 'chuffed' about it!!  One of the reasons I am feeling good about these two projects is that they were conscious efforts to do something I am not good at - which is to take my time!  I have been working on my natural inclination to finish in a hurry, finishing in a hurry tends to be a little slipshod, and I have been trying to let myself slow down, I am retired, I have the time, do it right.  I admit I do the same thing with a book (I have been known to stay up way too late to finish a good one in one night!), sewing (I have been known to start a dress today that I want to wear tomorrow), well you see how this goes.  So with both of these projects I have taken my time and done it slow and enjoyed the doing a little more in the case of the afghan.  HA!  Old dogs can too learn new tricks! (I can hear the smart remarks running through your heads - don't bother!)

My proudest of the two is the afghan.  This really was outside my comfort zone. I started it last spring, set it aside to do Christmas gifts and the granny square afghan (pictured here) and then picked it back up a couple of months ago.  I used a 'frosty green' and a 'frosty green speckle' and if I were to do it again I would do all one color, but otherwise I am pleased with the finished product and I  learned at least 5 new stitches or techniques doing it!

I had never done a border either so I felt like this was a real learning experience.  It will take pride of place on the rocker for now, coming up on summer it will have to wait a few months to be useful.




The pattern was free from the Red Heart Yarn website, it's called Aran Isle Throw  the website is one you can subscribe to for free and they have a lot of tutorials on youtube as well (thank goodness for youtube tutorials!)

This was how it started...

My next finishing up was the honeysuckle vines near the front of the house.  I have to admit that in my head I was calling them the 'stupid, ugly' honeysuckle vines!  I had begun the job earlier this spring and only took off part of what I thought could have come off so I could wait and see which branches were going to be new vines and which were old and to see if the new vines would cover the ugly stuff - they did not!

first cutting - seeing if it was enough...

much better I think!

I broke down and got out the ladder, and the hand trimmers (not the electric hedge trimmers this time) and got rid of all the old growth down to the new vines and the pretty trunks of the old plants that are woven into the lattice work.  I do not know if they have ever been trimmed before, the amount of dirt and dust would say not!  I even found wasp nests in there!  After I laid out the vines I wove them back into the lattice work and I am very happy with the results.  It looks (and is) so much cleaner!  (word of advice - always keep your mouth closed when you do this, and when you take your bra off at night you may want to do it over a trash can or outside...just saying)

I can check two things off my 'to do' list and I have made progress on self improvement - not bad.  Now if it will stop raining long enough to let me get the rest of the garden tilled and planted and then warm up just a hair we will be well and truly on the way to the busy season!