The Great Shrug Project...

I promised my sister almost a year ago (or maybe it was a year ago...ugh...in my defense, it has been an unusually hectic year) that I would crochet her a shrug to her specifications: green and lacy (and, of course, with her taste in mind). Unbelievably, it was hard to find a pattern matching what I knew she wanted. Everything I found was either too bulky, too short, or just wouldn't fit her personality. So, I decided to modify and blend some existing patterns to create something just for her.

I can feel that I'm not too far from being finished (though I had originally intended to have it done for Christmas...it just keeps taking longer than I think it will). I know that the reason it's taking so long is because I'm making it up as I go along and having to constantly try it on to make certain it is laying correctly and shaping the way it should.

This is the second project I've taken on that was this time consuming along with having a due date...the first one I ended up hibernating at the last minute and replacing with an easier, less time consuming gift. I've realized now, with two of these under my belt, that I have to have a stash of quick projects to go back and forth between. If I force myself to work on this project and only this project I kill it because I get too discouraged. I now know that it's better to take my time and finish the project than it is to force myself to focus only on the big project and end up OD'ing on the poor thing.

It really will be a huge triumph once I finish this piece, and I know my sister will have exactly what she wanted. And I learned a lot from this project...my own limitations and my need for at least something to give me instant gratification. I really can't wait to post the finished project...hopefully in the not too distant future!