Finished Luna Sweater

This Luna Sweater I started in May of 2010!  I just finished it, and now that I'm pregnant I can't fit into it.  So, I really don't know what I would say about the sizing or fit of the pattern, if I truly like it or not.  However, I would say I learned a lot about crochet, yarn, and myself with this project.

From the beginning the stitch created a texture and pattern that I had never used before.  How you only crochet in only one loop created a pattern to replicate a knit, the stretched ribbing process, and the method to obtain the cables all were new to me.  Even the process of crocheting the body from the right to the left side was a new thought process for me.  I had only done top to bottom or bottom up before.  Because of this pattern I am now looking at projects trying to determine what makes them not look like the typical "Granny square" crochet construction and stitch.

I used Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn, which is 100% acrylic.  Prior to this I had only used worsted weight yarn, so this in comparison was a lighter weight that I thought would be good.  Now looking back I wished I had chosen something even lighter.  The stitches are so dense that the finished garment is thick!  A lot thicker than I thought it would be.  Also, the hand of the acrylic isn't as luxurious as what the pattern model looks.  It isn't bad, but just not what I thought it would be.  When I started this sweater I wasn't doing a gauge swatch, so lesson learned - if I had I would have found this out.  Again, I am learning about yarn weight and yarn material as I do projects, and why swatches are so important. 

Finally, about myself, after thinking about how the Moth Wing Shrug and this project has taken me so long to complete I have come to the realization of the root cause for the delays.  Yes, life had intervened and distracted me, and yes the Moth Wing just was time consuming, but why had I picked up other projects and completed them rather than finishing these.  The Luna Sweater sat for almost a year just needing to be blocked, seams sewn, and edges finished.  The hard part of doing all the cables and counting was done, but I wouldn't finish it.  After going through all "easy" answers that I knew really wasn't the truth I have come up that it is all from a fear of failure.  With these it would be the fact that I would have to acknowledge that I spent all this time and money on the project, measured and counted for the correct size and then they come out not to fit.  That "failure" fear was creating a mental block for me big enough not to finish it so I would not have to find out that they didn't come out as expected.  Now, that I know this about myself and the fact that I have finished this sweater and have no idea if I can wear it, I just have to enjoy the process and accept the outcome.  And accept that if something doesn't fit I get the joy of sharing it with someone who it will fit.