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| Not as enamored with mine as I was with the shop sample |
I was planning on this blog post to be a triumphant "I'm Done!" in regards to the eyelet cardigan sweater. Instead, I'm a bit irritated with a few things which I think I may have to fix, even though with errors I made along the way, I kept saying this was just for me to wear around the house so no big deal. But what I'm finding overall seem big deals that I will not be able to live with. Things that even blocking, which it desperately needs, won't fix. Where did I go wrong?
Or where did the pattern go wrong? I'd noticed along the way small discrepancies in repeat numbers and other instructions that I just did work arounds to make things fit. And the join at the back of the front panel extensions just doesn't look good. But there's something seriously wrong with the sleeves. I should have noticed when I had them side by side blocking them. Unlike the back where the eyelet sections are the same width on either side of the center panel, they should be mirror images of each other with one section being narrower than the other section. It was when pinning the sleeves on for joining that I noted that the one side's center panel was extending farther past the shoulder seam than the other, by a lot. I studied the pattern a bit and am pretty sure I did not make a mistake. But oh well, I'll sew them on anyway.
Now that I've fiddled with getting it on a hangar and taking pics, I don't think I can let that one go. After much thought, I think I will knit another sleeve, one that will be correct. Lord knows, I have plenty of leftover yarn to do that! I need to fix the seaming on one side as well. My whip stitch did not reach far enough to catch this row of knit stitches now showing on the front. This will be an easy fix as I don't think I need to take out the original whip stitches. But still, what a pain to have all this to do when I thought I was done and ready to dive into another pair of socks. I may just set it aside for a bit.
So when I ran across this meme, I had to laugh. Since I've gotten back into knitting these last 3 or 4 years, I'd say most of these apply to me. Most can apply to quilting as well!
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| Tamaracks behind the townhouse duplexes on my street |
On a happier note, we've had some sunny weather and a burst of gold from tamaracks, cottonwoods and aspen. They do have to fight against fronts coming through with some wind and rain, but they are doing their best to hang on and brighten my days.
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This tall cottonwood is along one of my walking routes and stunning when the sun hits it. I'll be sad when these all succumb to the inevitable.
As I started to read your post, you were inspiring me to get back to knitting, which I hadn't done for 50 years! But then I kept reading. The frustration you described is similar to what I feel when working a new pattern in sewing, and also in flipping the quilt I'm currently working on back to the front, and seeing what I did. And I can't blame it on anybody else, it was all me and my aging brain. Thanks for the reminder and I hope you can fix things enough, even if you only wear it around the house!
ReplyDeleteWell darn Pat, I didn't mean to put anyone off. What I didn't say but was thinking especially when I tried it on, this is why I quit making clothes for myself and dived into quilting! I always had issues with fits and trying to alter patterns and it was just easier to go buy ready made (although fit was often still an issue - at least I hadn't put a lot of time into the garment and could put it back on the rack!). Don't give up on getting back into knitting, just pick an easier, doesn't need to fit, project like cowls or scarves. That's where I started up again. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh and yes, the aging brain Pat. I'm feeling more optimistic about the sweater as I look at it again today, more ready to embrace the challenge of fixing it than I was yesterday. Hopefully your quilt project issues work themselves out. I have to admit I made many stupid errors with quilts even before the brain started to age, mostly cases of being over confident and not paying better attention. Well, I say ONWARD to us both!
ReplyDeleteI know less than nothing about knitting, although I admire the work of those who do! We had a member in our fiber arts group who did a program on knitting & I learned about gauge swatches that day! Interesting, but not enough to lure me into taking it up! Hasn't this long-lasting Fall weather been wonderful? I'm enjoying it, but sooner or later we're going to be getting pay-backs! Jan in WY
ReplyDeleteJan, I agree, this mild November has been nice and no doubt spoiling us. Had my teeth cleaned yesterday and the gal doing it commented that she'd seen talk on local sites that, in the cycle of mild then a whomping cold and snowy winters, we are due for the latter. I'd joked with her that we were no doubt jinxing ourselves fawning over the good weather, bringing on below zero weather with snow up to our eyeballs! As for the knitting, I don't blame you for not being interested in giving it a go yourself - you already do a lot of crafty things. Have been thinking about the thing about gauges lying, now that you've seen one and had it explained, you might be able to relate it to quilting as it reminds me of when you test your tension before you start machine quilting. I don't know about you, but I can say that tension tests usually lie as well!
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