March 15, 2008
Where we Reveal a Total Failure
I wanted to be bold.
I wanted to be smart.
I wanted to knit something « original ».
Add all this to a big bowl of stashed Rowan Cork and you get, if you’re wacky enough, the idea to knit this pattern :
It's Reveal from Leah Sutton, and it's from the Rowan Magazine number 34.
I remember I had an interest at first sight at this picture. Then I thought it would be a difficult pattern to fit. And left the idea aside.
About two weeks ago, in a bout of destashing fever, I thought I’d knit some of my Cork. 8mm needles, destashing’s easier this way : 8 balls were going to be used, and I'd quickly have another jumper still in time to wear before warmer weather… So I reviewed the interesting patterns, and this one came back "en force". I did some research on the net and on Ravelry… only to find that very few had attempted this knit. I thought it was maybe because of (good) taste. But I wasn’t against something « out of the ordinary ». What I noticed only later was that even fewer were actually wearing their finished garment. Am I the only unlucky knitter here ? Am I really gonna wear THAT :
The gauge is not very accurate if I check on the sweater (but I had it right with the sample). The sleeves are the good length, but they are so large. The body is fitting, but the deep-cut is so deep… the shoulders do not look like shoulders.
I'm wondering what to do now, and feel a bit desperate about another knit gone wrong. Should I be confident and continue following to the end the pattern???OR rip and start it again, making sure my gauge is better, or start a whole new pattern?
So I'm asking for help to decide what I should do...
March 07, 2008
In March for the spring
February has been a good month for knitting : I managed to catch up with the mystery blanket knitalong, and on the last week end of the month, I had all my squares squared and nice.
My favourite is the little sheep. I had difficulties with the loops as I had never done any stitch like this, but it is so cute!
So I think this project is very good for the knitting techniques, especially when you are like me, usually choosing simple patterns. So I hadn't done any intarsia for a while, and I was reminded how much I like it. It is a game of patience, but one sees the coloured stitches build up in a nice little picture, and the final weaving of the ends changes so much the knitting into a smooth and nice final fabrix, for me it has some magic in it.
For the cabling...well I direly needed some derusting, that's sure. I don't know how many times I had to knit and rip and knit and rip some more, etc...
In the end, I still have some mistakes. The eagle eyes of my brother will spot them immediately I know, so I have to prepare moraly for the remarks. It is not badly meant I know, my dear brother having an analytical mind, loves the what-we-call casse tête, and I do not know one he hasn't done quickly under our amazed gaze. So for him, the irregularity in the cables is evident, and he will tease me with this.
Well, I only am reminded of this when I am knitting cabled squares for the blanket, and it pushes me even a bit more a rip when I see I have made a mistake, because I know it will be noticed. It is also a good thing, or I try to think so ;-)
In february, I also recieved some new yarn...no good for the stash, but it is a special yarn, to me at least : it is an "ecological" yarn. More about it when I can make pictures. The week end will help for this.
good bye for now, and good knitting to you all :-)