One, two, three ... not out!
The deafening silence here tells you how much knitting success I've been having recently;o)
Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath, appears to have been my last project that went as intended. The yarn was a dream to work with and I'll happily use it again for some future project. The pattern was very clearly written and the cable work was a really nice re-introduction to cables after too long a break. The construction of the thumb was different and I feel my finishing was a little less elegant than the method used in the Cranford Mitts.
Now more of my knitting disasters!
Firstly, remember these? No Purl Monkeys, hot off the needles for DD1. She wore them once and her boyfriend laundered them....
One of the sad pair now looks like this! Doesn't it look a truly sorrowful wee sight?? And this is the young man who wants to marry my daughter;o) I've soaked it several times and with Herculean strength, and much cursing, managed to get it loosened enough to force on to a sock blocker. I reckon it's a lost cause though ...
To con'sole' myself, I cast on another pair of socks. This time I planned to make the original Monkey pattern, by Cookie. I trawled through my stash and came up with the perfect yarn - a Fyberspates yarn in soft muted shades of yellow, brown and natural. Perfect! This was the 23rd pair of socks I've cast on and, as I've not yet got a pair to my name, were to be mine, all mine... The pattern's wonderful and was flying off my needles. As the length of the foot grew, I tried them them on - or tried to:o( They don't fit my clod hoppers without the risk of cutting off all blood supply to my feet! So, once SSS has been addressed, these may well become the replacement pair for DD1's lost socks!
Next, I cast on Ribby Yoke sweater using Sirdar Eco yarn. How wrong could this go?? Well, true to form I did balls this one up too! For anyone else who starts this project, don't be an eejit like me and misread the pattern:
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but such a shame it is hind and not fore sight in my case! The pattern was NOT telling me to decrease on the 90th row as I initially interpreted it... Frogging back 102 rows of very soft, slightly fluffy yarn is not fun! The project is now back on track with the back and nearly all of the front done.
The Eco yarn was ordered online and delivery was going to take a couple of days. Could I wait? Nope! Startitis was raging - and I cast on a Climbing Vines sweater. I love this pattern and had been itching to try it out. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be itching, wearing it! I used some Kilcarra aran that I'd stashed away. Now, the pattern is stunning... The yarn is lovely - but not something that you'd wear next to your skin, unless you have some serious masochistic streak or a very thick vest:o( It's not the pattern at fault, or the yarn - it's the dunderhead knitter that put the two together who's entirely responsible. If anyone can tell me that Kilcarra aran softens up dramatically in the first wash, I'll be delighted. If not, it's to the frog pond for this one too and the Kilcarra will become an outdoor type garment which the yarn currently appears more suited to.
They say that things happen in threes, don't they?
Fetching
in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
Fetching, by Cheryl Niamath, appears to have been my last project that went as intended. The yarn was a dream to work with and I'll happily use it again for some future project. The pattern was very clearly written and the cable work was a really nice re-introduction to cables after too long a break. The construction of the thumb was different and I feel my finishing was a little less elegant than the method used in the Cranford Mitts.Now more of my knitting disasters!
Firstly, remember these? No Purl Monkeys, hot off the needles for DD1. She wore them once and her boyfriend laundered them....
One of the sad pair now looks like this! Doesn't it look a truly sorrowful wee sight?? And this is the young man who wants to marry my daughter;o) I've soaked it several times and with Herculean strength, and much cursing, managed to get it loosened enough to force on to a sock blocker. I reckon it's a lost cause though ... To con'sole' myself, I cast on another pair of socks. This time I planned to make the original Monkey pattern, by Cookie. I trawled through my stash and came up with the perfect yarn - a Fyberspates yarn in soft muted shades of yellow, brown and natural. Perfect! This was the 23rd pair of socks I've cast on and, as I've not yet got a pair to my name, were to be mine, all mine... The pattern's wonderful and was flying off my needles. As the length of the foot grew, I tried them them on - or tried to:o( They don't fit my clod hoppers without the risk of cutting off all blood supply to my feet! So, once SSS has been addressed, these may well become the replacement pair for DD1's lost socks!Next, I cast on Ribby Yoke sweater using Sirdar Eco yarn. How wrong could this go?? Well, true to form I did balls this one up too! For anyone else who starts this project, don't be an eejit like me and misread the pattern:
Work in st-st (throughout) work 89 rows dec 1st at each end of the next and every following 8th row...
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but such a shame it is hind and not fore sight in my case! The pattern was NOT telling me to decrease on the 90th row as I initially interpreted it... Frogging back 102 rows of very soft, slightly fluffy yarn is not fun! The project is now back on track with the back and nearly all of the front done.
The Eco yarn was ordered online and delivery was going to take a couple of days. Could I wait? Nope! Startitis was raging - and I cast on a Climbing Vines sweater. I love this pattern and had been itching to try it out. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be itching, wearing it! I used some Kilcarra aran that I'd stashed away. Now, the pattern is stunning... The yarn is lovely - but not something that you'd wear next to your skin, unless you have some serious masochistic streak or a very thick vest:o( It's not the pattern at fault, or the yarn - it's the dunderhead knitter that put the two together who's entirely responsible. If anyone can tell me that Kilcarra aran softens up dramatically in the first wash, I'll be delighted. If not, it's to the frog pond for this one too and the Kilcarra will become an outdoor type garment which the yarn currently appears more suited to.
They say that things happen in threes, don't they?
Labels: Climbing Vines, Fetching, Kilcarra Aran, Monkeys, No Purl Monkeys, Ribby Yoke, Sirdar Eco dk
posted by blog-blethers at 10:54 pm
7 Comments:
Oh dear - what a list of knitting woes, I hope you're safe now and the Fetchings are lovely as were the Monkeys and I'm sure the new ones will be much appreciated!
I really hope your prospective son in law grovelled appropriately - and bought you and your daughter a bunch of flowers each for his error.
That's too bad about all those disasters - especially the socks! I really hate it when I misread a pattern - I can't imaging having to frog all those rows. At least you were able to get back on track. Here's wishing you better luck with the knitting!
But on the bright side your Fetchings are lovely :D
I have been where you have been when I have knitted what I THOUGHT the pattern said so many times .........
I did that to my monkeys, I just put them on sock blockers afterwards and they were fine. Were those ones properly felted?
Awwwww I just wanna give you a great big hug. Well if it's any concolation, I did the same with my littlest's socks...me! who should know better! Shame about the Kilcarren too.
Love the Fetchings, I still haven't tried that one out for myself yet.
Good to see you XX
What a shame about the washed sock. I did that once with a pair of Mark's socks. They were a black and yellow hand-dyed pair (the yarn was called bumble bee). I accidentally (!) put them in the washing machine and they came out a nasty dark snot colour. I know it's not a pretty picture but I have no other way to describe them. I was mortified. No way to retrieve them, I'm afraid. I'll just have to knit another pair.
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