Setback

I finished and bound off the left front of my "Plan B" cardigan and admired it, with it's lovely contrasting patch pocket, then I went on to pick up stitches for the back portion. 

I had all 104 stitches for the back picked up when I realized that they seemed to be off centre, so I counted the remaining stitches. Something was off!

It only took me a moment to realize that I had not made adjustments for the additional 12 stitches added for the shaping of the A-line version of the cardigan. The pattern does mention in a small side note that the shaping will throw off the stitch count from that point forward. I forgot, and it is not mentioned again in the instructions. In this left front portion my error is a difference of only 3 stitches, but I'll have to frog it anyway. *sigh*

At least I hadn't knit the entire lower back section as well, before noticing my error. Besides, it's all knitting anyway, and I like knitting, right?

Rip It, Rip It

It's annoying and disheartening to have to frog a finished object, especially when said finished object looks kind of pretty, is intended as a gift, and must be done by Christmas.

Unfortunately for me the smocked ribbing I chose for the fold up brim of this hat not only has to look pretty, but it must stretch far enough to fit the gift recipient's head too. Not happening. It's a tight fit even on this wig stand's little pin head which is nowhere near the 23.5" required.

Rip, rip, rippity rip!

Luckily the rest of the hat is okay. I only need to rip out the pretty smocked ribbing and replace it with a boring ol' 2x2 rib.

Sock Update

It seems I'm trying to wear out this sock yarn before I even get the first sock knit! I've had to frog back quite a ways --- again. Yesterday I knit and knit on the sock. I wanted to complete the heel so I would be left with the ankle portion, and less concentration, before I turned to other projects. I had planned a traditional turned heel, with a gusset and heel flap.

Well, when I got that all knit and tried it on I wasn't pleased. It didn't fit right. The heel was too loose, probably because the foot was a little too long. But that wasn't the entire reason for the frogging. I also didn't like the way the stripes (the ones I was trying to avoid in the main foot/leg portions) reappeared in the gusset and the heel. Bleah.

So I ripped 'er back all the way to pre-gusset and I'm making my way back up, this time with an "Ultimate" wedge heel planned. The sock, despite working on it much of yesterday afternoon and evening, now looks pretty much exactly like it did in the last picture.

MS3 Bites the Dust

Remember the Mystery Stole 3 I was knitting?



When the final "clues" came out I decided I didn't like the direction it was taking, (a wing) and I wanted to use my handspun laceweight somewhere else. It's a pretty enough design and many knitters love it, but I decided it just wasn't for me.

I ripped it out. I tucked it into a plastic container to better contain it during the frogging, and also to catch as many of the beads as possible (many of them still took the opportunity to escape).



I wound it onto my niddy noddy to re skein in preparation for a wash to relax out the post-knitting kinks.



While the old stuff hangs drying I am busy spinning up the newer batch.



With the added yardage I hope to make the Honey Bee Stole.

~

Another Setback

Well here we go again. It seems some days you just can't get ahead. After that last frogging incident I put the Nicole Vest aside for awhile, but over the last few days I have been working on it again. The road trip to Manning Park and back had me moving ahead by 2 repeats (8 rows per repeat). Today I had added an additional repeat --- and I should have stopped there.



But noooooo, I was enjoying myself and decided to press on. After another 3 rows I was admiring my work, draping it over my foot of all things, seeing how some of the patterns would look as a sock, when out it leaped, another darn error. And wouldn't you know it, it was in the dreaded faggotting again. Aargh. I find faggotting is rather unique in that it is easy as pie to knit, but horrid to try to drop down and ladder back up again. Those interconnecting YOs in the centre are the trouble. They have to fit into the p2tog tbl just so. Any errors are quite glaringly obvious. You know I tried. I really tried. And in the end, just like last time, I ended up having to rip several rows (5 this time around), with the slow and fiddly tinking of the last row.

I don't mind the reknitting --- I DO like knitting after all. It's all the time wasted ripping that I resent.

Frogging Faggotting

Awwwwww, SHOOT!



I discovered an error in one of the SSK/P2tog sections of a column of faggotting in the Nicole Vest. Seems I SSK when I should've P2tog. *sigh*

Over my morning coffee I discussed my possible courses of action with my husband.

1. I could leave it. It wasn't a huge, in your face kind of error. No one but me would notice it when it was being worn.
2. I could (in theory) drop the 2 stitches down and knit them back up correctly. Faggotting complicates this procedure because it involves some tricky YOs and directional decreases. I wasn't sure my skills were up to the task. If I dropped them down and couldn't get them back up correctly I would have to resort to #3.
3. I could rip back all the way to the mistake and reknit. Didn't want to do that as it involved around 16 rows, maybe more. Over 200 stitches per row.

Originally I thought I would just go with #1. Leave it. Small error, no one will see it ---

--- except me.

As I worked out at the gym (I do my best contemplating there) I came to a self-realization. There was no way I was going to be able to live with the mistake so it had to be corrected. Yes, yes. I could do it. I'd go with #2. Drop down those stitches and ladder back up correctly. If worse came to worst and I wasn't able to ladder it up? I could always rip it back all the way to the error and reknit the 16 rows. The idea of reknitting those rows was bothering me less than the thought of having a glaring (to me) error right on the front of my top. I know me. I'd be pointing that error out to every person who ever gave me a compliment.

Looks like some frogging is in order. Oh well. It's only knitting, right? I like knitting. I'll just reknit all 3,200+ stitches.

----murrmurr, froggin', freakin', faggotting, frrrrumsnickle, murrmurr, murrmurr fir----