Pile of Errors

For those who have been inspired to give tatting a try, and lest you think I've had no trouble learning, I give you this:

It's the pile of scraps and pieces I've been tossing aside when I've made failures I felt I couldn't back out of. Luckily my skills at "retro-tatting", as one Craftree forum member calls it, (that's meticulously picking out mistakes), have grown and that means less and less thread is being sacrificed to the scrap heap. I'm likely making almost as many mistakes, usually the result of a moment's foolish inattention, but now I spend ages picking the errors out rather than tossing the entire piece away in frustration. 

Just thought you should know in case you're giving this a try and judging yourself harshly based on your perception of my progress. Ha!

But for all those errors I do keep persevering. Tatting is challenging, fun, and occasionally there is a worthy end product. 

Perseverance Pays Off

Finally! The Nicole Vest is finished and outa my hair. I had so many problems knitting this one that I'm breathing a sigh of relief that she's done. I had my doubts at times.



Now don't get me wrong, the problems I had were not the fault of the pattern. The pattern wasn't even difficult. It was my own momentary lapses in attention that tripped me up.



There is one small error in the pattern. After transferring the front stitches from the stitch holders to resume knitting (after the back is complete) it says to "purl across row". In reality you need to work across the wrong side row according to patterns as established. No biggie, but just thought I'd mention it.

Now to wait until it's dry, (Shouldn't take long. It's only 9am and already the house is 83 degrees), purchase buttons and get a modelled shot.

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.

Hut By The Pond

You know, I might as well build myself a little hut by the frog pond. I seem to be spending all my time here lately.



I ripped back the Nicole Vest all the way to the waist eyelets. I tried to stop sooner, really I did, but there was just no picking it up correctly and I decided to go all the way back to the last plain row.

Even then I had my troubles. When I was knitting the upper body the first time I thought I had made an error in the way I was forming the SSP. What I was getting LOOKed correct so I had been content to go with it, but seeing as I had to reknit anyway I thought I would do the SSP the way I thought the pattern meant.

I should have left well enough alone. After knitting 4 rows I had to admit it looked better the first time. Rip it, rip it, rip it.

I'm sure Froggie is mocking me!

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----