boknits

How to frog?

My personal philosophy is this: once you discover your mistake, frog at once. Then, get right back to knitting and knit back to where you were when you found out. I had the opportunity to live through it this morning, when I had to frog my Kabuto hat not once, but twice. Apparently I can't read, and apparently I also never look at my knitting, because I suddenly realized I'd been decreasing for 30 rows when I shouldn't. Yeah, it was fun. Not.

It's like riding a horse ( or so they say...); if you don't try again immediately you will never ride, um, knit again.
Well, you will probably knit again, but it's not going to be this WIP. The abandoned, somewhat frogged WIP is doomed never to become a fully realized FO. You don't want that, do you? It's bad karma. Only worth risking if you really hate your knit. Then it will turn into a dung beetle in the next life instead of you!

This morning I had some time left before work - not enough for anything major, but just enough. I played around with my Ravelry projects page, and made a new category: "Wearable to Work".

Or maybe it should read, "Worn to Work". In knitting terms that means, an FO that you're proud enough of to wear outside the house, and moreover, that won't raise eyebrows ( except in admiration) on the workfloor.

I'm pleased to report that I have more than a dozen of those. I admit, some of them are hats and scarves, but most of them are actually dresses, cardigans and sweaters. ( I'm wearing Norah Gaughan's Anhinga as I type - ready to go out into the world with it).

What they all have in common: restrained color. Great design. Good finishing ( it's never perfect, is it?).

What are you wearing today? Is it one of your own FOs? What FOs have you worn to work or visiting or the supermarket without feeling any shame?

After some prodding by wonderful brendada I finally wrote up my notes for the Remnant Stripe Cardigan (ravelry link).



I've put up the (untested) pattern on Artemis Adornments. You can preview it here.

Try out at your own risk - it's only been knit by me so far. Testknitters wanted in sizes S, M and L!

Enjoy and let me know what you think....

My knitting plans for the weekend have gone awry.

As per usual.

I wanted to finish my pale blue Georgie (Ravelry link), but I discovered that my beloved tight sleeves don't work on a loose cardigan that I want to slip on over other things, like pyjamas or T-shirts. So now I'm faced with the question, do I pick out my recent sewing (which I hate, no big surprise there), or live with it? The seams I put in the body (in the Hargreaves original they are in the sleeves, but I didn't like that with tight sleeves) are working beautifully, the pockets are good - but I placed the first one too much to the center. Another argh. So, not finished.

My gauzy white cardigan - fail. The silk knit buttonbands are too heavy and drag the cardigan out of shape. Back to plan A, namely use woven silk for the buttonbands, which is very light. But again, much unpicking and no finishing!

My Peplum cardigan - going well, although I'm dithering about finishing it with the Alpaca Silk I have, and maybe end up with a short fisherman's rib hem, or use Silky Flamme in the exact same color. While I dither, I'm knitting the lapels and the second sleeve.
I've vowed not to start anything new until these three projects are finished - and even then I won't be WIP-less. Two more cardigans on the needles, one of them designated to be frogged and reknit.

And it's always like this. I'm not striving for perfection, but I've learned that if I don't make my projects as perfect as I can, I'll neve wear them.

So I grit my teeth and gird my needles. Onward!

Several things have suddenly gone wrong with Stripey the Second.

Or rather, I just discovered them. My knitting is different from my swatch - I think I took on my bamboo needles too quickly and they’re too big. And I didn’t try it on often enough - I put it on just now and it was huge! Now I know the swatch says it shrinks 15 %, but I didn’t really trust it anymore.
So I washed it hot in fairy liquid, needles and alll, and here’s to hoping it’ll shrink to swatch specs. Otherwise I’ll have to rip out a huge chunk of knitting - which, at needles 3 and laceweight yarn will make me cry…


Fingers crossed.