I wonder how many more times I'll ignore that instruction as I move from ribbing to body in my sweater making career. I feel like that robin that used to bonk into my window every day at sunset. Tonight I'll frog 30 rows of the Lfront CPH and Change to Larger Needles.
So I was thinking about finishing and seaming. And I wonder. My aversion to it came as a result at being completely surprised by the fact that it took more than 20 seconds and that I was not going to be wearing that first sweater as soon as I knit the last stitch. I'm thinking maybe I won't hate it so much now that I know it's coming and that it takes longer than 20 seconds and possibly longer even than 20 minutes. If I plan for 20 hours, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
I'm going to call that a knitting delusion- the 20 second finishing- due to inexperience. Want to make me feel better as I face my stupidity and lack of atttention span this evening? Share your worst knitting delusion. It's o.k. you can sign in as anonymous if you feel you need to.
except if there's a post about finishing Icarus, I'll know who you are.
11 comments:
I was knitting a baby blanket for a shower in 3 days. Although I was only about a third of the way thru and working 12 hr days I thought I could actually finish it in time.
Even though I know that finishing will take a significant amount of time to do it right, I still dislike it. I'm a knitter, not a hand-sewer! I don't mind short bits of seaming, but sewing a whole freaking seater together sucks! The uncertainty of whether the sweater I'm knitting will actually fit me adds to the annoyance of knitting sweaters in pieces. I like to try on as I go so I'm a top down raglan girl most of the time.
Yeah, the last-minute gift knitting delusion is probably mine too. And once, when knitting a pair of socks, I used 0s for the ribbing and 1s for the first sock, but never changed to the 1s on the second sock. But the real kick is this - both socks fit. I either have some serious gauge issues, or two legs that don't match.
funny you should ask that...I actually was going to do a post on the socks I'm doing and how crappy the color combo is but I kept on going 'cuz the finished product always will magically look different, right?
right?:O
I avoided sweaters that needed seaming for a long time just for the reasons you mentioned. But the last time I did one and knew what was coming, I didn't mind it so much. As for my worse knitting experience... it's hard to choose just one. It would probably have to be trying to fix a messed up stitch about 25 rows down on Bonita by just frogging down in that one section. As I recall, it was not only a neurotic perfectionist decision to even try to fix it, but I ended up frogging all the way back after hours of trying anyway.
Hmmm worst experience we when I made my first sweater. I had not been knitting even a year yet. I had completed the back and right front of the sweater. I snapped a picture and sent them off to my sis. She informed me that my knit stitches were twisted. My reaction was "What the Fudge!". It turns out that the individual who taught me never caught this. I wrapped my yarn the wrong way. So I had to frog the who entire sweater and start over. But it doesn't end there. After completing this sweat I have never worn it because it is way tooooooo big. I got gauge but the sizing was waaaaaaayyyyyyy off. Needless to say that this first experience of knitting a sweater was my worst. I never knitted another sweater for a long time.
Sorry to hear about the frogging. The bright side? At least is wasn't the back. The Front is less stitches. Can't wait to see updated pics!!!
I assumed that if I got the stitch gauge specified in the pattern that the correct row gauge would happen automatically. The sweater in question was a child's size (thank FSM!) raglan. I joined at the armholes and knitted happily up the yoke. Imagine my dismay to discover the yoke, had I continued to knit according to the pattern, would have ended somewhere around the child's eyes. I frogged back a few rows, not really far enough, and fudged a bunch of extra decreases to narrow the top of the yoke enough to resemble a neck. It turned out fine but it was a goodly while until I tried that raglan pattern.
Well, I guess I just won't be writing about Icarus, then, will I?
I once decided to make a sweater for my then-boyfriend three days before his birthday. I ran out and bought the yarn, designed the pattern, and knitted for many, many hours straight, neglecting my studies, eating, sleeping, showering, and possibly even using the bathroom for three days--and I finished the bloody thing in time. The joke? He hated the sweater AND broke up with me. I don't think there was a connection, but you never know.
The irony is, 15 years later, he is my husband, and sheepishly asks me to knit him sweaters.
I tend to give up long before I have a huge disaster. But I have learned that I am incapable of counting to 8 when I'm knitting lace.
What a great question! My biggest delusion is just gauge in general. I used to think 'who cares if you're off by 1/2 stitch per inch, like THAT'S going to matter!!'....ummm, yeah, I've been burned by that one many times.
I do the opposite! Forget to use the smaller needles for the ribbing. Gah.
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