the blue blog archives: bugger!

Man this bug sweater is being a pain in the butt! While I'm waiting for the proper size circular to arrive so I can restart the body, I decided to work on the sleeves, since I do have the appropriate double pointed needles. After twice knitting and ripping that first row of bugs on the body, I have now knit and ripped it three times on the sleeve. I just can't stand the way it looks. The colorwork looked great when I was knitting real tight, but with a needle two sizes bigger it's this big hideous loosey-goosey affair that I simply cannot abide. I've knit so much on this sweater that I should be halfway up the body, but alas I've got an inch of the body (and half of that is hem to be turned under!) and the same inch on the first sleeve. Aaaargh! And in the meantime, Cindy is almost done with her Kool-Aid sweater, Wendy has practically finished the body on Hank 8 and Michelle has made incredible progress on her intarsia plaid. What is my %*&#@ing problem?!

posted by alison at 9:54 pm | in bugs!

Comments

Hey - dont' be so hard on yourself! You are one of the speediest knitters I know, just because this one project is giving you a bit of trouble don't beat yourself up! I'm sure it will click soon and then you'll be zooming along as normal making more progress than the rest of us put together and this will all just be a memory.. OK?

Posted by: Kerrie at March 28, 2003 4:05 AM

Hey, watch it! You'll jinx me! ;) But really, I agree completely with Kerrie. The wheel will turn and it will get easier again. Hang in there!

Posted by: michelle at March 28, 2003 5:19 AM

Do you need to go up a size so you can work the smaller gauge but have the right fit for the fall? I often have "false starts" on my more complicated projects. You will hit your stride.

Right now I am more frustrated with my blog than I am with knitting!

Posted by: Melissa at March 28, 2003 6:06 AM

Alison, my Kool Aid sweater has a huge gauge (I'm using 10-1/2 needles), so of course it will go faster than a small gauge sweater. I am also not currently raising twin toddler boys. It's far from done (I hate doing sleeves and I've never steeked before!)

I know how frustrating it can be to constantly have to restart projects (I don't think I've got a project that I didn't have to start at least a second time).

Keep your chin up, it will click, and you'll be cruising along in no time.

Posted by: Cindy at March 28, 2003 6:52 AM

Sorry about the bad knitting karma. I've finally given in to the swatch police (but it took *years*), and now spend loads of time swatching and less time ripping. Pick your poison!

Posted by: claudia at March 28, 2003 8:05 AM

Maybe I should send the Geraldine card to you? (teehee) I completely understand your angst. I did a 1x1 ribbing on Liv's skirt and I hate it. But it's going to have a drawstring running through it so I figure it won't be so bad all bunched up. I was gonna rip it out and thought "nope, life is too short." Besides, I hate being called anal. Keep at it. You'll find your needle.

Posted by: Kerstin at March 28, 2003 8:13 AM

Hey everyone! I'm trying to hang in there, but it is so frustrating. Silly me, thinking that having already done a whole sweater in the same yarn would be enough to know what needles to use! I think another problem with this pattern is that the ladybugs have 3 colors per row and the third color often only appears once in the 12 stitch repeat, so I'm stranding two colors and weaving the third in halfway across and it's a giant lumpy mess on the inside, not to mention more than a bit tricky to handle on double points. Aack!

Posted by: alison at March 28, 2003 8:40 AM

I feel your pain, Alison! Keep at it, you'll get it. And be grateful for having such an eye for detail; that's why your knits always look so fabby.

And, if it's any consolation, I'm a frog-a-holic of late. I've ripped out the second sleeve to my son's raglan sweater a whopping three times, simply because I didn't like the way my stitches looked. And it was just straight stockinette stitch! So I'm not kidding when I tell you that I feel your pain. Tee hee.

Posted by: Becky at March 28, 2003 9:05 AM

i have faith in your ability to conquer this project. drink a glass of wine, relax, and tomorrow it will look easier.

one possible suggestion? ditch the 3 color BS. just do standard 2 color fair isle. then go back and put the 3rd color in w/ duplicate stitch. that's how they do it in the norskestrikkedesign book if there is ever a row that looks like 3 colors, and the 3rd is of course just one random stitch here and there.

Posted by: carolyn at March 28, 2003 9:28 AM

Posted by: Joe at October 2, 2003 3:58 PM