The Sage Cardigan
February 21st, 2009
I have ripped this project out so many times. I am determined to finish it because I am so in love with the design, but I feel as if the pattern and me just don’t mesh. This time I didn’t do my increases in the right place. On the garter stitch panel you’re supposed to decrease at the very edge as it gets closer to the shoulder. Not paying any attention to the line by line instructions (I’m using the very detailed graphed out chart) I didn’t realize I was supposed to decrease 1 stitch in. Of course I should have seen this. I should have known that decreases right on the edge of garter stitch would look like a ladder. It wasn’t until I’d almost finished this piece that I realized I couldn’t live with how crappy it looked. R-R-I-P-P…
Today and yesterday I finally got the energy to pick it back up again and reknit almost to where I ended before ripping. In fact I was even going to try to avoid ripping and do a clever fix. It turns out I like actual knitting more than I like deconstructing and re-working it. This is going to be such a beauty when I block it. You may be able to tell that now the edge of the garter stitch panel has a nice (mostly) smooth curve to it. Totally worth ripping and reknitting.
I have to say one thing about the yarn. I’m using Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk yarn, and this stuff has really held up. Some parts of the yarn have been knit 4 and 5 times, and there’s only a slight bit of fuzz to show the wear. That’s no more than it would get once it had been blocked, and you can’t really tell when it’s knitted up. This is a good thing because I really need this sweater to last, what with how long it’s taking me.
This started out as a somewhat long term sweater due to the detail and the small stitches, which I am always a fan of. However, it has become a monster of a sweater due to a bit of perfectionism and a lot of mistakes. The pattern itself doesn’t seem to have too many errors, but it’s not written in a way that is easy for me to follow. It may seem silly, but there’s just too much information and I get overwhelmed.
Hopefully as I get on in this pattern I’ll have more to say. It feels as if every time I bring this cardigan it’s always the same story. Love the yarn, love the stitches, mistakes, ripping, reknitting, damn it I’m determined to finish this one.
Lovely Kri! Can’t wait to see the finished knit. And isn’t Blue Sky Alpaca great? I’ve used three of their yarns without complaint.
Lovely sweater. This color is right up my alley.