Friday, February 8, 2008

How on Earth?

So here's something knitters don't exactly love to do-- showing everyone our mistakes. I was knitting along on Tree Jacket when I realized I'd made a mistake...or two...or three. I was definitely in denial about the back of this sweater. Keeping in mind that this was primarily football knitting, so it's possible that some of the mistakes came when an interception was thrown or an opposing team threw a touchdown. Yeah. That's where the mistakes came from...

So first, here is the front of the sweater (aka what it's supposed to look like):See how the rows all go straight back and the stitches between the lace portions all match? The front, minus the wrinkles from being stored in a Ziploc, is looking good.

Now, to show you the [misbehaving] side in question:Most of the problem has been contained in that middle column. I have no idea how, but I've slowly been losing stitches (which means I've added them somewhere else since my stitch count is still dead-on).

It has gotten to the point where I can no longer deny that this is a problem. What's even worse is that I've started to strongly dislike working on this sweater because of the mistakes--I know I wouldn't wear it often either. As a result, I've decided to frog back to the start of the lace pattern. Do I have the support of the masses on this one? Am I making the correct choice to remove my Treebeardy from the needles to make it right again?

Regardless of my decision, I'm staying positive on this one. The lace pattern on this one knits up so quickly it won't really be a setback. I do hate ripping out afternoons of work though-- It's a good thing it's in my favorite color...

13 comments:

Awesome Mom said...

Frog away! If I make something with errors in it for me knowing those errors are there would annoy me to no end making me like what I knit. It is better to spend time time so that you will love the result.

Anonymous said...

Don't rip back yet, bring into the shop and we can try to ladder down to fix it. If that fails, then it' time to rip.

Dixie at Yellow Dog Knitting

Anonymous said...

I say rip it. I'm sure you'll like it a lot better sans the mistakes!

Becca said...

Rip, rip, rip. You won't wear it if it doesn't look great. I would help you with it if you were near, but you are gone now. So just rip it. It will be okay....

rachel iufer said...

frogging is always a tough decision but i think it's always worth it. why keep knitting if you'll never wear it? good luck with the re-knitting!

Anonymous said...

I say rip it out - I always err on the side of the frog if, especially if you have a feeling you're going to be less than satisfied with the final product...

Julia said...

Thanks for commenting on my blog - now I get to read yours! I love your writing - English major?

Back to the topic - I'd probably frog it too. Can't wait to see the finished sweater!

Kara said...

Oh nuts! I hate when that happens. I was faced with this same quandary the other day. I frogged and now I am glad I did.

Gudrun Johnston said...

I'm a huge believer in ripping back...I do it often...even for wee things that others probably wouldn't notice..it does require taking a deep breath ahead of time but when you correct the mistake (or make whatever change you need to) you'll be very glad you did!

Anonymous said...

Once I finished a lovely yellow wool pullover with a mistake I knew was there. I wore it for a year or so, but, couldn't stand thinking about the mistake every time I wore the sweater. So finally I sucked it up, and pulled the whole sweater apart. It was worth it. I have a pair of socks I'm going to do that with, it's better ripping then having something you either don't wear or think about the mistake every time you do.

Mari said...

Oh no.

Hope you figured out the best way to fix it.

Did you have to frog?

amanda said...

I would say frog and fix your mistake. You'll be more likely to wear the sweater in the long run.

Anonymous said...

I hate it when that happens. Glad to hear you're staying positive--it is a lovely color. Just think of it as bonus knitting.