I have been having a lot of success lately with my knits. The process of knitting, choosing the fibre and patterns, as well as putting together the projects has been enjoyable and lovely. This was also one of my New Year’s Resolutions: To continue to enjoy and love working with fibre.
This made this knit even more disappointing because I planned and re-planned so that it would be successful. Therefore, the more I dwell on this project, the more I am concerned that I will allow it to over-shadow the great things that have been happening in my fibre world recently. This means that I am making a personal commitment that once I write this post and unload about this knit, I am going to move on and not think about it (other than when I sit and rip it out). I am going to treat the washing and re-skeining of the yarn as a cleanse, deciding what to do with the yarn after it’s dry and ready to tell me what it really wants to be when it grows up.
Vine Yoke is an awesome knit – I loved every minute of it, which I think is what makes it even worse that it didn’t turn out. The construction is interesting, innovative and ingenious. Most of the reasons that this didn’t turn out was due to me – there were multiple things that I should have done differently, that I didn’t and am now reaping the consequences. Here’s what I did wrong:
1. I added 10 stitches to the bottom, which was too much – I think I should have left it the length that Ysolda had written to cast on. This made an already stretchy cardigan longer, heavier and even more stretchy.
2. I added 10 stitches to the arms to make them longer. Same mistake. Too long. Too heavy. Stretched out. I think I am in denial about how short I really am, regardless of the person who will remain anonymous in knitting group saying, “You’re really quite stretched out.” haha I am still only 5’4”.
3. The i-cord is waaaaay too tight. I either needed to do it after (like in Audrey in Unst – it’s added as a finishing touch) or knit it looser. I think, if I knit this again, I will add it after.
4. Since the sizing it such an issue, I think I would knit this on either 5.00mm or 4.5mm needles next time. I used Cascade 220 Wool for this, expecting it to stretch a little (like people have said) but it stretched a lot. And I knew that it would because garter tends to be stretchy!
Decreasing the needle size may help with the unruly stretching. I knit a size 32” bust, which I would definitely knit again. I am a 36” bust and a 34” upper bust but since this is so stretchy, the smaller size would fit perfectly if I hadn’t added the length and hadn’t knit the i-cord so tightly that the puckering in the yoke wouldn’t have been so bad. The other idea was one that someone in knitting group had, which was to knit it in St st instead of garter. I am seriously considering this … seriously …
Overall, I am really unhappy with this sweater but I think I learned some good lessons from it and there are mistakes that I wouldn’t make again. Like I said, rip it out, wash and re-skein the yarn and I think I will be feeling a whole lot better!
~r.
aaawwww… doesn't help that you look so sad in the photos! Sad welford purls! Well, unlike the majority of people who knit cardigans they don't like, at least you are recognizing the errors and actively thinking about how to fix them or do different. And, a plus as well, this is yarn you can frog! Woo! I totally acknowledge your sadness and send you cyber hugs. The bottom edge is awesome. Didn't notice that in person.