News from the needles

There has been a lot of knitting going on around here lately, though you wouldn’t know it from reading this. However today I bring you the story of some sweater FAIL. It’s not quite as tragic as poor Brenda’s story concerning two failed sweaters, but it is a little bit sad.

See that beautiful hem worked in organic cornish wool and a sweet, oatmeal shetland and UK alpaca blend? Yes, that must be ripped out. All of it. Witness the peaty, soft LOVE that is the dark shetland wool – all 16 1/2″ of it. Yes, that must go too. The reason for this is that there is no way that Mark – the recipient of this sweater – has a 54″ chest.

This is totally my own fault. I based the whole design for it on an existing sweater. I *thought* I had gotten gauge, I *thought* I had measured everything properly… but I was basing this sweater on measurements of the SWEATER and not measurements of its wearer. So the man is going to be measured this weekend, exhaustively. Measurements you didn’t even think were possible to calculate on a human body will now be made because I’m taking no chances on the second version of this sweater! At least now I will definitely get gauge; afterall, I have a 16 1/2″ swatch to work from!

I think for the reknit I will invest in some addi turbos. The square needles I was trying to use are the worst thing I have ever knit with. I know other people find them amazing and that they are supposed to help people with arthritis or tennis elbow or whatever, but in my experience they were truly awful because the knitting doesn’t glide along the circulars at all. In fact, the only way to increase the traction on them would be to add spray adhesive. Any benefits to the hands provided by these needles in their nice, square shape are lost on the hours you have to spend trying to coax your knitting along the circular bit. My cheapo bamboo needles break at the part where the plastic joins the needle so often that I have taken to keeping superglue in my needlework bag, and on a reknit, you just don’t need these kinds of barriers to the task in hand.

However there has also been some knitting WIN to counterbalance the FAIL, so I will give you glimpses of two other things currently on my needles.

A sepia-toned something.

Mmmm… Corrugated ribbing…

There is also an Ulmus lying around here somewhere that I must resume work on. Happy days!

9 Responses to News from the needles

  1. Pingback: The Domestic Soundscape » Blog Archive » Autumn Blisses

  2. Pingback: The Domestic Soundscape » Blog Archive » Sunday’s (slightly) happier news

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