When knitters have to rip back their work quite a ways, they refer to it as "going to the frog pond." (you know, what do frogs say? Rip-it, rip-it). Well, I've visited the frog pond a couple of times lately, most recently tonight.
I started work on this gansey for Joel in Feburary 2006.
I finished the body of the sweater (which had been adjusted for his length, or lack thereof) and then started the sleeves. The sleeves have a pattern on the upper arm that complements the chest/upper back patterning. By the time I finished that and had done much of the stockinette part of the sleeve, I realized I'd run out of Joel before I ran out of sleeve. I had him try it on, I measured, I calculated, and I put the gansey away.
Ponder. Ponder. And who wants to work with wool in a Kansas City summer? Not me. So earlier this week, I brought out the gansey again and had Joel try it on. I ripped back to recalculate the sleeve decreases. I knitted some more, but I had the nagging feeling that it just wasn't going to work.
An idea flashed into my gray matter Wednesday evening on my way home from work. I could rip back one of the pattern repeats, do the end of the pattern and start the stockinette then. And do the decreases every third row instead of fourth and it should work out.
That's what I've done this evening. I think it'll work.
However, Joel commented this evening that I would NEVER finish this sweater. Never. Lay down the gauntlet, won't you, dear? I thanked him for his confidence and inspiration and kept knitting. After all, once I get the first sleeve right, the second one HAS to go more quickly. Right?
I just hope I don't have to make a third trip to the frog pond.
I feel your pain.
Posted by: Heide | Sunday, 11 February 2007 at 12:00 AM
"Frog pond" huh? Cute story.
Posted by: Suzanne | Sunday, 11 February 2007 at 09:25 PM