Zimmermania

Friday, March 16, 2007

oh, agony

My fellow Zimmermaniacs:

(*edited to highlight the wonk*)

I was going to come here and surprise you all with a wonderful and inspiring version of the February Baby Sweater that was the result of good advice I culled from this website. I knit, knit, knit away on it in Artyarns Supermerino. The knitting done, I happily sewed on a couple of buttons (because I just had to see what they'd look like on the masterpiece), then seamed and washed it. While I was laying it out to dry, I noticed that my sweater was not a masterpiece, but a deformity. Witness, if you will:


Something went terribly awry with the lace pattern below the yoke.

My heartache is that I can't figure out what. I'll have to rip it, this is true, but I don't want to make the same mistake again. If anyone has any idea where I might've gone wrong, please advise.

In the meantime, I'm going back in, this time with a helmet and safety goggles.

Labels:

posted by carlita dee at 12:04 PM

20 Comments:

  • beautiful sweater...errors and all.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:41 PM  

  • Just block it and call it a day. It's one of those errors that can be a design feature if you let it :-)
    It's very beautiful.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:01 PM  

  • I just don't see the mistake. I know you do because it is your creation and you are looking at it with a critical eye, but I can assure you that (at least from Houston) it looks beautiful. Can you start again with another yarn? This one can be the baby sweater, version one.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:14 PM  

  • I started one of these, then i unpicked a bit then i changed my mind and started a different colourway then i unpicked that and started something totally different!. Once it is on a child it will look fine, I'm sure but I know that it would bug me every time I saw it. Hmmm...have you already frogged it?

    By Blogger picperfic, at 1:41 PM  

  • It seems like you didn't keep the pattern going when increasing. I will look at the pattern at home. Nice, very nice buttons.

    By Blogger Sam, at 1:44 PM  

  • Don't frog! It's beautiful with your unconscious modification! I bet if you make it again and very carefully read the instructions, your fingers will tell you what you did the first time.

    By Blogger Diane H, at 1:46 PM  

  • Did you cast on 8 sts for each side of each sleeve? If so, did you also pick up an addl 8 sts per section of the sleeves to continue the body? I did this and it messed up the rhythm of the gull stitch just enough to offset the cardigan body. Just my two cents.

    For what it's worth, your sweater is beautiful!!

    By Blogger knitting elephant, at 2:28 PM  

  • Hi, all.

    Thanks so much for responding to my cry for help. I so appreciate the compliments, especially as I stand on the verge of tearing out my hair. :)

    I must rip this sweater, though I haven't yet, because it bugs me too much. It's for the perfect little baby girl of one of my dearest friends and, dammit, I want it to be right.

    sam la tricoteuse, I think you might be on to something. I appreciate you taking a look at the pattern for me. (And, yes, aren't the buttons lovely?)

    sweetarts 3, I did cast on 8 on each sleeve end and I think I picked them up, too. When I knit it again, I'll be extra-careful on that section.

    I'm starting to think I'm operating under a baby sweater curse. This is my 3rd attempt to make one (each from a different pattern) and the third time I've had to frog. 4th time's a charm?

    By Blogger carlita dee, at 4:36 PM  

  • If it makes you feel better, I cast on for mine at least 5 times and actually made it past the beginning of the body (after two sleeves!) before realizing I had messed up too badly to continue. The 6th (or so) time was finally the one and I just need buttons. Yours will be beautiful and perfect... and soon since they're quick to knit!!

    By Blogger knitting elephant, at 5:22 PM  

  • I think it looks great - love the color! Once it's on the baby, any problems won't be seen.

    By Blogger PlumStitches, at 6:01 PM  

  • Oh dang! I think the others are right and only another knitter would notice the pattern shift, but I understand your compulsion to rip it and try again. If I miss a mistake, it bugs me for all eternity! At least it's a teeny baby sweater, you can fix it quick.

    By Blogger becky c., at 6:03 PM  

  • Frogging gives you the freedom to get it right.

    The mistake seems to be where the arms and body meet. I don't know the patter, but if it confuses you, work the decreases in straight stitch, eating up the lace pattern when you don't have enough stitches for a complete repeat, and decrease raglan style.

    It is beautiful, and I'd rip it, too. I'm trying to develop a method of turning the hybrid shouler strap sweater into a funnel neck; I've ripped it three times today. But I'll get it, and so will you.

    By Blogger Rebecca Z., at 7:44 PM  

  • I assume you picked up all 8 stitches instead of the 7 you needed to keep with the pattern. I just got past that part of the sweater tonight.

    By Blogger Sarah, at 12:28 AM  

  • Hi Agony,
    I know what you mean. I think the problem is that EZ doesn't explain how to get all parts of the body back on the same row of the four-row stitch pattern(once the sleeves are done). I found that I had to cut and reattach the yarn three different places in order to get that whole body row all on the same "page". Some of us ARE Blind Followers and need a bit more clarification. I know I do. I think this one should have been updated by Meg and put in the "Opinionated Knitter" book! I made one goof-up in one spot and my eye automatically goes there, although not a single other person, knitter or not, would. You will be happy with it only if you begin again from the point you got off track.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:19 AM  

  • Oh, that is so sad you got so far before realizing the pattern was off! If it makes you feel any better, I backed out so many rows because of mistakes that I almost threw away the whole project. But I finally finished and it was all good! Good luck on your next one.

    By Blogger Liane, at 12:45 PM  

  • Thanks, everyone. Seems we've all been here at some point. Now I don't feel so alone in my pain. :)

    I'll post pics of the next one. I just (very carefully) did the yoke. I had one leftover skein of Supermerino and when it goes, I'll rip the other sweater. BAH!

    Rebecca Z and Sweetarts3, I will think about how many times you guys have kept trying and carry on.

    Lisa, yes! An update of this pattern would be a wonderful thing.

    By Blogger carlita dee, at 4:14 PM  

  • To get everything on the same row of the lace I joined my yarn after the first sleeve right next to the side of the sleeve towards the back side of the sweater and then knit across the back to where the next sleeve should start. After making the second sleve I joined the yarn at the underarm again and knit across to the end of the button band. THEN, I purled back across and picked up those sleeve stitches as I went. That way, everything matched up rows-wise. This is my first sweater, and I've only knitted since September, but I think it's going well!

    By Blogger Sarah, at 6:55 PM  

  • Did you do any increases after you finished the garter stitch part of the yoke? All the increases are supposed to be in garter stitch. It's hard to see exactly what happened but if you need help with the pattern next time feel free to email me - I've knitted three of them now & can explain the pattern if you want. It's true that the bit after the sleeves is a little tricky and hard to work out. My email is pip at pipfugl dot dk :)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:58 AM  

  • I just finished knitting the sleeves and about 5 inches of the lace pattern under the sleeves. I was very careful to make sure I started on Row 1 of the lace pattern for each sleeve and on Row 1 when I picked the back stitches back up. Like a previous commenter, I put the fronts of the cardi on holders while I worked the sleeves, again, making sure that I was on Row 1 of each cardi when I left off. I also cast on 8 stitches either side of the sleeves and knit the first and last stitch so I could have a selvedge stitch to sew up the sleeves. One thing I wish I had done but no one else is going to see, it to be a little more careful when picking up stitches after the sleeves were done so that the lace pattern matched up a little better. It's a stitch or two off on the underarm but like I said, no one else is going to see it.

    By Blogger jillz, at 6:54 AM  

  • Thanks jillz, anja, and sarah. My problem definitely had to do with not picking up stitches on the same row.

    Sweater #2 is almost done. I'll be posting it soon.

    By Blogger carlita dee, at 10:15 AM  

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