Thursday, February 26, 2009

Bad GUAGE! Good Knit group



I have been knitting the February Lady Sweater and enjoying it, waiting for the day to finish it, put some hand-blown glass buttons on and wear it. I'd hoped to have it done in the month of February and was so close. Earlier this week, I decided to try it on before starting the sleeves. BIG problem...can you say bad GUAGE? The sweater is about 6 inches too small around. You'd think I'd have noticed this long before this point - it's top down after all! I pulled out the pattern and lo, saw the guage should have been 18 garter stitches over 4 inches. I got 22!! The numbers and the math don't lie, and for proof, I've got a beautiful, almost complete sweater for a slim teenager! Unless I'm knitting socks, I always make a swatch - I've got tons of swatches - so why oh why did I deviate and dive in without one this time?

So, in my disappointment I declared, "I'm not knitting anymore!" and even thought of what yarn in my stash I'd post for sale on ebay first. Of course this was before my weekly knitting group meeting. I've been knitting with the Fiber Fiends almost every Wednesday since I joined them 3 years ago. We/I don't usually get much knitting done, but we talk about knitting, yarn, patterns, our kids/husbands/parents, etc. endlessly. I shared my sad story and just as I'd hoped they snapped me out of my knitting depression and got me going again. They are a good group of friends.

I'll frog that sweater and try again, but not just now...I hear an unfinished Hanne Ballerina calling to me.