Sometimes you need lateral knitting...
I kept on thinking… shall I post today ? Shall I post this ? is it worth showing ? I made it about two years ago as always not following a commercial pattern. I remembered @fiberfrau's post last week. I have also made many mistakes when crafting, particularly knitting, but I have found ways to salvage items.
Before knitting the cardigan I had actually made some sketches and measured everything. I buy magazines every so often so I know what sort of shapes I need to be aiming for.
The shapes I made were a bit like @neumannsalva’s Marian Jacket, but mine had decreases for the neckline and the sleeves were slightly set in. Below is a ‘reconstruction’ of the design - I no longer have the original :
I measured and tried knitting a sample as a swatch tension, but despite all that it did not work according to plan.
Besides the ‘that cardigan’s a bit grey', to me it’s the cardigan made with that annoying yarn. It was really cheap for UK prices and I bought it at a Smallholders’ (Homesteading) show so I didn’t look closely enough - there was so much else to see .
The yarn combines slubs with bits of thin thread sticking out which makes unravelling impossible and swatching for tension hard too. The stitching, therefore, looks uneven whatever you do ...
I started the knitting full of hope. I wasn’t sure how to make the hem because the ribbing didn’t look that neat, so I left it open and that was a lucky decision because when I finished it was ‘way too short’ and it was also ‘way too narrow’.
What did I do ? Check below:
The area in red is the ‘lateral extension’ I ended up knitting and you can see part of it below.
That’s the wrong side of the garment with the extension. I was pleased I didn’t have to unravel again and I persevered.
That’s a slightly closer look at the section I added: it doesn’t show at all on the right side thanks to the annoying textured yarn that hides everything 😁.
photos by @cryptocariad
With thanks to @crosheille and @crystalize for hosting and co-hosting #needleworkmonday and thanks to you for reading 😊 !
Glad you posted it. Textured yarn hurts my hands, but wearable clothes seems worth it.
Thanks @metzli... This yarn was annoying slippery actually.
You made it work! We knitters do whatever it takes, right?
We totally do @fiberfrau - thank you 😊
I laughed when I got to the end and read that the extension doesn't show, thanks to the annoying textured yarn! They are difficult to knit with, but I like the uneven texture that results. It's especially helpful for knitters like me whose knitting is very erratic. Great that you designed and tested your first pattern, grey can always be dressed up wth other colours 😊
I agree with you re the texture helping to hide uneven stitching because mine has never been perfect either @shanibeer... Unravelling was the nightmare really - and the fine threads getting caught...
That wasn't 'my first'. I knitted my first cardi when I was 16 after deciphering instructions for 'horseshoe' lace (not at all ambitious 😂 ).
In those days I didn't have my own camera or any idea of 'swatching' for tension... To cut a long story short, the stitch was marvellous but it was all a bit tight and after wearing it a few times I unravelled it and used the yarn on something else... I only learnt about tension swatching and proper drafting when I got the knitting machine - I even went to lessons to learn...
Actually I am still hoping to (one day) knit something without altering it 😌
Did you enjoy the knitting machine? I borrowed my sister's but I never got on with it 😳 I suppose it can be faster, but I like the rhythm of handknitting 😊.
I really enjoyed machine knitting because I'm not a neat knitter @shanibeer. The 'machine' does the tidy knitting for me... I found it also forced me to be more precise in my knitting - normally i don't even count stitches in hand knitting / crocheting 😏
I haven't done any for ages because of the noise and it's not as portable, but I'm looking forward to doing some more soon 😊
The hack is perfect! I will instantly share it with a friend who like me always knits too small things. I can totally relate to not liking the yarn while working with it. But the result is nice and on the photo it looks very wearable. I could imagine this jacket with the beautiful red/white flower dress <3 (perhaps you should
stealborrow the dress :-D)hugs from a fellow too-small-knitter
Thank you @neumannsalva... that dress would not suit / fit me unfortunately, but I was glad I could 'get away' with it 😆
Hugs 💓
So good to see how you fixed a mistake @cryptocariad. That gray is a pretty color especially when you have a solid red, purple, navy, or yellow to make it pop! 😊
Thank you @mrscwin ... purple's my favourite colour 😊
It’s very clever what you did to correct the size. I’ve tried crocheting with yarn similar to this and it drove me crazy so I didn’t finish. I commend you on making a cute cardi with this difficult yarn.
Thank you @crosheille! I'm personally leaving that sort of yarn for amigurumi toys now 😊 ...
You’re welcome! That’s a good idea!
you have perfectly come out of a difficult situation! a good idea!!!!
Thank you @tali72 😊
Another example of "we learn from everything we do" - because there are not mistakes, no, never!
As we go on we learn and later we can look back like you did now , thinking "How did I ever decide to do this?" but realizing that we did overcome the problems and got something we like out of it :)
Indeed @muscara... accepting lack of perfection and making do with a 'not-so-perfect' item... while also remembering in the future ...
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Hi @cryptocariad, based on the first photo, I don't see any mistake and the cardi looks nice to me. I like the color of the grey, soft grey. I do agree, it is not easy to work with yarns like that. I bought quite a few myself, and ended up stopping after just working 2 rows haha. Thanks for sharing. We learn from our mistakes and it is always good to reflect. (Though I sometimes have a problem of repeating my mistakes :D )
😊 and I do too @marblely... I can't resist a bargain for a start, but now I leave fluffy yarn like that for amigurumi 😊