Why I Knit the Same Sweater Twice

...or, when you sense something's wrong with your knitting, frog it. Don't keep going on telling yourself it'll be fine, when a little voice in the back of your head keeps saying it won't :)

So last summer I started Buttercup with 7 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy - six skeins of one dyelot and a seventh of a different, noticeable darker dyelot. I told myself it'd be okay, and started the top-down sweater with the one odd skein. After starting the second skein the difference was very noticeable and I frogged the sweater with plans to make it again this summer. (You can see my original post here.)

I decided to try the sweater again this summer. In a fit of brilliance (not!) I decided that instead of using the one odd skein by itself in the first half, I'd alternate rows with another skein. Let me just say, bad idea. I somehow convinced myself it was okay and finished the sweater.



You can see the striping in this photo. Also, the neckline was too low for my taste - it just looked weird with a shell under it. I like my sweaters to be about 15" from the underam to the hem. After trying it on, I decided that even though the sweater was about 2" short of that, it felt okay, and bound off. Another bad idea. It was too short, ending at the widest part of my hips, not flattering at all.



I decided to try again, with only the six balls of yarn, and using option B of the pattern, which has a higher neckline. I also decided to make the body length 15", and not go by the try-on length. I'm so glad I tried again, because I love this sweater!



Pattern: Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, color 14, 6 skeins
Needles: US 4 & US 5



This is the second time I've used this yarn, and I love it. It's a bit rough to work with, but it wears incredibly well, and makes a very comfortable sweater.



I finished this in late summer and didn't get a lot of time to wear it before fall, but I hope to enjoy it next year.

And I'm so glad for this lesson that I was able to use this past weekend. I was working on my Tree Jacket and made a mistake which I realized a few rows afterwards. I tried to brush it off, but finally decided to rip a few rows and fix the mistake. I'm so glad I did, because the mistake would have thrown off the pattern of the whole sweater yoke.



I'm absolutely loving this knit, and the Cascade Venezia - it's sooo soft and silky smooth!

So How Hard Can it Be to Get a Finished Sweater Photo?

A bit difficult, apparently.

I finished three sweaters last winter and I never managed to get decent photos of them. Hopefully now that fall is here I'll get some good modeled photos.

The sweaters, in finished order, are:

The DROPS Jacket.



The Heather Hoodie Vest.



The February Lady Sweater.



I should probably also ask how long it'll take for me to not try to use yarn that cannot really be salvaged. Last summer I started a Buttercup sweater in Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy. I had a total of 7 balls, 6 of one dyelot and the 7th a different one. I really should have known better than to try to use that one odd ball in the sweater.



I tried alternating rows for the first part of the sweater with one of the other balls, but the color change was still quite noticeable. I also made the sweater too short and didn't like how the neckline came out. So, I decided to frog the thing and make it again. I'm so glad I did, because it came out perfectly! Photos next time!

I'm Not Making Any Promises...

...but hopefully I'll be blogging more.

I had a great summer - it went by way too fast, and I still can't believe its almost the middle of September already.

The summer was, once again, full of softball.



I attempted to get back to sewing a little and really didn't do so well - I'm not very good at tearing myself away from my knitting and sewing just isn't portable!



I started running about 4 - 5 times a week in June. I'm very surprised - for someone who is very prone to staying inside doing activities that always require nothing but sitting, I've grown to really enjoy running.



The best part was running my first 5k this past weekend with some of my family and friends.



It was so hard and I thought I was going to die towards the end. That's why I can't wait to participate in a 4 mile run this weekend ;) Seriously, there's something satisfying about being able to run farther and farther, especially if you didn't think you were going to be able to do it.

With knitting, I did manage to take photos of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan:



Pattern: Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, Cocoa, 8 Balls
Needles: US 3 & 4
Mods: Lengthened the sweater, shortened the ribbing portion on the sleeves & body of the sweater.



Rowan Felted Tweed is a bit expensive, but it's so worth it. This is some of the nicest yarn ever! I love this sweater, and it's too bad I didn't finish it until late February and didn't have much time to wear it before spring.



The one thing I did wrong was to not add more buttonholes to go with the added length. There's some definate button gaping going on, and I may try to fix it with snaps. Just something to keep in mind when lenthening a cardigan!

I hope your autumn weather is as nice as ours has been!