knitting lessons

A little blue sweater will not stop teaching me lessons.  The first was how simple a cable is to make, and how silly I was to have feared them for so long. 

The second was that simple patterns can easily be knit in the round, but it's much better to knit sleeves from the top down rather than the bottom up -- this should have been obvious, since I was knitting in the round to avoid seams, after all.  And, I tried it both ways.  On both sleeves.

The latest lesson is that there's something wrong with my three-needle shoulder bind-off.  Seriously wrong.  Washable merino is good provided the garment is actually pieced together properly.  The little one wore the sweater just once before the washing machine so callously pointed out my error.

I'm tempted to give it to the cat at this point.  The sweater just fits my growing girl, but while she wore it she rubbed her belly and repeated mama and y-aaah-n and nit-nit-nit with such a sweet mix of pride and tenderness, that I really want to fix it for her.

And I think there are more lessons in this little blue turtle.  Like, how to pick-up stitches, and lots of them.  And if it's even possible to fix a completed sweater with a large portion of the back shoulder -- between the neck and the sleeve -- unraveled.  What do you think?  Should I bring it to the nearest knitting clinic for some hands-on help or is the sweater now teaching me about letting go?

Comments

[Ella]

oh dear. Looks like that was one great sweater. i hope you can fix it! i certainly would not have the patience at this point but then i've never knit a sweater.

[Sarah Jackson]

learn the lessons my dear. That sweater is a laboratory waiting to happen. don't just rip it. You can totally rescue the shoulder.

[Tracy]

I agree, give the save another go! You never know what might happen. And if all else fails at least the cat will have a cozy sweater ;o) Happy week to you & yours.

[Pina]

Because you ask us to leave a comment, I will leave one... because just before a New Year I took a similar photo of yellow lichen that is in a header of your blog.
About the knitting - I haven't been knitting for at least 15 years but recently I found great fun in sewing. :)

[grace]

Go for the clinic! I hope this sweater fixes up for you. It looks like a great accomplishment. Even though its having a little trouble.

[emily]

try to fix it. i think. because it's about lessons already. so even if it's not fixable, you'll have learned more along the way. i think.

[julia]

i vote for trying to fix it- but i would check out your local yarn shop for some assistance before you drive yourself completely mad. it will be very rewarding once it's completed and you can see your little one wearing it happily.

[Ali]

Your daughter's comment is so sweet and touching that I think I would move heaven and earth to fix it for her.

Although I did spend a good half hour last night discussing if I could live with the error in my second sock that I have no idea how to rectify. I think I can, given that it'll be up my trouser leg half the time.

[Tracy]

Oh, that is such a bummer! Is it even fixable? If so, try to fix it. How can you not, after those lovely comments from your little one and all of the lessons it has already taught you? Just seems right.

[equisetaceae]

with a response like that from the wee one, i'd totally try to salvage.

I don't think that the sweater is dead! Actually, it sounds like you won't have to do alot of work to save it.

My tip, pick up all those stitches on a stitch holder/ needle. Figure out which one are on the bottom (ie, the most number of rows down or the ones that were knit first) and leave those free. Carefully, a row at a time, re-hook your stitches with a crochet hook or knitting needle (however you normally pick up stitches). You will really quickly get back up to the end of you knitting. You'll be able to re-3-needle bind off on the last live stitches.

There is a great tutorial for the 3 needle bind off here-
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/FEATfall06TT.html

[erin]

fix it. it's worth the time.

[Oiyi]

I'm not sure. Sometimes it's better to start over.

I use to hate picking up stitches, but now I don't mind. I knit so many things ever since I got pregnant, so I got to practice a lot of techniques on small objects.