Sunday, February 14, 2010

Stuck! I'm stuck!

Well, I'm kinda surprised at the amount of knitting that I'm not getting done while I'm working at my not job and looking for a job which is more like a full-time job. Perhaps, it is that while I'm knitting it is difficult to ignore the fact that I'm knitting in the middle of the day and not at a job. I feel guilty because of all the activities that I could be doing, knitting is not productive in the end game of getting me a job.

Enough of the unemployment whine, here is the knitting that I have been working on. I picked up my Charlie tee-shirt that I have been hibernating for awhile. I realized that the armholes where just too big and in order to make them smaller I was going to have to rip the whole thing out. I was sad. I really wanted this tee. When I started it last year, it seemed to be the answer to what I desperately needed to knit. It was a cute and fashionable top. It was designed to be knitted within the quantities of gorgeous alpaca that I had just purchased at Rhinebeck for a song. The pattern was challenging: provisional cast on, short-row shaping and horizontal lace panels. So I was brave and ripped it out and started anew. I really enjoyed the knitting and I had gotten to the part where you join the front two sections to the back section and begin knitting the body in the round when I looked at what I had finished. AGAIN, the armholes were too big. Like 2" too big.

Maybe it'll change when I pick up the stitches to do the puff sleeves! Maybe they are supposed to be oversized!

No, I don't think so. I've made other mistakes in knitting and persevered to the end to only have a farcically too large and droopy garment. While I'm heartbroken that this is just not going to work out, it might to for the best to allocate the yarn (which I love, love, love) to a better project. And I might add, that while my Ravelry note say that I got gauge, I think that was a lie. I remeasured, and I was way off.

So big question--What do I make with 1300 yards of sport weight, dark brown alpaca?



I have a few options that I've drummed up.

First, Coraline by Ysolda. This past Rhinebeck I bought oodles more of this alpaca but in a different color. Ysolda took one look at it and said, "Oh, you can make Coraline with that!" I just stared at her like she had something growing out of her head. It wasn't that she was mistaken (she's totally right), but at that moment while I recognized the name of the pattern, I could not recall what Coraline looked like or what it was.

Or, I could make Riding to Avalon, which I have a fondness for. I'm just uncertain if the fondness I have is anything more than my passing fondness for period piece movies. Just because you love 18th century dress doesn't mean you should dress like it. It's not like I'll be going to a Ren Fair or something.

Or, the Wallis Cardigan, which seems to be on the summery end of the spectrum. I have a problem imagining it knit in alpaca.

Or, I could get my cable fix with Catriona. I do want a warm vest to wear to the office (once I have one to go to).

Or, I could make another tee, namely Vesper, which I think is so, so sweet.

So? Whadya think? I'm leaning toward Coraline.

(And my plans for the truck-load of camel colored alpaca I picked up this year? I'm so close to making Surface!)

1 comment:

Aidan said...

Coraline!