Off My Game

Well, I finally did it.

After 26 days in the water, I finally blocked my purple sweater.

Full disclosure, it looked like this...

before I blocked it.  That may or may not be mold.

But a little soak and some downy beads and it looked and smelled amazing.  It was going to be just fine.

Except I forgot the safety pins.

Sometimes I use safety pins in my knitting to mark rows.  And when I'm done knitting I take out the safety pins before I block my stuff.

Except when I don't.

And even then it is usually fine, because I don't let me knits sit in water for 26 freaking days.

Except when I do.

This is going to end exactly the way you  think it is.

I found a safety pin on each sleeve.  And they looked like this.

Huge stiff rust marks on each sleeve. (and oh my poor unpainted nails, it has been a rough few weeks)

I frantically washed the sweater, scrubbed the marks harder than I should with a paste of salt and lemon juice (I've had success in the past removing rust marks with salt and lemon juice).  It didn't help.  But it was going to be just fine.  I'd learned my lesson about procrastinating blocking.  And since I'd learned my lesson on not ordering enough yarn with my Tweedy sweater I had over ordered with this sweater and I still have three untouched skeins of yarn.  I could frog and then re knit just the sleeves.

It was going to be just fine.

A painful lesson learned, but lesson learned with no real harm done.

And then I found the third safety pin.

On the back.

Where the rust had bled through the back and onto the front.

And  it looks as bad as it sounds.

No purple Grown Up Girl for me.

I may have cried.

A Lot.

And I was so going to love this sweater.  Even with the pockets dangling, and ends everywhere you can tell it was going to be awesome.

Although the sleeves did turn out ridiculously long.

That was an easy fix, and I could have fixed it when I was reknitting the sleeves with rust free yarn.

Only there was a third freaking safety pin.

I am not meant to have a Grown Up Girly Sweater.  I need to accept the things I can not change.

I don't even know what to do now.  Do I frog it and use the salvageable parts of the yarn to knit this years Weasley Sweater for Sweet Pea.  Purple is her favorite color.  Do I throw it away?  Do I burn it as a act of penance and an offering to the yarn Gods to signify my repentance and committment to never ever let this happen again.  (I can't promise I won't let my yarn soak for 26 days, but I can promise I will ALWAYS remove the safety pins first).

My broken heart is too tender to decide.

I blocked my recently finished Folded in a reasonable amount of time.  (I might have let the sweater soak for an entire 30 minutes before I laid it out to dry)

I'm feeling "meh" about this sweater.  I don't think I made a good yarn/pattern match.  Cotton yarn does not seem to have the right drape/memory for this pattern.  The little folded pleats in the front that is the defining feature of this sweater (and hence the name) seem to have disappeared, even thought I distinctly remember knitting them.  And check out those sleeves.

They were supposed to be 3/4 sleeves, but they grew when I blocked it, and now they are that annoying length that isn't 3/4 but also doesn't cover my wrist bones.  I'm pretty sure I started knitting sweaters to avoid having sleeves like this.

I do like the garter stitch modification I made on the bodice.

And when I fold the sleeves up I like it more.

But over all I'm feeling pretty blah about this.  I may never wear it. (On the bright side my messy fish tail braid is looking extra messy awesome today, so there is that.)

I'm currently playing yarn roulette with another sweater.  Do I have enough yarn to knit two long sleeves?  I'm fairly sure I do, but maybe not.

I'm not confident about this yarn/pattern match either.  It is another cotton yarn, and I fear it will grow when blocked.  And while I like the length it is now, it will be too long if it grows.  And I wish the collar was a smidge longer in relation to the back length.

I like the side view but in the front view I'm not sold.  I'm feeling pretty "blarg" about crafting.  Maybe it is time to bust out the new yarn so I can feel the love once more.

Speaking of feeling the love, check out Queen Bean's extra sassy kissy face.

My goodness I love that kid!  She makes every day extra joyful.  No time for unenthusiastic knitting (or blogging) when I could be playing with this perfect ball of baby.