Tag Archives: frog pond

Frog It: Everyday Shawl

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It’s time for more violins. I am recognizing a pattern in my knitting luck here lately. The Everyday shawl I cast on this week is headed to the frog pond. But let me explain.

I’m still at that weird thong looking stage of this shawl but I did work through multiple sections before confirming my decision to frog. Let me preface with this by saying, this pattern is well written and explains everything you need to know. And I think it was handling the variegated nature of the yarn beautifully.I as the knitter just can’t get my shawl to do what its supposed to do.

Without giving away the secret sauce, I keep messing up the increases at the edges and I never end up with the right stitch counts. So I found myself not wanting to pick up this project and kinda hating it. Life is to short to knit things that make you unhappy. I still want to knit this pattern some day but right now my sleep deprived-mom of two kids-with a full time job brain just can’t handle this. This yarn deserves better.

Tomorrow I will cast on the third attempt to make this yarn a shawl! Stay tuned….

I Might Have To Revoke My Knitter Card

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So all this week I have been fighting with my Westport Blanket and having all kinds of trouble. As I was knitting last night it really started to sink in that my work didn’t really look anything like the pattern picture. I think I have found the source of my problem….I PRINTED THE WRONG PATTERN FROM MY LIBRARY! I also own the Brookside Blanket also by Fifty Four Ten Studio and accidentally printed that from Ravelry. 

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As you can see, this pattern photo looks MUCH more like what was I was knitting than what I showed in my post on Tuesday.

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Now, this pattern and blanket are lovely. But they just aren’t what I intended. And since the border edge is already messed up on one side I’m just going to frog the entire thing and start over WITH THE CORRECT PATTERN this time. Man, I can be really silly sometimes but I might have to turn my knitter card in over this one though.

Off to the frog pond I go!

Sometimes….It Just Doesn’t Work

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I have bad news for my Jericho Blanket….it’s hit the frog pond.

This pattern is gorgeous, but I just wasn’t feeling the yarn/pattern combo. I just didn’t feel the drive to keep working on it and I didn’t even get past my first color change. I didn’t want it to languish so I pulled the plug.

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Instead of a written pattern, I have decided to move forward with an improvised pattern of my own. I cast on a bunch of stitches (you like my exactness? lol) and started working back and forth in stockinette. I will work 3 inch stripes of each color (black, grey, wheat, and cream) until I run out of yarn or the blanket gets big enough.

Then I plan on picking up and adding a seed stitch border in black around the outside. I’m slipping the stitches on each side so that they are easy to pick up later. I feel much better about this project and I have the mojo to keep working.

And I will donate my blanket to the local animal shelter!! It’s cold out and every fur baby deserves a good snuggle blanket. Don’t you think?

Happy Knitting!

Foiled Again

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I’m been on a HUGE sweater kick as the weather is slowly turning to fall. And I have had The Nutmeg Sweater in my Rav queue for a while. I’m pretty close to finishing my Brick sweater do I thought, what the heck and cast on! After all it’s a bulky sweater and will go crazy fast right?

Oh, the knitting hubris. Remember when I had all the trouble with my increases in the body of Brick? I’ve been foiled again!

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The pattern didn’t specify what kind of increases to use in the raglan portion of the yoke. And I was in too much of a hurry to check Ravelry notes, so I just clicked along using the backwards loop cast on method. Don’t know why…just did.

After a whole evenings knitting and tv watching I looked down and what did I see but holes at the increases! Now this is black yarn and I’m very pale. Therefore with any stretch these holes will become readily apparent with my skin underneath. Sigh.

To the frog pond I went and ripped back the whole thing. On the next go round I’m going to use the make one left, make one right increases as explained by Twist Collective.

I really should learn faster. This is probably one of those “fool me once and so on” moments. Good thing it’s bulky yarn and I had some chilled wine in the fridge!

This will be Stashbustin’ #37 and I’m using Knit Picks Brava Bulky in black for those who are interested.