Honey-suck-le.
Pride goeth before a fall. Or some sh*t like that.
So, my friend Steph asked me recently, "Whatever happened to Honeysuckle?"
What, indeed.
Well, the thing is, Jenny didn't listen to Nona. Nona was taught that one should take a
"mild conceit session" when one does a good job. Emphasis on MILD.
But when Jenny finished the fronts, backs, and one sleeve of Honeysuckle, she took a big huge gigantic conceit session. It went something like this:
[inside brain voice] "My goodness this stitching turned out well. How beautiful my seams are. What a great job on the sleeve caps. I am so so clever to have put the decreases two stitches in instead of one." BLAH BLAHBITY BLAH. "I can't wait to blog about how clever I am. My goodness how I rock."
And yet, here is what happened.
That funny ridge? Not really what I intended.
Let me esplain. No, it is too much. Let me sum up.
Sometimes I just don't see the obvious thing. My gauge is off. Twenty-four stitches to 4" instead of 22. This is a huge difference. AND, it's been off, since, oh I don't know, the BEGINNING.
That's right, the back and front and sleeve, all merrilly knit too small. Joy of joys. Please kill me now.
Thus, I spent some time ripping out some BEAUTIFUL seams:
Boo hoo.
Well, anyway, it's done. The bloody thing is taken apart. My very smart friend Jenna suggested I knit the second sleeve to fit (ie tweak the second sleeve) before frogging the first one, which I am doing. I have:
1) Increased needle sizes 2) Added increases 3) Redone the sleeve cap math. I will leave the back and front (which fit otherwise) and redo the sleeves. This grasshopper is now humbled, master. "Wax on, wax off."
Keep your fingers crossed.
Comments
got my fingers crossed for ya. it'll work.
Posted by: froggy | April 25, 2005 06:51 AM
Oh, man! I bet that was painful! You'll be so much happier when it's "just right" though!
Posted by: Jackie | April 25, 2005 06:52 AM
What a let down. :-( We try soooo hard sometimes & it just doesn't work. From the photo, she looks great...color, fit, except for the pucker. I have great faith in you. Before long she will be just as you intented her to be. Can't wait to see her done!
Posted by: Eilene | April 25, 2005 07:45 AM
At least you can fix it darlin'
I think I would just give it to someone with unusually skinny arms and a slight vision problem :)
Ha, good luck...it really is beautiful (otherwise).
HoneySUCKle.
Posted by: Anne Marie | April 25, 2005 09:35 AM
It's gonna be mah-velous. The hard part is over - the ripping. Right?
P.S. That quote is constantly in my head... "Let me esplain...." I heart that quote.
Posted by: Carrie | April 25, 2005 09:59 AM
jenny, i have seen you work some mathmatics knitting magic when my gauge was oh, i don't know, like a million miles off. i have faith in you. the sweater will fit fabulously and with any luck we'll get a few more crazy, unseasonably cold days so that you can wear it!
Posted by: jenna | April 25, 2005 01:35 PM
Yuck, is there anything worse than getting to the end and finding that your gauge has been wrong?
I am so impressed that you can just do the math and make yourself a new sleeve cap! I myself am math-handicapped so the very thought of making sleeves to fit makes me want to go to my bed and never come out. Or until something good comes on TV.
Posted by: Jenn | April 25, 2005 03:59 PM
Good for you for at least admitting the problem and dealing with it! Other than the minor seam problem, it looks beautiful--I'm sure it will work out great.
Posted by: molly | April 25, 2005 07:36 PM
You deserve big props for frogging that and fixing. Some people would have shoved the whole thing into a drawer and then forget about it. You *are* the MYKU! Wax on, wax off.
Posted by: Becky | April 26, 2005 03:00 AM
nona thinks you should take an MCS for figuring out your problem and dealing it. But please Jenny, keep it mild this time!
Posted by: nona | April 26, 2005 11:24 AM
yay! Honeysuckle mystery solved. Glad you're going back and fixing it, because I LOVE that color. Wow! Now I'm thinking that the "little bit" off my gauge is on the Honeymoon cami might not be so little after all... Will it be Huge? We shall soon see.
Posted by: Stephanie | April 26, 2005 01:07 PM
Amen to Becky, because I'm one of those people she's talking about. Congratulations and *major* props on facing the demon of redo.
Posted by: Cordelia | April 26, 2005 03:12 PM
I totally would have thrown it in a drawer! good for you for slogging through. It will be worth it- such a beautiful color.
I love Princess Bride!! hehe
Posted by: frecklegirl | April 26, 2005 09:08 PM