No, I am not referring to the act of hurling frogs in the air, tossing them at moving vehicles or anything silly along those lines. I mean the act of pulling apart a completely knitted item and re-purposing the yarn for a different project.
Last year, I made Jane Richmond's Oatmeal Pullover in one of my favorite yarns, Puffin. I knit and re-knit this sweater 3 times only to end up frogging it and making the Eleanor poncho instead. I had trouble with my gauge changing during the first attempt, sizing during the second attempt and then finally decided it was not a flattering sweater for me at last. The Eleanor poncho is cute, but I never wear it. There is no should shaping so the garment rides up regularly. No good. I think I will eventually frog the poncho, but I have yet to find the perfect project for my precious Puffin yarn.
Right now, I have a sweater I am considering frogging... but I'm not 100% convinced yet. I made Hannah Fettig's Contend Cardi a month or so ago using Plymouth's Galway Worsted in a medium heather gray. After having worn this sweater for a month now, I can honestly say I made 2 big mistakes:
Mistake #1: I chose the wrong yarn. This is a great yarn, but too heavy and rustic for this garment. A lighter weight and softer yarn with a beautiful drape would have been a much more appropriate choice.
Mistake #2: I made the wrong size. My gauge was correct; my measurements were correct. Something wasn't right. I tend to knit sweaters with a size 38 bust in mind. My options were 36 or 40. I do not like to wear tight clothes, so I opted for the 40. Even now, I am 35 weeks pregnant and this sweater is huge on me - cozy - but pretty big (especially in the arms).
There is another sweater I am interested in knitting this year, Bedford, a simple faux-cable pullover. The pattern calls for Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter, a rustic wool, so the Galway yarn would fit the bill.
So should I frog this cardigan and make a whole new sweater? Or should I hang on to it and keep it as a "wear around the house" kind of sweater?
I think if you're not comfortable in this and you know you're not going to wear it, frog it and make something you will. There's nothing worse than a handknit sweater that gets no use.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrea. Frog it and make something you love!
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