Ruh-Tard Sweater

Have you ever fell in love with a sweater and obsessed about making it? Going so far as to buy the pattern and find a suitable yarn all in the space of a few hours?

Well I did with this pattern, the Oatmeal Pullover by Jane Richmond. I love this sweater. I love how chunky it is. I love how warm it looks. I love the simple design. I love how fast a knit it should be (a weekend, yes really). I love how beautiful this girl is. I want to look as stunning in this sweater as she does.

So I went stash diving because I'm serious about trying to knit it down this season (another blog post). I found this green Lion Brand Thick and Quick in my stash that would work great. I thought I had 4 skeins but it's really hard to tell as it's all wound up into one humongous ball of yarn.

So on Thursday night I got my 9mm circular needles out and cast on. Loved the thick fabric and the ribbing at the neck. I knit and knit all night. Then at 2 am I ran out of yarn. Yup. At the waist. None left. I wanted to cry but I was too tired. So I went to bed and dreamed of my yarn magically multiplying in the night.

I frogged in the morning. I was so sad about that. I was looking forward to using this yarn, it's been in my stash for 4 years. I know now that I have 3 skeins not 4 and it isn't enough to make this sweater. Not at all. So I put it away and went searching in my stash for something else.

I found all this Cascade Eco Wool in a very light grey. I don't like the colour much which should have stopped me from picking it, but I sat and knit with it that morning. I couldn't get gauge with the 6.5mm or the 7.5mm and the next size I have in a circular is 9mm. That worked out to close enough. I knit and knit and knit and got to just about the same place as the night before. I tried it on and it fit fine, a bit big but that was okay, a layering piece. Perfect.

Not perfect. I didn't like it. The stitches looked loose and the fabric was loose. I like knitting a tighter gauge and this yarn did not like 3 sts an inch, it wanted to be tighter. I wanted it to be tighter. So I put it away for the rest of the night and knit some baby hats instead.

Saturday, I couldn't face frogging again, and I was almost at the end of the second skein. I started the sweater again on 7.5mm and knit the new sweater from the old.

I wasn't getting gauge with these needles, but I liked the look of the fabric and so I did some math and knit a few sizes larger. I knit and knit and knit. This time, I tried it on about an inch after I separated for the arms. It pulled funny at the armpit, the raglan increases looked funny and the colour was terrible.

3 times was enough for me.  I put it into hibernation status until I can pick up some yarn that I actually like.

I'd like to say I've learned something but I have no gems of wisdom. Instead of getting upset about knitting this sweater 3 times over in the space of 3 days (my hands are actually sore) I'll turn it around. I had planned on calling this sweater Autumn Solstice but now I'm dubbing it the Ruh-Tard Sweater (a funny quote from this movie).

sigh... o well.

Oh, Happy Birthday Chris! May this coming year bring you more joy than you ever dreamed possible. Love you!