Maybe it's Just Not Meant to Be?

So, in a flurry of knitting yesterday, I finished the Rebecca sweater. I wish I could say I was excited.

When I tried on individual parts, they worked fine. Together, they just aren't working. I was rushing to finish before bed last night so I could try it on and take a few pics. I bound off the neck (I do love the sewn bind off for ribbing!) and rushed to try it on. I was going for big and comfy - I'm not sure quite what I got. When I looked up in the mirror after pulling it on, I was just so disappointed. Nothing fit as I wanted. The body fit fine when I tried it on alone. The weight of the set in sleeves now pulled the shoulders down which made the neck spread. The sleeves - well, we just won't go there.

They aren't poofy when the sweater lays flat, but on - truly an 80's moment.

In my disgust I was so ready to stay up late and just rip the whole darn thing out. I had to do it in the round. I had to re-do the gauge. I had to basically redesign the sweater. Give me a predefined pattern any day. Knitting it on bigger needles made for too much of a "mooshy" fabric (the technical term for it) - it held the cables well, but not the shape of the sweater - I'd like to knit it at a tighter gauge next time.

I love this yarn - it is so soft and cuddly it deserves to be something comfortable that I wear all the time. This so is not it. The sweater is now in the corner of my craft room thinking about what it has done. When I get back from the dog show this weekend, I will figure out what to do with it. I have one full skein left, so I used 9 for the sweater. Now that I know I have more than enough yarn, do I go back and make the sweater "as directed"? Do I rip the whole thing and start something different? (this one or maybe this one?) I'm just totally discouraged with it at this point.

On a positive note, the second Cruise sock is started and will be going with me to the show this weekend for some mindless knitting as I play spectator. I forgot how much I hate this yarn. Splitty, hard to work with. I will be glad when this pair of socks are done!

I'm taking along the Zebra socks (dad is actually bringing them to the show with him to drop them off), the Cruise socks and the Fake Isle hat for dad to start. Should be plenty for the four days I'm there!

The weekend will give me time to think about the sweater as well as finish some other projects that I want to get out of the way before starting something for my Colorwork Challenge. Be back on Monday!