Success!

That’s right. I did it. I knitted the Baby Bolero. Maybe not entirely like the pattern said, but it is DONE. But first, pictures of the second major screw up…

When last we spoke, I had re-knit the back twice. I had to do it a third time. The first time, the center eyelet motif was too high--it ended in the neck ribbing. The second time, it was too low--only a third of the way up the back. The third and final time, it was still a tad low, but looked fine. And I was sick of it. Time to move on.

I finished the other front and chose to use a three needle bind off on the shoulder seams after all. It lent stability to the final sweater and I was worried about the yarn. Didn’t want it to stretch too much. I knit both sleeves, correctly, the first time and was so excited to attach them. But I suck at seaming and the yarn is very drapy. The last thing I want is for this thing to stretch out of shape, so--- three needle bind off to the rescue! I can do this! I love a three needle bind off! I’ll pick up stitches around the arm opening, undo the bind off on the sleeve and then bind them off together. Ta da! The first sleeve went perfectly. See?

But the second…

See that? That is a sleeve perfectly attached using a three needle bind off on the PUBLIC side of the sweater. Don’t ask me how I did that. I still don’t know. But I do know I was not happy. I marched it in to my DH and told on it. He was very good and didn’t laugh. Even when I gave him permission to. But he did smile. It is a good spouse who can enjoy your foibles while supporting your endeavors.

In order to teach the sleeve a lesson, I refused to pull it out immediately. I knit the ribbing, (after picking out the cast on, having missed the direction that said “Provisionally cast on…”) seamed up sleeve one, wove in all my ends and put the thing in time out for three days to think about what it had done.

But look at this…

That’s right. Fixed and beautiful. That’ll teach me to follow directions.

Am I Deficient? or Why can't I follow directions?

I'm one of those knitters. You know, who reads a pattern and then immediately changes something. Usually something simple like gauge or yarn or needle size starts it off. Sometimes, I go crazy and rewrite patterns for a completely different make up order or converting it from flat knitting to in-the-round. I wasn't always so willy-nilly with my knitting and it left me feeling stagnant, with no desire to pick up the needles. I have found that my off the cuff changes have made me a more proficient knitter. Which leads me to my dilemma.

I started the Baby Bolero from One Skein and liked everything about it. Thats right, I didn't want to change a thing (except, maybe to use a three needle bind off for the shoulder seams.) I'd resolved to knit the thing as written because I am knitting on a deadline and don't have the time to fiddle around with changes. I even knit the dreaded gauge swatch (and washed and blocked it) as well as bought an extra insurance skein ($13 extra, I might add). Nope, wasn't going to change a thing. Follow the pattern to the letter. The result? I'm sure you've guessed it by now.... I've had to re-knit the body twice, simply because I cannot follow directions.

Conclusion? Changing things make me think about my knitting and make fewer mistakes, thus more FO's for less knitting. Not a bad compromise, considering how many WIP's in my basket are there because somebody wants the end product...