Day Two: Feel My Failure

Today's blog assignment is a difficult one for me:

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet?

I've looked back at my last year's worth of FOs, and I'm afraid all I see is a lack of willingness to check gauge resulting in crazily-sized objects. I feel so sheepish about this, because I know my knitting is better than this. It's my own impatience that prevents me from planning ahead. I measure while I knit, but I often ignore warning signs.

In the last year, I've made FOUR knitted baby items whose gauge is suspect. I lovingly finished the items with buttons, stitching, modifications. BUT, my simple lack of checking ahead and thinking about the finished object means the items may be too small/too big/too short/too wide/the wrong weight for the season for which they're intended... I always thought knitting baby items was the easiest thing to do because it's almost like instant knitting gratification when it comes to the finished object. But, I forget that not all babies are created equal; some are shaped differently, and just because I make it a couple sizes too big doesn't mean it will fit baby in the future.

Exhibit A: A wool diaper cover made for a friend. I followed the pattern, but had no idea how the button placement/amount of buttons factored in until after I was done. I have since moved them closer together, but there are only two. What if it does not fit friend's baby? What if it is not adjustable enough to be used? Woe.

Now I have a pile of baby items for friends' recent deliveries that I'm quite afraid to send them! And all the while that the FOs sit on my counter gathering dust, my friends' babies are aging! Who knows how big they are now, since I've held onto these! Maybe I should frog and start over! O.O

Exhibit B: I'm particularly sensitive about this FO, bc the pattern was a real bear. It took me 4 tries to knit. It was supposed to be the perfect gift for my friend's gender-unannounced fetus. Then I didn't finish it before the birth. And also it's roughly the size of a 1-year-old. And damned if there aren't mistakes, but I CONQUERED THIS PATTERN. Yeah, that doesn't make it any prettier. D-:

This blog post and confession has me feeling very repentant! My friends' babies deserve better, and I should not cheapen my work by being too impatient to measure against the pattern. Or, I should just knit baby blankets and stop knitting baby cardigans that are the wrong size.

Now what to do with all these ragamuffin baby items...

:-?

Exhibit C: O hai! I am a teeny-tiny baby sweater! You knit me in December, but now it's almost April. Not only am I likely too small for your intended recipient, but it's not really sweater weather south of the Mason-Dixon! Tee-hee! Don't mind me, just mocking you!

Exhibit D: Hey, remember teeny-tiny baby sweater? I'm a sweater you made a gauge mistake on and I'm HUGE! Maybe the width of a 3-year-old. Except a lot shorter! Good luck finding anyone but a toddler midget who can wear me!

So, to frog or not to frog? That is the question. One thing is for sure: I have learned from my mistakes. No babies will suffer from ugly-fitting knits in the future, if it is within my power. ^_^ Maybe I should have titled this blog "Skill -1 DOWN." This is definitely a lesson I learned the hard way, but it's a lesson learned nonetheless.