Berrypicking Postponed Till Spring

I've been working on a knitted sweater. It's been one thing after another with this project. First, I found a pattern I wanted to try, went thru the yarn stash and decided upon a nice wool in a color named "Berry" -- a sort of deep purple. The pattern called for 15 balls; I had ten. I knit a swatch to be sure it could work, and thought I'd just order more of the same thing, if I could find it online. What luck! My favorite online yarn supplier had it and even in the same dye lot. Perfect! So I ordered the 6 balls they said they had in stock. To qualify for a discount, I added some other stuff to my order -- not that I needed it. I'm just such an impulse shopper it stinks! Just dangle that little "discount" carrot in front of me and I'm hooked.

Okay. Yarn needed is on it's way, so I'll just begin with the sleeves to get a head start while I wait for the rest of the yarn to arrive. Two sleeves into this thing, I get my package, sans the Berry yarn, with a note that says it is no longer available. Discontinued. What?!? What happened? It was listed as "in stock" when I ordered. Did the person who had to package it up for shipment decide (s)he wanted it, and leave me high and dry? or what? And now I have this other junk I didn't really want or need to add to the stash I'm supposedly on a campaign to reduce. Tsk!

So I did some math (always makes me woozy), and discovered that because I was using a yarn with more yardage than the knitted sample in the magazine, I would have enough in my ten balls, if yardage estimates and/or math can be trusted. Woo-hoo ... I'm good to go.

I cast on the required stitches (a LOT!), and began the body of the sweater. On the third row, I decided something was amiss. I must've messed up, so I tore it out and started over. Got to the third row and again, it's not looking right. Hmmmm ... I'd better stop trying to knit and watch TV at the same time. Picked it back to the first row and tried again. Once again I knit to the third row -- now for the third time, and whoa! Something is really wrong here. Can I be such a dolt that I can make the same mistake three times in a row? Probably.

I know I am not alone in giving my knitting projects names (just ask any knitter you know if it isn't so). I've picked this one out so many times, it just HAS to be called The Berrypicker. Get it?

So I picked it all back again, and while I'm doing this I started thinking I'd better check the math on the pattern just to be sure. Well, I'm never quite sure about my math skills, so even though I think I've discovered an error here, I have no confidence that I am correct and began again. This time I'm putting markers for every repeat of the pattern, thinking I must be losing count somewhere along the 15-stitch repeat and it only becomes apparent when I get to the third row. Once again, I make it to the third row. Can you believe it? It's still messed up.

Now I'm getting worried that all this picking-out and re-knitting is going to wear the yarn out before I even get the thing knitted. Bad enough to have socks that look dirty before they're off the needles (recall my post from a few weeks ago), but a sweater that looks tattered from day one?!? No thanks.

I figured out that the pattern calls for the wrong number of cast on stitches. Ohhhhh ... THAT must be the problem. Start over. Once again, this thing is just not working out the way it is supposed to. Good thing the grandkids are not around -- this thing is making me sputter very unseemly phrases.

I have now unraveled the whole shebang and put it in a bag. It will have to wait until I can catch up with my sister who knits better than I do, and get her to help me with this stupid thing. Berrypicking Postponed Till Spring. I'm really annoyed with this project and have decided to abandon it for something new and more to my liking and abilities.)
















Green. Silky Wool. I love this stuff. Not only is green my favorite color, but this thinner yarn knits up fast like a worsted weight. What's not to love here?