In something like the Knitting Goddess or some kind of knitting karma, then it was with me when knitting Butterfly. One thing after another went wrong right! I am so used to reporting the bad news my typeing fingers got away from me there for a minute. Here is a little report of all the things that went, and I only say this because the sweater is finished, right. And totally by......Karma.
First there is the winding off for matching stripes. I would love to tell you that I didn't do any off-winding, but really it was suprisingly little. The ease in which I found similar skeins to knit from and match up my stripes was amazing. To me anyway. And if you have been reading this blog, you know how important those stripes matching up was to me. So insanely and compulsively important that I was as proud as a peacock when I decided to let go and just enjoy the process of knitting the back. Just start with a skein of Kureyon and knit, then when I got to the end of the skein, grab another and knit that. Sounds good? Well looky, looky what happened!
Honest to Knitting Goddess! Look at those stripes! When I randomly pulled the second skein it was in perfect color sequence. I know I couldn't have done that on purpose. Then there was the not matching so good shoulder post. I have to thank everyone that sent me advice on that one. I have to say, I wish I could be as laid back as some of you. I just couldn't leave it. I couldn't even leave it without that one stitch. I frogged back to below the cap and reknit the whole top of the sleeve, which still left me with more salmon on that stupid shoulder than I wanted. But the Knitting Goddesses were looking down on me again. One of the little balls of yarn I had pulled off of a skein to match up stripes was the the perfect color. This was as close as I got. Yipes! It's loverly stripes!
My last bit of karma was in the collar. There is one color in this sweater that I really could have done without. That loud kellyish mintish green was making me green. I so did not want that color next to my face. So I'm knitting along from a brand new skein on that collar and look:
I swear on my Knitting Bible (of the moment), the green was not in that skein of yarn! Really! I did not remove it, knit past it, cut it out, nothing. It was never there! It was a faulty skein of Kureyon that worked for me. I'm thinking it is a good thing that I finished this baby when I did, my luck on one sweater was bound to run out.
So, are you willing to hold out for one more day? Earlier in the week I said there were thank yous to go around on this baby. Tomorrow I will finish up with the all the thanks and the final photo. Please come back!
Added later: Would someone please buy this sweater? It won't fit me, or I sure wouldn't be sharing!
Clearly this striping matching situation could have turned tragic, but didn't. What offering to the knitting goddess did you make?
Posted by: claudia | January 20, 2005 at 08:27 AM
Looking wonderful! I know you baked the goddess a pie or something like that. She definitly is in love with you.
Posted by: Cindy | January 20, 2005 at 09:50 AM
See what being Zen can do for you? It's all good. Can't wait for the big unveiling!
Posted by: Margene | January 20, 2005 at 11:22 AM
Your sweater looks beautiful! I knit butterfly and matched everything- front, back, sleeves. I love mine but must admit to feeling a bit less sanguine about those with non-matching stripes. (Sorry to all of you who knit them this way. Your workmanship is beautiful but the glaring mismatches detract from the lovely shape of this sweater.) This said, Noro makes me mad! For all the money you pay, the skeins should start and stop with the same colorways and there should not be knots mid-skein that join up colors that are completely out of sequence. I shouldn't need to use 18 skeins to knit an 11 skein sweater. I could also stand a little less 'garden' in my silk garden.
Posted by: Wendy | January 20, 2005 at 01:45 PM
Your sweater looks beautiful! I knit butterfly and matched everything- front, back, sleeves. I love mine but must admit to feeling a bit less sanguine about those with non-matching stripes. (Sorry to all of you who knit them this way. Your workmanship is beautiful but the glaring mismatches detract from the lovely shape of this sweater.) This said, Noro makes me mad! For all the money you pay, the skeins should start and stop with the same colorways and there should not be knots mid-skein that join up colors that are completely out of sequence. I shouldn't need to use 18 skeins to knit an 11 skein sweater. I could also stand a little less 'garden' in my silk garden.
Posted by: Wendy | January 20, 2005 at 01:46 PM
I hesitate to say it's worth all the angst to have it turn out this beautiful, because it seems to me there shouldn't be so much angst involved. But really, I agree that the mismatched ones are hard for me to look at because the stripes, mismatched, conflict with the design of the zigs and zags (sorry, can you tell I've just had a hot buttered rum to counteract my back pain? I can't think. You may have to delete this comment later -- and no, that is not the reason for my badly spelled post of earlier in the week -- I had not yet discovered the pleasures of hot buttered rum at that point! That was done for hopefully comedic effect.) Anyway, I think you get my drift. Your sweater is gorgeous, and proves once again that a thing worth doing is worth doing well. (How'd I do, sort of drunk-like? This, for a usual teatotaler!)
Posted by: Norma | January 20, 2005 at 07:51 PM