No Gold Medals Here, But It Is All Good Anyway!

Market Squares Bag (Knitter's Magazine, Summer 2001)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
Started: February 14, 2006
Felted: February 21, 2006

In posting many photos, I will distract you from noticing the lack of written content.

How's it working so far?

I'm feeling rather uninspired by my knitting lately. My Knit Olympics project is still underway. I distracted myself by knitting that bag instead. So, technically I just changed events mid-stream. And I did stretch myself. Rogue was not a stretch, it being my third one and all. But Market Squares! First attempt at entrelac and first felted object. Not bad. I now understand the affection so many have for felting. First, look at my last post, the photo of the unfelted bag. See it? Can you see which part of it was an enormous challenge for me? Me, the woman of stitch perfection obsession? Look at all of those wonky stitches! It was so totally about the process for me. I trusted, based on so many other examples, that the wonky knitting, the loosey-goosiness of it all would come out in the wash. Or the felt. It was like knitting magic. Almost as magical as turning a sock heal. Of course, I don't have hot enough water or a washing machine that agitates, so it was off to the felt-o-mat for me. I didn't realize that you don't have that much control over the washing machines at the felt-o-mat. You swipe your handy-dandy, prepaid laundry card, choose your water temp and cycle type, put your garments and your detergent in and close the lid. One temperature fits all. You choose hot, you get hot wash, hot rinse and then you have to let the machine finish the cycle right through the spin. You don't spin your felting things and you may need to go through the process a few times to reach optimal felting. So I start the first wash and it runs to the spin cycle. I then start a second machine, move my stuff and let the first machine finish while the second felts and then I start the first again. But on that wash I forgot to put the hot water setting on so I quickly open it and start a third machine with hot water and suddenly remember that part of the felting process should involve cold water. I leave the cold water machine open (this ticked some people off. Actually monopolizing three machines, some running but with no garments in them really pissed some people off. I will have to run a recon mission and see when that place is empty for the next time) until the third hot wash is to the spin cycle, pull the bag out and dunk it in the cold water and then pull the soaking jeans out and plop them into a big trash bag to get them home. You may have guessed that there was a lot of water on the floor. Much water. On me too. And even though I used a pillow case to felt in, there was plenty of fiber to be wiped out of the inside of those machines. I dried the bag over a large popcorn tin in front of a fan for speed. I totally love that bag. So.Much. I gifted it away.

Did I mention that I am feeling less than inspired by my knitting lately? Yeah. We are running away for a couple of days and I just don't feel like taking any of my current projects or starting anything that I have. I can't purchase anything new at the moment and if I don't decide on something right quickly, it will be a long ass car ride. I should work on Rogue, or the Koigu socks that are going on a year in progress, or the Retro-Prep cardi that only needs a neckline and button bands, or the red gloves that only need fingers on one hand. But none of them appeals to me at the moment. I'll sleep on it. Then bring Rogue and the Koigu socks. Just not feeling the love there at the moment. I often get this way and then the second I am in the car and knitting on whatever I bring it all works out. And to be honest, I cannot tire of Rogue. So weird.

Here is a quick question for you while I am gone: How do you feel if someone leaves a comment on your blog pointing out a mistake you have made in your knitting? Like, the cables are turned incorrectly, or your color work is wrong in one spot, or two, stuff like that. Say you are really far into the project and you get the 411 that you have made an error, are you irritated that someone would let you know? Or grateful? Or both (as would be my case). On the flip side of that: When you see something in someone else's work, will you leave a comment or send them an email pointing it out? This was a topic of conversation not long ago among friends. Some said they would never point out a problem and can't imagine what kind of person would. Others said that they wouldn't want their mistakes shown to them. Ignorance is bliss and all. Just so you know, and this is very important: I want to know if I have a mistake or snafu in my knitting. You may tell me, I will not get angry. I will love you (after I get over the shock of having to make a decision about fixing something) for it. I might actually leave it, or it may be intentional, but I want to know.

Comments

[michelle]

The bag is gorgous!!

I would want to know about a mistake noticed in my knitting also. Well maybe not posted as a comment for the world to know :-) but an email would be much appriciated.

[maryse]

i love the bag -- and i promise i will tell you if i see a mistake. in the unlikely event.

hmmm i don't know how i feel about having someone telling me about a mistake. i wouldn't be angry certainly. but i'm kind of the ignorance is bliss school of thought.

[Laurie]

The bag is truly beautiful!

I have a double standards. I would not tell someone they had a mistake in their knitting (unless they asked my opinion directly, as you did above.) On the other hand, if there is something wrong with what I'm doing, I would like a more objective or experienced eye to point it out. Then I get to choose as to whether or not I fix the mistake. I did laugh over the person who told Harlot some of her stitches were wrong...I thought that was quite a bit of hubris on the critic's part. Who said I had to be consistent? On the other hand, maybe what I've said IS consistent.

Have a wonderful trip. Hope it brings you back to more springlike conditions, and better motivation. I'm feeling the same way.

[grumperina]

The bag is cute as can be! Great job. I'm envisioning you at the laundromat, monopolizing three machines - too funny! I would have been pissed, too, if I was trying to do laundry.

As for pointing out mistakes... if the person asks, and I notice it, I will admit that, yes, I see it. If a person doesn't ask, I won't point it out... most likely because maybe it was part of a design, or maybe the person aleady said something about it in a previous post that I missed. As for my own mistakes - it has yet to happen that I myself don't notice them first :).

[Jan]

The bag is wonderful! I laughed at your description of felting it at the laundromat...that sounded like more work than the knitting!
Re: your question, I would definitely want to know (so tell me, please), but if I saw a mistake on a posted project, I would let someone know but I would email them about my observation so that if they knew already and didn't care, they wouldn't feel compelled to admit it and fix it.
Let me qualify that. I'd let them know if the project was in progress. If it was finished, I wouldn't mention it.

[Carole]

The bag is great. But did the giftee like it?
As for the mistake thing, first I'd have to notice and I often don't. Even when people put a big honking arrow on the mistake, I rarely see it. And my own, odds are, if I've made a mistake, I already know about it and I wouldn't mind if someone pointed it out.
have fun on your road trip!

[margene]

Da bag is da bomb! Great work and even better work at the flet-o-mat!
I can't imagine you would show work on your blog that has a mistake in it. You make mistakes in your knitting and you don't know it? Just can imagine. And me, I don't make mistakes either;-)

[Jenn]

Wow that bag is beautiful. I have been saying I am going to make that bag but I am have been too chicken to try.

I would NEVER tell anyone thay had a mistake in their knittig unless they asked. And no, I don't think I would want to know. I like to be bilssfully ignorant :-)

[Cara]

I love the bag! It looks great! I always tell people that a felted bag is a GREAT first project for new knitters (in fact my sister is making a booga bag for the last year.) Your stitches can be wonky and off and flat out wrong and it all comes out in the wash! And you get a great sense of accomplishment when it's done.

Thank you for inspiring me - even if you're not inspiring yourself. L, C

[Helen]

I love the bag! :)

I would want to know about an error, but privately, not something posted for the world to see in the comments section.

[Norma]

Felting is still my favorite thing. In fact, maybe I'll start another felting project right now! You're probably already gone on your road trip, but why not start one of these for yourself on your trip -- since you love this one so much and gave it away? Another thing about felting knitting is it's great travel knitting.

As for pointing out mistakes, I'm on the fence. I probably would not point out one to someone -- mostly because I probably wouldn't notice it.

[Theresa]

I'd love to have my mistakes pointed out - because if I didn't point them out, then I haven't noticed. But on others' blogs? I honestly don't look closely enough to notice.

[claudia]

Great bag!

I would always want to know if someone sees a mistake. Always. As for pointing out the mistakes of others, if I know them well enough to know they would take it the right way, I'd gently point it out.

Believe, if I see something wonky of yours, I'll be there for ya.

;-)

[Susan]

I'd want to know if I was making a mistake, although I think that the tone and intention of the person who pointed out my error are important. It makes me crazy when I notice an error in something that many people have looked at (in person or on line) without ever pointing out the error to me. After all, once I know about the error, it's my choice about whether to fix it or not, but I do want to know!

[Kristen]

I hope you have a great trip away!

mistakes in my knitting...a tricky thing. My knitting is often done on a whim, with no pattern or idea of what I'm going for. (that said, now that I've knit a successful hat with a pattern I can see the appeal of following directions...)
I do the best I can while I'm knitting to keep an eye out for mistakes but I don't catch them all.
If someone that I know (or have met) points out a mistake in the comments I'll take it with less criticism then I would if someone I've never heard of before points it out. Overall, I'm not sure I want mistakes pointed out, but I can't say for sure because it's yet to happen. I've shared pictures of things before and seen that there's a mistake and no one has said anything - even if they had I wouldn't have gone back and fixed it. So my answer is that I'm not sure. I suppose I'd rather have someone email me to let me know, but even that I can't be sure about.

[Chris]

Love the bag! I always thought I would make another, but it just never happened. A customer was in with her Vera Bradley version. She matched the colors in a bag she had, actually her knitting bag. Chartruese, Fuchsia, Cream, Black and Pink. Truly stunning.
I would tell, but in an email, never in comments.

[Kim]

What a great bag....I love it!

Hmm.....I am of the mindset that every project should have one mistake just left there to make it unique. I would never point out someone else's mistakes to them unless asked, as I am sure that I make enough of my own...:-)

[Bev in tennessee]

The bag is beautiful! I have yet to try a felting project. It's hard to believe that your original knitted bag and the felted bag are one and the same. Not that I doubt you...I'm just amazed by the transformation. Your bag has inspired me to try felting ( I knit wonky anyways, so it looks like a good way to hide me uneven tension).

[Karen]

Love the bag! I made this too and use it as one of my knitting bags. I did not enjoy the making of it though. I discovered I don't care for entrelac.
As for mistakes, I would want to know. But there is a nice way and a not so nice way to do it. I had a mistake pointed out to me in public in not a nice way and I was a tad peeved about it. I knew it was there and chose not to fix it, which was my second mistake in the project because it makes me nuts seeing it there.

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