Love/Hate Relationship

Ahh, stranded knitting, ours is such a love/hate relationship.

I love the look of stranded and fair-isle knitting.  I've seen so many beautiful designs, so many gorgeous pieces of work, so many lovely garments being made at the moment.

But

I hate, hate, hate doing it!

Ok, that's a lotta hate right there.  Sometimes, most of the time in fact, I'd probably wouldn't say I hate it.  More that I don't seem to get on with it, but you caught me on a bad day.  Today, I'm suffering with an acute case of knitters disappointment and so today feelings are running high.  Or rather, low.

So, let me tell you a little more of this woeful tale...

These are double knit socks.  I came across the pattern while looking for something else and after my last pair of dk socks came out so beautifully, I was looking to make more.  I remembered I had these rather niffy colours of dk yarn in stash so I was all set to make some lovely, happy heart socks. (Pattern: Sole Mate Heart Socks by Elly Fales)

My first attempt went ok-ish, but when it came to that all import test for socks, 'can I fit this thing on my foot', the sock was sadly lacking.  Well, a bit of a problem but no matter, stranded knitting by it's nature is tighter and I do have quite a high in-step.   

All par for the course I thought, I'll just increase the stitch count and go again.  I also ordered some dpn's to use.  On the first attempt I'd stuck with my favourite circular needles and magic loop, but I did have some extra pulling at the edges and I thought that the dpn's would sort that out nicely.

So, take two began.

Things started well, I completed the first row of hearts, although I began with the navy instead of my intended darker pink.  Oh well, not worth ripping back for....  Do the socks fit?  Yes.  Hoorah!  Then let us forge on...

Then I started the second row of hearts.  Things were a little dicer this time.  Things got a bit tight and puckered, I tinked back a few rows here and there, re-doing things looser.  Getting a little fed up of fixing but still hanging in there.  One set of hearts to go!

So, I guess I was over compensating for my previous tightness because at the end of the third set of hearts all I had to show was a mangled heap of baggy stitches, which at the same time still also manage to have horribly tight patches too.  Arrrrrgggghhhhhhh!

They looked a big, hot, mess!

Frustrated, disappointed and with hands hurting from attempting to wrangle the endlessly awkward dpn needles, I discarded the whole sorry pile in a fit of petulant pique! 

And there it stayed, the whole weekend.

I suppose you'd better see the thing, and up close so you can really get into the horror of it all.  But before you do, I need you to know how much worse this is in reality than you can see here in these photos.  Somehow it is hard to expose the true hideousness of what I see here in real life in a picture.  Believe me, I tried.  

Just take it from me, they are worse than they look.  So. Much. Worse! 

So now what do I do with them?

Normally I would wait til I had calmed down and rip back and try again like a good little maker, but I don't think I'm quite 'over it' enough for that yet.  Also it seemed to hurt my hands quite a bit.  I don't know how or why, or what I did so wrong, but I don't really fancy repeating the experience.

BUT

The trouble is, I am stubborn too.  And that stubborn, petulant, child-like side of me is feeling a little bit like it has a point to prove.  I mean I used to be able to knit colour work patterns ok.  Not brilliant, but ok.

I've knit a Christmas stocking with colour work patterns and a whole pair of fair-isle style leg warmers too and they were ok.  Well, they were merely ok at the time, now they feel like shining examples of excellence compared to what I seem capable of now.

How did I manage to get so much worse at it I wonder?
I can understand that because I don't do it often I wouldn't improve, but to get so much worse?  I don't get it!

Ahh well, I shall have to rely on the great healer that is time.  No doubt a few weeks to let the emotions (clearly strong ones if this post is any judge!) and disappointment fade and then we'll see what is to be done.

 In the meantime, let's focus on some much more enjoyable and soothing projects I have on the go...  That's certainly what I'll be doing!

S x

♥

#CherryHeart

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