I swear. Sometimes I feel like I frog every knitting project I do, at least 3 times before I have it finished. Or I have it completely finished and want to frog it. There are my second pair of fingerless mittens that I knit for my step-daugher, Keri. I, inadvertantly, made two right mittens and didn't notice until I had completely finished which included adding on the thumb. Frogged and did over. My Wingspan, which I started on a cruise - got halfway through and decided that it looked like a short ruffle around my neck, so I completely frogged it and re-did making it larger. I almost completed it again all while on that one cruise. Actually, it seems like most projects takes me several tries before I am happy with the width or length. My first sock was completely frogged after 8 inches because I didnt like the ribbing pattern I followed. Then there are the projects completed that I just don't like and want to re-use the yarn. I made a beautiful 'Different Lines' shawl by Vera Valamaki. It's beautiful. I used a black soft squishly Shepherd's Wool that I bought in St. Charles, Mo. along with a Dream in Color 'Starry' that is cream with a subtle sparkle. It's lovely. But I find the asymetrical aspect of it a little hard to wear. It will be a pain to frogged the stripes, but the yarn is too lovely not to use. In fact, I have a whole tote bag full of completed projects that I want to re-use the yarn. Case in point - this Jamie Shawl.
I have wanted to make this shawl since I first saw it at a knitting guild meeting. I bought the pattern. It calls for a quivet yarn which makes this shawl (which takes a considerable amount of yarn) quite expensive. The one I saw was in a cashmere blend. I was in Victoria, B.C. and saw the wonderful Punta Mericash in just the color I wanted. But I didn't have the pattern with me and was unsure of how much to purchase. I bought 4 skeins. Once home I realized that I didn't buy enough. So I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks ( was given a gift card from there). But they didn't have the color I really had in mind for this project. The yarn arrived and it has sat in a zip lock bag for two years now as I never thought it was the right color. Then I saw the Guernsey pattern by Stephen West. (or is it Jared Flood?) It's a lovely stole-type shawl (as is the Jamie) and features various celtic-type patterns in rows along the shawl length. We were on a long cruise over to Ireland and Scotland and I thought this was the perfect pattern to work on and use during this trip. And a perfect project for my soft Punta Mericash. I worked and completely finished the beautiful project. However, I felt the stole was too skinny and not long enough. At least for my body to use as a stole. It felt more a wide scarf width. I didn't like it - but it was beautiful to look at. The stole sat there.
On another trip, we were back in Victoria (I have never seen Punta yarn anywhere else. I wandered around but couldn't find the Punta. I finally asked and was told that the manufacturer has burned to the ground and was currently out of business. They might have any remaining Punta yarn on their clearance rack. They did and, luck was with me, the one skein they had was in my Mericash and my color. I bought it.
Once home I completely frogged the Guernsey stole. I re-figured how to add the pattern rows or sections (one section needed to be the middle section) in order to make it longer. To make it wider was easy. I began again and completely finished my Guernsey. And it still didn't feel like the correct width to length stole. I knew I would never wear it as it was.
I frogged it again. I have knit miles and miles of stitches now and had nothing but pictures of my finished work.
The yarn has sat another year or longer as has the Jamie pattern and the yarn I bought to make it.
Finally a month or two ago I looked on Ravelry and found a handful of people with the Punta yarn in their stash. None of them offered this color up for sale, but I PM'd one of them and she agreed to sell me her two skeins. They have arrived and now at last I think I have enough for the Jamie shawl.
Because this is not the yarn recommended in the pattern, I did a swatch, using the number 7 needles recommended. My swatch was way WAY large. I went down to a 5 needle and then to a size 4. With the 4 I made the gauge, maybe little short in row length. But I was a bit worried, as when you go down to a smaller needle, you are also using more yarn to make the same amount of fabric.
I decided perhaps I should out two rows of the cables in order to made a thinner shawl so I could make the length. Started and got a little further than the first cable. HOWEVER, while my swatch showed me to be perhaps a little short in length gauge, my actual shawl was WAY short in length. Gauge was 26 rows equals 4 inches. My shawl was now 42 rows at 4 inches. OH NO. while the fabric is soft and squishy and perfect, there is no way I am going to have enough yarn to make a stole length. I took a quick picture before I frogged. Yes, frogged once again. This yarn has been so frogged so many times.
I am beginning again with a size 6 needle. I don't want to take out any more of the cable rows, so am going to cross my fingers and try again. I my have to write another knitter on Ravelry and see if I can score any more of the Punta yarn.
Let's hope I like the finished shawl, if and when I ever get this knitted.
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