Bummed

I decided yesterday afternoon to just stop procrastinating and get on with knitting Mariah once and for all. Wow, I can't believe it was 2 years ago, I thought it was last winter that the pattern came out, lol. I guess I had put it off for long enough!

There was a long saga getting the yarn for this project from Hancocks whose customer 'service' didn't know whether the yarn had been sent or not because although I was having it sent to a US address they thought that I was asking for it to be sent to a UK address because of registered credit card address and they don't do International shipping. Eventually, after I told them to forget it, the yarn arrived with my friend and was duly sent over to me, but too late to join in the knitalong for it.

Once it arrived though I wasn't too sure about it, this yarn is a bit cheap feeling, it's a cotton acrylic mix and it seemed a bit fuzzy but I was sure it would be ok once I knit it up. I was also petrified of the cables. I adore them and really want this sweater but the idea of having to actually *knit* it kept the yarn in a drawer for all this time. I cast on a couple of times and always managed to mess it up about an inch or so in, but this time I was determined to keep going and have this baby to wear all winter.

So, off I went, I finally understood the ribbing cables (they're not hard, I'm just dim and even dimmer when I'm frightened) and got to the end of the chart only to look at my work and discover that........

you can't see the cables in this yarn, they totally blend in.....

So, no way I'm knitting those sleeves only to not be able to see them and I had such trouble finding a yarn sub for this sweater that I really don't want to try again. All Season's Cotton looks like a great bet but I'd need another whole bag of it and I just can't afford that right now.

So, sorry Mariah, I have totally failed you. One day I will find the perfect yarn and have the courage and you will be beautiful, worn and loved, but for now it's off to the box of 'to be knit sometime' patterns for you, there are plenty of other sweaters in there to keep you company. Sorry.

I did finish off the second Onion 5022 t-shirt, but it didn't come out as well as I'd hoped it would



The fabric is from Abakhan and the foldover elastic from a co-op. I had some perfectly coloured light pink elastic that I wanted to use but after I sewed it on the neckline I realised that it was pretty cheap stuff with no bounce back, intended more for decoration than to have any real elastic properties so I had to rip it off and use the dark purple again. I used it inside out this time as the right side is shiny and I didn't want that look.

I don't like this shirt as much as the kimono sleeve one, which is funny as I bought the pattern for this t-shirt and didn't even notice the other one until it had arrived! I will try a long sleeved version of this style though and see how that works out, but I'm already planning more kimono sleeve ones so the pattern was worth the cost!

The piles of stuff waiting to be made have shrunk not only from the sewing but from me putting stuff away (I'm in a constant process of taking out and putting away fabric and patterns!). I didn't have enough fabric for a maternity t-shirt I wanted to make and I realised a dress I wanted to make was too small for me so I should wait to make it until it would fit. Still plenty to be made and I realised this morning that I really really need some nice trousers and bottoms for winter, I just need to find some plain fabric and also use up some of the patterned stuff I have, there's some great cord in the stash that I keep putting off using for 'when I'm thinner' but I may as well use it up and enjoy it, I can always buy more stuff I like!

Anyway, hopefully finishing off the Sew Retro dress will be less disappointing, I already know it doesn't fit so I'm past that but I hope it looks nice, I need a lift after these set backs.

Ohhh, my camera just arrived, off to play with it!