The Problem with Starting Over
Sometimes you just have to suck it up and frog a project and start over. I have been in a rut lately of having projects just not turn out how I want them to in the very early stages of a project. It is frustrating because I want them to work and when they don’t the thought of trying again can be really daunting. Part of the problem is that I am a perfectionist, but also I have knit way too many projects that I never wear because I just am not happy with the finished result.
There are these two sweater patterns that I absolutely love the look of but have been struggling to find the right yarn for the projects. Part of the problem is I am not using the type of yarn the projects calls for. The yarn the projects calls for is this beautiful hand spun yarn that gradually fades from one color to the next and creates these beautiful stripes/fades. Sadly, that yarn is very expensive, and although there are alternative yarns that are very similar and much more affordable, I am really trying to knit from my massive stash. I have all these beautiful fades from Hedgehog Fibers that I think would be perfect for the project, but the problem has been finding a main color that really makes the fade pop. Most of my fades have white or cream starting base and then fade to a darker color making it hard to find a main color. Normally I would just use a light silver or cream but then the beginning colors don’t pop and blend right in. If I use a darker charcoal grey, then then darker colors blend in and you don’t get to see them shine. I am aware that is a look that a lot of people go for, when the pattern sort of blends into the background. I feel if you are going to take the time to knit a fancy pattern than it should stand out. I would love to use a blue, green, or purple but without having the yarn right in front of me it is hard to tell what shade would work best if at all. I see all these amazing, finished projects on Ravlery.com and hope one day I will find yarns to make the perfect sweaters of my own.
The problem is I don’t think I will ever be happy with the end result because I am not using a hand spun type yarn. I have a feeling I will just break down and buy the fancy hand spun yarn and call it a day. It is almost like keeping up with the Joneses in way. I see all these amazing finished sweaters and want my sweater to look just as good and I am sure I could accomplish that without the hand spun yarn, but in the back of my mind I will always think it could have been better if I used the fancy yarn. It’s like I just need to get over myself and knit the darn sweater already. I am over thinking it and it is getting in the way of my creativity. Maybe I should just have a big glass of wine or cocktail and start the project to prevent me from over thinking.
#knittingconfessions
