To frog or not to frog? Or to hide away forever?

[pragmatica]

Excuse me for a minute. AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH! OK, thanks.

 

So, after knocking off a bunch of things I'd committed to making (one Totoro, two baby blankets, teaching my son to embroider so he could make a Porygon [kind of Pokemon] Gameboy case) I decided to make something for myself. The Mango Mesh Pullover from the issue of Crochet! with the Missoni-like dress on the cover. (Sorry, I'm at work, I don't know the date but I know that many of you know the issue.) More like the Mango Mess Pullover. Well, the Black Mess Pullover. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

I don't have any sportweight yarn that I liked, so I doubled strands of nice soft black #10 cotton thread. The gauge was right. I swear to you, THE GAUGE IS RIGHT. I swatched, darn it! I did! So maybe the problem is that what they consider to be "Medium" is really not medium, even though the listed dimensions were actually correct to fit me.

 

So I blithely crocheted away, so happy with the drape and feel, thinking how nice it would look over a tank top. Then I sewed the pieces together (and I DO hate sewing) and the darn thing is huge, it's immense, it falls off of my shoulders, and I can't sew up the neckline or the shoulders anymore or the whole line gets goofed up, and it's just never ever ever going to work as a top for me.

 

What to do? Other than wail. I'd just frog the darn thing except it's double-stranded, and that's really hard to frog. Though I supposed if I kept it double-stranded instead of trying to separate the strands, and wrapped the frogginess around a paper-towel core or something so it didn't get tangled? On the other hand, it's all thread that I got for under $1 at a Herrschner's sale, so it's like $4 of thread into it and $1 more to finish it, so is it worth the agony of ripping it?

 

Hey, if I post the measurements of this thing, do y'all think anyone would be interested in just finishing it for themselves? All that's left is the neck edging and the bottom edging. It would be really pretty on someone bigger than me. I don't know what size it correlates to in the real world but I'd be glad to post pictures and measurements and provide the rest of the thread to anyone who wants it.

 

In fact, I'd be happy to FINISH IT for anyone who wants it. I just don't want it in my house when it's done because I can't wear it. Maybe I should finish it and then see if anyone wants it?

 

I'm just grasping at straws here. When I realized on Saturday that it wasn't going to work after a week of effort, I put it down and have been too disheartened to pick it up to finish, to frog, or to start a new project, so I've been crochetless for four days and it's making me cranky. Cranky, I tell you! Cranky! Plus I'm annoyed at Battlestar Galactica. So it's been a bad week. (Those who watch know what I'm talking about; the rest of you, please let the comment slide.)

 

Advice and sympathy directly solicited. Clearly I'm so gobsmacked by this that I'm not thinking straight about my options.

 

Thanks,

Elissa

[RoseRed]

Sympathy being sent!

 

Do you know of anyone that it would fit? It would make an awesome gift.

[01buckler15]

I agree. My sympathies for your week.

Maybe you could finish it then sell it on eBay. People buy almost anything on eBay. Or give it to someone.

[bettycrackpot]

i second rose red.....i think that would be an awesome gift. if its a just a little tiny bit, finish it. you can do it!!!! *cheering ya on!*

[pragmatica]

Thanks, everyone. You have made me a lot less discouraged by this whole thing. I'll post a pic when it's done.

 

Thanks again,

Elissa

[Knit Happens]

I would love to see it; and I'm sure one of your friends/relatives/co-workers would adore getting something handcrafted by you...even it it is because it's just too big for you (shussssh...you don't have to tell them that part). You've gone too far to frog it tho...finish it up and make someone else's day. Donna

[Lavelle26]

I would save it for a gift. You are so far into it now it would be a shame to frog it. Have you checked your gauge in the actual item? I know you swatched but sometimes once I get crocheting for a while I notice my tension loosens up. I have to keep readjusting it as I go to make sure I keep the same tension.

[redhead54]

IT'S COTTON!!!

I can't believe you forgot that.

It's going to shrink- remember???

I'd finish it, and throw it in the wash and see what happens.

[Me&P]

That sucks SO bad!

 

PS: I [heart] Battlestar! I haven't seen any of the most recent episodes though, b/c I refuse to watch them out of order (got a friend downloading them for me, yay!). But, I know that they've been annoyed with it, too, or upset b/c they want to talk about it and I won't let them spoil it for me. As long as Starbuck ain't a Cylon, I'll be okay...

[mythunderbird]

i too would finish it wash it and see if it shrunk enough. if it did then it will fit you

[pigtailninja]

Haha, I know just how you feel. I finished the cutest Fleuri handbag the other night. I designed a crocheted strap for it because I didn't want to use wooden handles. After working all that time, chaining and stitching and counting stitches, I realized that the yarn I was using was 80% acrylic. When I put something in the bag and slung it across my chest... it stretched down to my knees.

 

So, so frustrating. I don't even know if I have the heart to redo the strap. Not as much work as a garment, of course, but I wish I'd paid more attention to the stretching when I was making that stupid strap.

 

I need a really tall friend to give it to. ^-^

[Roli]

Cotton thread can be so fickle! It'll swatch up as one thing and end up as another in the actual garment. When working with thread, it's good to constantly check the measurements as you go...although you know that now! I think that the weight of the thread itself tends to make the project stretch. I always make my thread projects much smaller than I think they should be...