Saturday, September 1, 2007

Not Liking this Pattern

I am about half way up the back for this sweater and am not liking it at all. Ok, you all know what a simple pattern this is, but simple patterns are my downfall! If you can believe it, I have a lifeline in mine! Don't laugh! I take the train to work, so am always blabbing with my friends, and I usually do most of my knitting there, and you wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten distracted on this pattern while blabbing and done the wrong row and had to rip it out! So I got back on track and put the lifeline in. Ok, get up off the ground from laughing now, ok??? LOL Well, yesterday, dang it, it happened again! I ripped back a few rows and started on the row I thought it should be, and I was working on it right now, and see another glaring mistake from where I must have done the wrong row . . . AGAIN! I'd be done with this sweater if I wasn't constantly ripping it out and starting over! Boy am I a moron! I have to have a lifeline AND I have to put a marker on the pattern to remind myself where I left off! ARGH!!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go frog again!!! Maybe I'll go do some cross stitch for a while.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beth,

You're making it too hard. If you have an even number of stitches, as the pattern is written, when you pick up your knitting, if you are on a wrong side row, simply knit the stitches as they appear. If you are about to begin a right side row, it's time to knit the purls and purl the knits, as they face you. You shouldn't have to look at the pattern at all until it's time for shaping.

I'm not saying it's impossible to get confused this way,(read: I've ripped a few stitches myself :-)), but you should have a lot less ripping. I can't imagine a life-line is worth the trouble.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Anonymous said...

My comment might be confusing, the phrase "If you have an even number of stitches" is irrelevant to my suggestion for an easier way of keeping track of your pattern. But it's essential, for following the pattern as written.

I hope things are going more smoothly for you.

Unknown said...

I try to concentrate on knitting four rows at a time, and if I get distracted before I finish that four-row set, I sit and examine where I am very carefully before I continue. Just working on my swatch, I realized that it is not the best project for reading or watching TV.

Amanda said...

I hope things are going better for you now! I read my knitting the same way Kathy described above -- on WS rows, I knit the stitches as they are (knit the knits, purl the purls), and on RS rows, I do the opposite (purl the knits and knit the purls). I can tell from the bottom ribbing whether I'm on the RS or WS.

Anonymous said...

Oh trust me, that is what I do the read my pattern and figure out where I left off, but believe it or not, even after I get back on track, the minute I get on the train with all my commute friends, I screw up again, because I'm not paying attention. It's an odd phenomenon! LOL I will *never* take my lace projects on the train just for that reason.