Tuesday, February 01, 2005

It's Finished, and It's Terrible!

I finished up the silk sweater on Saturday. Washed, blocked, and wore it on Sunday. I have a picture, and will post it later. I wasn’t happy with it on wearing; it 'grew' too much. I figured a little distance might help; maybe I was being too picky. After all, silk does tend to stretch, and I knew that when I planned the project. So I washed the sweater and put it away for awhile, to give myself a little distance. Then everyone at work asked me yesterday if I’d finished, and when was I going to wear it? So I put on the sweater this morning over a black silk turtleneck and black slacks to show off the wonderful colors.

It’s growing again! According to the gauge, this sweater should fit with about 4 inches of ease. It should also end just at the bottom of my hips. But after wearing it for 4 hours, the hem is three inches above my knees, the neckband is creeping toward my shoulder line, and the sleeves, instead of being just below the elbow, are three inches above my wrist! Oversized is one thing, but this is ridiculous. My gauge on the sample was 5 stitches and 6 rows per inch – I just measured the gauge now, and its 3 stitches and 4 rows per inch!

What on earth can I do? Should I give this away and start over with spinning more of the fiber, or unravel the entire thing and start over, either on needles two sizes smaller, or with fewer stitches? I still love the yarn, but this sweater is a nightmare. Maybe knitting from the top down will help? At least then I can hang it up overnight while knitting and keep an eye on the “growth factor” in that way. Any advice, anyone?

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