Just call me Kermit…
I keep frogging and frogging.
My “dream summer sweater” turned into a nightmare project. After searching for months for (what I thought was) an appropriate yarn, and doing about 1/4 of the front, I realized that it was WAY too small, and I wasn’t sure if I had enough yarn to make a larger size, sooo…
I stumbled across this simple little top:
http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/mikado-paneltop.html
(which I thought would be a good pattern for the yarn I bought for the “dream sweater”). But after knitting about 1/4 of the back, I frogged again. Too big.
I DO check my gauge! REALLY!! And my tension is quite even. But I can NEVER get anything to fit well!
What’s wrong with me?!?
Maybe I should do something else with my free time. What a waste, knitting and frogging, knitting and frogging. 
No no, knitting is not a waste of time!
I do understand your frustration, though. 
My sweater attempts have been much like yours, and I don’t understand what the problem is. The gauge swatch is sometimes misleading because I swear my knitting tension changes when I move from the swatch to the actual project.
Maybe for that adorable pattern you’ve posted, you should just go down a needle size or two and see if that helps. Just don’t give up!!
You might treat yourself to a quick, fun project, just to get your mind off the sweater woes and to make knitting fun again for you.
Thanks for the encouragement, Angelia.
Actually, that is just what I did early this morning. I started over with the next smaller size needle. Hopefully it will be better this time. I’m so tired of starting over again (and again and again and and again and again)!
When you feel it’s too big, are you actually holding it on yourself or comparing it to an actual garment? I only ask because everything I knit seems to big as I’m knitting it, but I think it’s just my perception. When I measure the knitting and then measure a shirt, they’re close enough for me to realize it’s my judgement that’s usually off.
Good point, Ingrid!
I know Samus is going to be big on me, even though I’m knitting the smallest size. I know this because of the Saxon Braid; it goes around my body once loosely and then some…and some more! Thankfully, I like cardigans to be, um, roomy.
Thanks, Igrid. Yes, I did hold it up to myself. It wasn’t quite as big as it seemed when I did that. But still, it was too big. I also compared it to some other tops I have that with that slightly clingy-type fit. Again, too big. Well, hopefully the smaller needle size will do the trick.
Oh, and I’ll post pics as soon as I figure out how to work my digital camera! :lol:
I guess I don’t go for the ‘clingy’ look much. :rofling: That is a gorgeous top, though–well worth the trouble!
Come sit by me. I was knitting a hat for my granddaughter and I may end up having King Kong wearing it. No, I didn’t check my gauge and now I’m going to be in the pond for a while.
Nikki
I’m chuckling away here thinking of the half finished kid sweater I began for my granddaughter when she was months old, aiming for a size two jacket for her to wear the next fall. Well… it began to look as if it will fit her when she’s twelve! And at that age she likely won’t like the boucle bright mixed little girlie colours of the yarn. I must drag it out from its big bin to see how big it is now! :rofling: samm
If it’s really that big, maybe you could run a drawstring through it and would make a cute bag? :rofling: (sorry :oops: )
:roflhard:
I know. I knit a sweater for my daughter last year, and it was so huge, it looked like it wouldn’t fit for at least several years. Frogged. After redoing it, and finishing, it was a bit too tight. She never wears it. 
That is one thing I like about knitting in the round with my Denise’s…it is easy to try a top on after I’ve knit a couple of inches. I just use the extenders until the garment is fully stretched around the cord and put the caps on the ends then I can put it over my head and put around the appropriate body part. It really helps…if you don’t have denise’s, you can do the same thing with some waste yarn.