I’m actually seriously contemplating frogging my purple Simple Knitted Bodice. I started work on this sweater early this past summer, and frogging it seems like a horrible thing to do at this point; I’ve finished the body and done half of one arm. All that’s left is to finish the right arm, knit the left arm, and then pick up and knit around the neck opening. It’s still a lot of work, but definitely do-able.
It’s not the amount of work that’s bothering me. I’m not 100% in love with the sweater as it is, partly because it’s worked in Red Heart Super Saver in Dark Plum (the lace inserts are SWTC Bamboo Purplexed) but mostly because of my own niggling little mistakes – stuff like small but visible differences in gauge caused by switching needles; the puckering where I changed from the RHSS to the thinner bamboo yarn; and my too-tight bind-off of the hem.
I keep telling myself I can fix or ignore the flaws, but I just can’t seem to pick it up and start working. The bottom line is I’m just not sure I want to finish it. I love the pattern and I love the bamboo. I do like the sweater, but I don’t LOVE it as it exists right now. If I actually finished the sweater I’m sure I would wear it. I’ve tried it on and it fits very well.
My latest idea is to frog the sweater, put the RHSS into hanks and wash and dry it until it gets softer, and then start the sweater all over again. I know the Red Heart yarn will soften up with washing and drying, but with the bamboo in the finished sweater that won’t be an option.
What do you guys think of this plan? I don’t know any other knitters to bounce my ideas off of, and I’d appreciate hearing some other opinions or ideas. Either way, I’m not going to give up on the sweater, I still believe in it; it’s going to be beautiful if I ever get it finished!
Christine
I’ve frogged in similar states of ‘finish.’ The end result being that the ‘fixed’ project became one I enjoyed and loved.
The few projects I didn’t frog… I finished and then never really wore/used because of that feeling about the project. I can think of 2 sweaters and 1 vest that I ended up trashing because I wasn’t happy with them and I really felt that no one should wear them because of their construction flaws.
But then certain things that it doesn’t matter to much in regards to the fit (ex. scarf) I don’t frog once I’m really satisfied with the way it looks. Then if I make an error… I just call it personality and continue on if I notice it once I am more than 2 rows past the error.
It’s all in how you feel. If it is going to be a source of constant upset over the flaws, and it will bother you when you wear it, then I’d say frog it. How upsetting for you. If I could not wear it after all that work, I would frog it, I think. I don’t think I’d like doing it, and I think that would upset me badly, but not half as badly as wearing something and not being thrilled with it once it was finished.
If I don’t absolutely love something I am knitting, I frog, no matter how far along I am. I really enjoy the process of knitting and learn so much with each project finished or frogged.
That is one of the things I love about knitting. If you don’t like it, you can frog and still have the yarn you started with. And no one knows you didn’t finish what you started . Unlike, unfinished cross stitch, quilting and stamping projects that just sit there daring you to finish or toss.
I go through my unfinished projects every several months and anything that is just sitting on the needles gets frogged… then when I frog something, I have new yarn, so … I organize my stash … and when I organize my stash, it reminds me to look at my knitting books … and when I look at my knitting books, I find a new project I want to do … and of course … I don’t have the yarn in my stash so I go to the LYS …
It is the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” syndrome.
(children’s book by Laura Numeroff)
Never put the effort into finishing a project that you dislike, you’ll feel so much better frogging and reallying enjoying the FO, than finishing and never wearing/discarding the mistake riddled one…believe me I know, I’ve ended up throwing away things because they’re hideous, even though I knew it was going to be hideous about 1/2 way into the project…
plus, this way you’ve got more to knit, which is something you like doing!
I’ve completely frogged a completed project just because I didn’t like the final result. Since I enjoy knitting as a process I didn’t cry too much over “wasted” time. I enjoyed making it, the final product wasn’t something I was happy with so it was worth it for me to find something else to do with the yarn. I figured I was never going to wear it and since it was knit to my body measurements I didn’t know anyone else I could offer it to. Hope that helps some.
Thanks for all your responses. I had very nearly talked myself into frogging, washing the yarn, and starting over again.
Then I walked back out to the other room and took another look at the sweater, showed it to DH (who was sleepy and didn’t really pay much attention), and I realized – I CAN’T frog all my work!! Even with those little details that bug me, I’m still proud of my efforts. It’s the first sweater I ever started knitting (although I’ve finished a different one in the interim), and I do want to finish it. Maybe there’s a few parts that I can redo, but I don’t think it’s necessary to start all over from scratch. I can definitely see myself wearing this sweater once it’s finished.
I can be an uber perfectionist at times, and a lot of it has to do with my current mood. That’s why I knew I had to wait a few days and think it over, change my perspective, and hear some other voices (besides all the ones in my own head!) before making a final decision.
Anyway, I do appreciate your kind comments and encouragement; it’s the reason I love KH, and there’s no other place on the internet quite like it.
