WIP: EZ sweater aka the fractured fairy tale

What'cha Knittin'?
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Ever start a project, work at it awhile and say “Meh - I don’t like this because <insert a reason>. I’ve got to fix this, it’s a hot mess.” Then chaos ensues…That’s this sweater. :eyes:

In another thread, this sweater for DGD started out just fine with a 2x2 rib at the bottom.

After 2 inches of perfectly knit 2x2 rib and 4 inches of bubble gum colored sweater I sat back, admiring my handiwork and [B]really[/B] looked at the sweater. Now this is either a really good habit to develop, or a really bad one, because…

“Meh - granddaughter is more girly than this, I’ve got to fix this. But how??”

Can I give this to my grandson? Picture my 7 year old Batman aficianado dressed up in a sweater that makes him look like a demented Care Bear? I think not. %@#! Can’t repurpose all of that beautiful knitting. And no other little girls to finish it for either…

Hmmmm - I don’t like the ribbing, it needs a seed stitch border. Yeah, that’ll work!:woohoo:

So, I happily frog and rewind yarn to start anew. Then chaos ensued. The road to Hades is indeed paved in good intentions.

Cast on #1: I miscounted and cast on enough stitches to knit a sweater large enough to fit a Wookie. Who [I]would[/I] look like a demented Care Bear in that sweater if finished. Of course, I notice this about 10 or so rounds in.

Cast on #2: I miscounted again and cast on too few stitches. DGD is entirely too young to wear a Jane Russell sweater. Again, I notice this after about 20 rounds or so in. I begin to wonder who is demented by this point.

Cast on 3: Yay!!! Right number cast on, then a few rounds into it… %$!&!!! Foiled again! The cast on got twisted. As much as I enjoy topology problems, this won’t work AT ALL.

Cast on 4: With my sanity somewhat intact, we arrive at the WIP in the photo. Just another inch of the body, then I get to start on the sleeves!

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You’re braver and more dedicated than I! I would have quit after the second attempt or tried a different pattern. Often though you can simply at some detail at the cuff and/or bottom or select girly or boy buttons to get the effect you want.

I do think it’s very pretty though. So who is it going to be for now?

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IMO it looks great. If you think you need to girl it up more, maybe some ruffles on the sleeves? Maybe picot BO? Just a couple thoughts. I bet she likes it just fine. I agree it doesn’t look like it’s for a boy.

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That sweater is a survivor and it deserves to be finished! It looks good in girly colors and a pretty combination at that. If you’re still in doubt after it’s finished maybe a cute pin (assuming your DGD is old enough)?
Thanks for the fractured fairy tale (where did they go?) which made my morning. I guess we’ve all had at least one of these.

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Rotro! It’s the dreaded two-steps-forward-three-steps-back project!

I like what you have so far. Hope it will straighten up and fly right now!

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Been there, done that! I can’t EVER seem to cast on the right number of stitches if it’s anything past 30…so I use stitch markers now…every 10 stitches…and then I recount inbetween the markers BEFORE beginning to knit the first row.

Oy vey! I cast on 100+ stitches one time using stitch markers every 10th stitch…and knit away…and when it came time for some interesting pattern work…I discovered I had cast on either 1 too few, or 1 too many. Whatever it was, it ruined things. I frogged and started over. :eyes: Heavens.

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Naahh, Jan, I’m just the quintessential hard-headed southern gal, because my girl IS getting a sweater from her Gramma for winter. :knitting:

And grandson is getting one just like it, but with a 2x2 rib at waist, sleeve, and neck. Only in almost batman colors: dk gray/blue/orange.

At least the seed stitch hem at the waist,sleeves, & neck will give it a more feminine look than the 2x2 rib.:woot:

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Charlotte, I’m sure the grands will love the sweaters. Mine seem to think anything Gramma makes is beyond priceless. Ugh, that can be a pain, GS outgrew his Xmas PJs with cars on them years ago and is still hoping I can make them fit again. Don’t be too hard on yourself, you are making them with love and they’ll know and feel it. Do, please, enjoy your knitting.

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Thanks GG! I wanted her to have something she could play comfortably in but still look like a girl, so I went with seed stitch borders at wrist, waist, and neck. The picot bind off may work at the neckline to priss her up a bit more. She’s enough like me that if I put picots at the wrists, she’ll get her fingers stuck in them!:roflhard:

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I sympathize ArtLady. :hug:

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Personally I think picots are too fru fru most of the time, I wouldn’t want them for me, but if someone else does, they’re just fine and I’ll bother with learning and doing them. I think they would be really cute at the neck. How old is she?

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GG, once I got past the 4th cast on I fell in love with knitting the sweater. Around, and around, and around we go - perfect for knitting while “watching” TV with husband. Nice to kill 2 birds with one stone, eh?

And now that I’ve reclaimed a bit more of my brain power back from work, I’m pretty sure that grandson’s cast on will go smooth as silk.

Granddaughter will likely love it, while grandson will likely give the typical boy response, “meh, clothes”. It’s all good, promise!:hug:

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She’s 5, almost 6. Hence the stuck finger thing.:slight_smile: Me, I’m just clumsy.:teehee:

We just keep cross posting, or at least I do. Great minds think alike! :mrgreen:

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Just been there with a sweater I’m working on for me. It’s a simple lace pattern and the cast on was a nightmare as I kept messing up where I was in the pattern. So… after the 4th time trying to cast on I finally wrote down the 2 places that I kept messing up, one section is a yfrn then p2tog and the next one is a yo k2tog, so by writing down the p2tog and k2tog I was able to check off which one I just completed and came out right at the end!!! Sure wish I’d thought of that with the back and the other front:teehee:

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It seems we’re all sharing a lily pad in the “simple pattern” frog pond: you, me, marg1e. But I take comfort in knowing I’m in such good company!:grphug:

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The frog needs to expand its vocabulary.

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I would love to see some more wip pictures :slight_smile: i love your work

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Rip it, $#@%$!, perhaps? :shrug:

I guess my frog expanded it’s vocabulary in the wrong way…:mrgreen:

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Uh, well, yeah, I guess mine did too now that you mention it. :mrgreen:

I’m looking forward to more photos.