Aaaaaaaarrrghhhhhhhh!
Here is my beautiful seamless hybrid (Zimmerman’s raglan + saddle-shoulder combo) sweater, nearly done. Am a few rows away from casting off the neck. It took fourteen months to make, on and off, with many hiccups and visits to the frog pond along the way, largely due to gauge issues with the alpaca yarn.
Nearly every other round of this sweater is knit twisted, on a size 3 needle. For the yoke, I knit three rounds plain, three twisted, and it made for a pretty variation.
If you have never tried this much twisted stockinette on small needles, I urge you to. You can then join me in contrasting the beauty of the zig-zag, firm fabric this produces with the incredible soreness your left index finger will feel with the constant jabbing of the needle as you twist the stitch. Someone suggested to me on Knittersreview that twisting every alternate round helps keep pure alpaca yarn from stretching too much – it was so difficult to get a decent, firm stockinette fabric with the Elann Pure Alpaca that I went for it. Through all the jabbing and frogging, I visualised a warm, soft, roomy sweater at the end: late, to be sure, but every inch the unique 100% alpaca turtleneck the spouse had requested.
So why the arrghhhhh, you ask? It is because it isn’t just the yarn, but the entire project that has stretched too much already. Just take a look.
The blue fleece sweater on top fits the spouse well. Spilling out from all directions under it is the alpaca sweater, several sizes too large in every dimension but length. It is wildly loose for him, and looks horrible. I realise this is a truly crappy photo, but trust me, it is nothing compared to how it fits him. I didn’t dare show you that picture.
It’s not the gauge, it’s me. I thought he wanted this sweater modelled on a different, older and much roomier one and did the maths all wrong. The arms are at least four inches too long, the body about six inches too roomy and the shoulders way too wide. And before you ask, yes, I did have him try it on after joining the yoke, but other than slightly long sleeves, it seemed okay. At least, I thought that after it was all properly decreased and saddled and necked, it was going to be. I should have realised something was not quite right when the saddle shoulder began puckering at the back:
Actually, this should be a whole rant in itself, because however ill-conceived the overall size, I religiously followed Zimmerman’s percentage system for this pattern. Why my saddle ended up looking like an ugly puffed sleeve instead of the neat lines on all the other hundreds of seamless hybrids on Ravelry is a mystery. But I pressed on regardless, hoping that a good steam block would do the trick. Alas, it has not. The horrible droop of the saddle shoulder just about matches my mood right now, far down in the deepest dumps. I am SO angry and upset about this, because so many things went wrong for what was a really special project. I lost my notes and proper measurements, picked the wrong sweater to measure by, forgot all my plans for it over a really hot summer break, suffered through an awful yarn and stitch combination, and my usual blind hope that it would all work out in the wash really deserted me this time. I can’t even begin to consider frogging the whole thing and starting over – the very idea of doing another twisted knit stitch is making me ill, even for the love of my life. So my options right now are:
1) Set fire to the whole project and watch the natural fibre burn while I sip some strong, gold liquid.
2) Frog to the armholes, reduce sleeve length, figure out a yoke and decrease formula that will ensure a better fit at the shoulders while still keeping the body and sleeves intact.
3) Grit my teeth, finish the project as it is, and give it to a larger relative; heck, it *is* the gifting season after all
4) Take spouse to yarn store, pick a worsted weight alpaca blend (explain pitfalls and stretch-and-gauge trauma of 100% alpaca on size 3 needles along the way) and knit him another seamless hybrid in two weeks.
5) Pray for twenty pounds of instant weight loss by Christmas, because if #2 and #4 are being considered as viable options by then, then this will be trivial to achieve in comparison.
To sum up: Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgghhhhhhhhh! Any suggestions about which option will be easiest and most painless? Is there *any* chance that #2 might work? He so wanted a pure alpaca sweater, but I had the very devil of a time finding a 100% alpaca yarn that would fit my wallet and retain its shape as a large men’s pullover. Any suggestions for worsted blends that don’t cost the earth?
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Oh, how frustrating!! For starters, I really love the way the alternating straight and twisted stockinette looks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before, and it seems like such a simple (although simple and easy are NOT the same thing) way to tighten the fabric and add some visual interest.
That said… if you think the torso could be acceptable at its current size, then I think option #2 MIGHT work. As for the puckering of the saddle, could it be an issue of the row gauge::stitch gauge ratio??
Berrocco Ultra Alpaca is a worsted 50/50 wool alpaca blend, and it’s not too spendy for the yardage. It seems on the light side of worsted to me, but it’s very nice and comes in lots of colors.
there’s no option (6) of feeding spouse to the gills and making him put on some necessary pounds?! really sorry this didn’t turn out the way you wanted. now THAT aaargh i can sympathize with, even if i didn’t follow most of the technical stuff here….
#1 sounds rather cathartic and entertaining, but I’d go with #4 and frog this one, save the yarn for something else and use a heavier yarn for his…..
I would either destroy this thing right now for the pure joy of it, or hide it away for a while, and then frog it. Reknitting it using worsted yarn sounds like a better option, and will be as close to moving on as you can get right now, I think. You might try Berroco Ultra Alpaca, which is a 50/50 woo/alpaca blend. It has 215 yards per skein and runs somewhere around the $6/skein range. It could be a good option and help you move on. Good luck–that’s just a painful story.
Oh, this is terrible! I’m so sorry that the result of so much effort is so utterly disappointing (though beautiful). #2 sounds to me like it might be unsatisfactory unless the body width really isn’t a problem.
I have to say personally I’m stuck at 1 but I suppose 4 is really the best idea.
I hate when projects come out badly but it hurts so much worse when it’s something special for someone special. You have my sympathy!
Choose 1! I don’t know how you’ll be able to let alpaca touch your needles again after this, although the twisted stitches are really lovely, and the sheen on the yarn is so pretty. Tell your spouse you found the first yarn is not actually alpaca, but made from the tears of caged butterflies and you simply can not allow him to wear it. And the only way to avoid this abuse of endangered species is to go with an alpaca (heavy on the wool blend) blend. I searched for alpaca under the yarn/ravelry tab
http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/search?query=alpaca
And also in the yarndex catalog
http://www.yarndex.com/search.cfm?action=search_adv&ss=Alpaca&wt_1=&wt_2=&wt_3=&wt_4=on&wt_5=&wt_6=&fiber_id=10&CFID=10545367&CFTOKEN=69444366
I see at the top that RYC offers a blend, I’m using their cashsoft now and it’s very soft (although it pills) and it’s not too tough on the budget. I wish you knitting peace, friend.
First, have a gallon-sized margarita. Breathe. Put the sweater away in a drawer or closet for a couple of days and try not to think about it. Work on something else.
After you can think about the sweater again without shuddering, consider how you’ll feel if spouse is wearing a sweater that you knit, with nice shoulders/torso, but that’s really too big in the body. If you’re okay with that, go with option 2. If you’re not, frog the whole damn thing and either donate the yarn to charity or put it away for an entirely different project, years down the road.
As for your last question, I’ll second others and suggest the Ultra Alpaca. I knit a sweater out of it in January and while it’s very warm, there hasn’t been substantial growing with wear. It’s soft, knits up with beautiful stitch definition, and comes in a nice range of colors including heathers.
I think I’m going to have to go with number 1 too. I have a new bottle of SoCo that I’m willing to share…
Or you could always do #4. You know… your choice.
B.U.M.M.E.R.
So the whole time I was reading your post I kept thinking to myself… something that I am sure is daft or stupid, but it is absolutely the way I operate… When something is already a lost cause, like a wonky sweater, I dive right without fear and experiment… So, what I kept thinking was… why not steak the sides and seam them up at the proper girth? Seams are helpful in somewhat slinky fabric like alpaca I figure… Then re-knit the upper chest, can you rip back the arms just enough and not have to reknit them completely?, and re-do the saddle shoulder compensating for whatever went down with those twisted stitches. I don’t know how alpaca steaks, but with sewing the steaks first it ought to be okay I figure…
Okay daft idea… forgive me.
So, I’ve got matches… and I travel…
OH NO!
Seriously, how awful and frustrating.
I wonder, too, about the possibility of cutting and sewing, combined with a reknit of the sleeves (or, you could just cut off the ends and re-knit down cuffs) and shoulder shaping (since the puffiness will annoy you, I’m sure). I’d think that would absolutely require a sewing machine, though, what with the slipperiness of alpaca.
Really, huge sympathies. (And is he there? Hi, if so [or anyway.])
In better news, your rangoli hat has been PERFECT the last few days. Warm enough, and yet not giving of the hat head that so often plagues me.
I think that #2 might work if you can live with the torso being a bit larger than you like. But honestly, it will probably never look perfect to you since it wasn’t started at the right size. Personally, I’d choose #1 and start over with worsted weight.
Sorry for your pain
I think 1 would be the most cathartic, but 4 seems to be the most practical. You could totally do a sweater in 2 weeks. I have!
Oh that is just terrible.
So much work!
I say #3. #1 would be cathartic but ultimately such a waste. Give the darn thing away to someone whom you like but will seldom see. Give your DH an IOU (he’ll understand) and go find some worsted weight yarn that he’ll like. Meanwhile, whip up a pair of socks for him. That’s my 2 cents.
I’m knitting socks for my DH since I no longer have time to knit him his annual sweater. Just wait till you have kids!
Wow, I am impressed that you can knit an entire sweater in worsted weight in two weeks (this is is the slowest knitter in America here). I vote for option 4 – cut your losses and move on!
oh that texture is fab, but the story of the size – my heart aches, the colour and texture is beautiful. i vote that it sits folded across a chair in the bedroom to be handled and admired and occasionally work around the shoulders? I have no solutions, but have been warned that worsted weight will be a warm alpaca sweater …. oh …..BOTHER! I hate not being able to help . . . . . .
Bummer! I would vote for option 2. If that doesn’t work, go for option 4.
Hmm. It does look gorgeous and really only needs a larger body to fit it. I’m all for giving it to a larger person. Then of course pacify DH by choosing a smaller project in two weeks, (with some luxurious yarn-to make up for it). After he’s forgotten the fiasco, secretly cast on again, only DONT USE ALPACA….
The problem is not you or the pattern. It’s the alpaca. Alpaca fiber has no memory. Any thing you knit will end up stretching to your knees at least a beyond. It has to be an alpaca blended with wool to keep shape. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if 2 will work 100%. It has a tendency to keep growing.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to remedy this myself as a spinner. Maybe one strand alpaca, one wool? I’ve also thought about trying a garment knit on the diagonal or bias, but I suspect pure alpaca will still give the same problem just stretched on the diagonal. Reminds me I need to card some Suri and wool together.
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