Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Shaping Up

I think I’m stinking with bitterness over this sweater I knitted. And reknitted. It’s the Jane crossover sweater, from Perl Grey, knit with Ottawa yarn from Fleece Artist. I love love love the yarn. I encountered numerous problems with the pattern, though, and now I may just have to transform it back into a ball. I thought this would be a good sweater to experiment with, since it’s not that fitted. But I guess that turned out to be the problem. I am liking the bangs, though.

I started to knit the larger size, thought for sure I would run out of yarn so I took the whole thing out and knit the smaller size and figured I’d just block the hell out of it to make it fit. Then I made the front panels too long and took those back and redid them. Now that it’s all attached, it doesn’t quite fit right. It has these big gaps at the armpits and it’s much too boobslingy. I feel like a boob marsupial when I wear it.

I successfully knit another hippie hat. This is the Ana Bandana pattern also from Perl Grey. Knit in Woolie Silk from Fleece Artist.

The hat helps me be one with nature. Here I am cuddling a chipmunk I found in my yard:

I finished the bandana hat in perfect time for buying 2008 Dunegrass Festival tickets. The place where we arrived last year and Evan scanned the horizon and said, “This place is overrun with 98% hippies.” He apparently was okay with it though, because he’s been asking to go back. I also made reservations for a cabin at Mammoth Caves for the end of June. Toss a camping trip or two in there, a whole lot of swimming at Rutherford Pool and Murray Lake and the summer is shaping up. Luka’s soon getting started with soccer, but Evan is resistant to organized sports. So I’m steering him towards some slacker sports. I signed him up for a summer geocaching camp. And I’m going to learn disc golf so I can take my ducklings out and play. Hey! There’s another bandana hat wearing opportunity.

I got a little preview of summer yesterday when I found myself repeatedly saying “BECAUSE I SAID SO!!” I have a plan, though, to deal with these children who constantly ask why why why to every little thing. They’re not really looking for reasons, either, they’re trying to antagonize me. So here’s my plan. One day soon, when I tell them to turn off the tv, for example, and they say WHY I’m going to sit them down and look up articles about the detrimental effects of excessive television viewing. We’ll read it all together and then I’ll require them to write little book reports about it that they can refer to the next time they want to know WHY. And I will find other topics for them to research for any other questions that they have for me. And then they will know why.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I've never seen such a boobslingish sweater... it is an unusual design.

I can feel the summer breezes blowing on the face of my imagination.

LauraJ23 said...

I would go to Dunegrass, if I hadn't already bought tickets to Rothbury!

The sweater is rather boobslingy. But I love the hat, and the bangs, of course!

Shannon said...

i would go to dunegrass...i was bummed to miss it last year.

i like the hat!

Zoe the Wonder Dog said...

Wow, that right there is why I can't knit a sweater. I couldn't possibly do, re-do, re-do again and still not have it right without my brain exploding.

Love the hat though... can I borrow the pattern?

Anonymous said...

There must be some way to save the sweater, the arms are great and the yarn is beautiful. Of course I have absolutly no idea how... but there must be a way.

Ypsipearl said...

I don't know. I haven't torn it out yet because I'm meditating on the situation. Maybe I'll try to block it one more time. Maybe I'll get a breast reduction and that will help.

biscodo said...

In my less than humble opinion: Let it go... free your mind.

It's surely a beautiful yarn, and an intriguing pattern shape, but how many times do you want to redo it? I mean, is it THAT important to you? If it frustrates you - let it go.

You can change your mind without the baggage of some sort of BS notion of "admitting defeat". I'd rather see you happy-knitting than frustrated-knitting.

When you get old, you can always tell wistful nostalgic stories about "the one that got away" without going all Captain Ahab.

Yar.

Ypsipearl said...

Biscodo, you are sounding downright spiritual but not religious. You are right, I will let it go. Go, go, go free yourself from my brain bad bad boobslingy sweater... ommmmmm...

I will not admit defeat. Like life, it's all a learning experience. I could never have known that the pattern wasn't for me until I knitted it for myself. Now I know, I am wiser for it.

biscodo said...

Argh. You're sooooo reading something that's not there.

It's not a spiritual mindset about "letting it go". It's a rational view of the world. You only have so much time, money, effort, and desire to spend on things.

If you're stuck with the 3-time UnSweater, you won't have room for other things. Hats. Bags. Stockings. Pouches. Plant-hangers. Penis-cozies (oh, wait... that was Kate, wasn't it...)

I'm amazed that my efficiency and cost-to-benefit analysis was read as "spiritual". Should I start wearing 3-piece suits and wing-tips to be considered "hip and edgy"? Adopt racist language to be thought of as "progressive"?

Ironic Performance Artists Of The World - Unite! (er... I mean... Disband! uh... ok... Loosely Affiliate! In An Uncertain Manner! With Definite Ambiguity!)

biscodo said...

Oh yeah, I forgot... boobs.

Ypsipearl said...

You're reading something, too. Seriousness. Ha! Yeah, Kate's going to knit penis cozies but i told her I'll knit her a lace colostomy bag cover when she gets colon cancer.

biscodo said...

Yeah, but sometimes this blog gets people kinda worked up. ;)

Wait... you mean... you're NOT serious about boobs?

Ypsipearl said...

I know! Don't you love it! Blogging brings people together, tears them apart, brings them back together again! It's beautiful.

I didn't really understand your boobs comment. Are you saying my boobs aren't there? NOW you're pissing me off!

Unknown said...

Cute chipmunk. Love the hat. I'm feeling mixed about the sweater. I'd like to see it on you for realz. The sleeves DO look good. It's just hard to tell how that front looks. Hmmmmm. I think it looks kinda cool with the shirt underneath. Don't rip it out yet. And you know how much I love the bangs.

Anonymous said...

could you join the bits together at the armpits? that might reduce some of the slinginess.

on the other hand, rocking those bangs, ain't nobody gonna look at your sweater :)

meredith

Shannon said...

ah ha ha...you two are crackin' me up.

better than 'getting worked up' tho, right?!

ha ha ha...

Andre said...

The hat is fantastic, but, yeah, that sweater is pretty fucking weird.