News of Various Sorts

I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that my knitting project that I've been working on for over a year - and which is approaching the end - has a huge boo-boo. One part of a skein was apparently not treated in the same manner as the rest of the skein and is consequently a different color (and texture).

You see the whiter band there? It's glaringly obvious in direct sunlight, but I knit mainly inside and so hadn't noticed.


Of course I didn't notice this until after I had knit several inches. And I really don't want to rip back and take out that yarn because at that point I'm already well into the decreases. I'd never be able to figure out how to reconstruct it correctly; the moss stitch is too complicated for me. So I'm thinking I'll just finish knitting the sweater (it's for me) and dye the whole thing (maybe a nice grey?) afterward. Is that insane?

Have any of you done something similar? Any brand of dye you recommend? I prefer natural dyes, if possible. The yarn is supposedly 100% wool but I don't have the label. I bought it at a warehouse near Paris that sells overstock, discounted yarn and things like that.

In happier news, yesterday I started a spring/summer shirt that is part of my Colette Spring Palette Challenge: New Look 6870, view C, without the lace.


I'm using this fabric: Alexander Henry Fulham Road Bell. I purchased the end of a bolt and there wasn't much left. I couldn't lay out the sleeves as indicated on the pattern instructions, but I'm hoping it'll work anyhow.


And while I was watching the French Open finals I needed something (fairly) mindless to do, so I dug out a shirt that needs taken in and I ripped out the side seams. This is the fake before-shot, as I forgot to take a real one:


The designer - Pronk - has placed one continuous seam going all the way up the side and into the sleeves. I just opened up the whole thing as it seemed easier.


I can't decide if it's a good idea to sew one big seam like that or not. I suppose it makes for faster sewing. But if I had only wanted to change the sleeve band width, I might have been annoyed to find myself having to open up the entire side seam as well.

Anyhow, this shirt has been out of circulation for at least a year because it's just baggy and unflattering as it is, so hopefully this will salvage it. The shirt is fine in every other way, EXCEPT the buttons.


I love the buttons; in fact, they are the main reason I bought the shirt in the first place. Unfortunately, about half of them have fallen out of their backing...or whatever that's called. So I also need to replace the buttons. Still, it should be a relatively quick fix.

Those are my projects for the next week or so. I'll do a post later to catch up on Me-Made-June; I'm loving checking out everyone's outfits.

Comments

  1. Oh, I am so sorry about your knitting and the one ball that was way off colour. All that moss and rib knitting would be heartbreaking to frog.

    At least you can dye it to a uniform "natural colour" and maybe be just as pleased with the end result?

    I've had a somewhat similar experience with a many coloured jacket for my daughter. All the same machine-washable yarn type just different colors, all new, and yet half felted in the first wash and the rest didn't!

    That couldn't be rescued - but your sweater has a long life in front of it.

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  2. Oh dear, yes I have done exactly that, but take heart: while it was glaringly obvious to me, nobody else could see it and just looked at me strangely like I was some sort of obsessive (which I probably am, shhh) when I pointed it out. Just pretend it is supposed to be like that...

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  3. @ Jemajo, that is horrible! I'm so sorry! I would be really upset (and quite mad at the company) if that happened to me.

    @ Carolyn, several people already noticed it but they thought it was just supposed to be like that. I think it looks ridiculous as is, but we'll see once I'm completely finished I guess.

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  4. Dyeing it sounds like a very good idea. How annoying to have that happen, though!

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