When you count the number of projects you knitted in a period, do you include all those you end up ripping? I mean, those you finished completely and decided you don’t like and rippety ripped it went?

Recently, I keep finishing projects, looking at the thing that came off my needles, don’t really like what I see, leave the poor thing to be judged in daylight (as I mostly knit in the evening) confirming my dislike the next day and without too much hesitation ripping it back to the yarn form.

The Splashy  was saved from the ripping party by Sam who declared she will wear it:

A very bad photo of Splashy in the snow

So I gave it to her for Valentine’s Day and after a few days she was very happy to inform me she wore it to work one day and received quite a few compliments including one from a lady who identify herself as a knitter and really admired it. And I almost ripped the poor bugger without even showing it to Sam!

I really loved the yarn I used in the skein, it had the most striking colors and combination of them on the skein but it didn’t translate well in the fabric. Still, my main issue was the pattern – although I enjoyed knitting it and the shawl looks nice open up, I was really disappointed when I tried wearing it, all those half circles didn’t want to make any sense around my neck!  I think the secret of its success with Sam is that she wears it like a long scarf and not like a shawl.

Some projects I like and keep even during one of those rippging attacks. For example, this is another Leftie I just took off the blocking pins:

Here I am wearing the latest knit creation that just came off the blocking pins

Leftie is one of my repeat patterns – this is the third finished one. The first one I ever started got ripped off when it was almost finished because I decided I like it better knitted on larger needles and is now in the yarn form waiting its turn on my needles!

If we discuss ripping that first Leftie who is still undone, is a good example of my easy ripping tendencies. I started it on 4mm (US6) needles, after knitting quite a few leaves I decided the fabric is too loose ripped it off and started again on 3.75mm (US5) needles, after knitting quite a few leaves again (I think I had 7 or 8 leaves done each time) I decided I don’t like how the leaves turn out on the smaller needles so I went back to the previous needle (this time I was smart enough to take a new skein of each color and leave the knitted leaves as is until I make up my mind…) I knitted almost the whole shawl on the 4mm needles and while knitting it I started another Leftie for my sister’s birthday – although I used Koigu KPM and KPPPM for both, my sister’s yarn turned out to be a bit thinner and I really like the way the leaves are when they are knitted loose so this is why I decided I should knit my first Leftie on 4.5mm (US7) needles.

I have two more finished projects that are waiting for their time on the blocking bed (it is now occupied by hand knitted socks that got a bath in the washer earlier today). One is a keeper I think (One can never be too sure until one sees the final blocked shawlette), the other may still be ripped as I fucked up the proportions thinking I have more yarn that I end up having…. It looks good enough to spend time blocking it before the final verdict.

I also have a fully knitted cardigan that is waiting to be seamed into a wearable object – this may take a few years but I guess this together with my repeat knitting tendencies are good subjects for some other posts that may or may not be written soon.