Linen Dread

You may have noticed I joined the Linen Drape Along. Its official start date was May 1st. Like a good little knit-alonger I started working on my pattern Saturday morning before leaving for MSW. I charted out the beginning of the sweater, and did a schematic of the whole thing so I knew what I was working toward. Yay! One step down. I reviewed what I had drawn out, measured it against a few favorite sweaters, and felt pretty good that it was going to fit as I had wished.

Then, Sunday, I decided to cast on. I've really been looking forward to this one. I love the color - a nice, claret red. And the design - the first one of my own - was shaping up to be really special. I spent hours perusing online about pattern drafting, styles, and fit. I went through my own wardrobe and identified what I liked and didn't like about the sweaters I owned. And then I added in a few touches to make it really special.

So, armed with all those good feelings, I cast on my stitches and got to work. And here's where the problems began. As I knit each additional row I was surprised with how inelastic the fabric was. It felt kinda stiff - not drapey and flowy as I had imagined. And knitting it, well, it has a tendency to split. It feels more like knitting embroidery floss than knitting yarn. Seriously, this is the most finicky non-novelty yarn I've knit with.

Now, a couple months back I would have just plowed through it. Dealt with the splits by going slower, being more methodical. Telling myself to keep a good attitude and in the end it will be beautiful. But after the past few problems I've had with sweaters (the pink calmer top down, the domino ribbon) I decided to put it down and think about it some more.

And I'm glad I did.

After inspecting the fabric and looking closely at the design, I'm afraid the two are a bad match. I need something with more flow. More elasticity. Maybe even something more like a Cascade Fixation with some elastic in it.

So I put down my needles and cast on for one of my socks from the new yarn I got this weekend.

What will I do with the Linen Drape? I'm not sure. I think it needs simple, clean lines. No fussy decreases. No intricate lace. Ribbing? Only as a decorative accent.

Am I frustrated? Amazingly, no. I feel happy that I was able to realize the problem early on and correct it. Maybe even a little proud that I've really grown. I have far too little knitting time as it is. To spend any of that time on a garment that's sure to be frogged - now that's truly frustrating.