Sometimes you make something and everything goes smoothly… the instructions contain no mistakes, the materials are cooperative, it ends up looking exactly how you want it to and you’ve enjoyed the whole process. And then sometimes that’s not the case.
I had some lovely New Lanark aran yarn in “Blackberry” that Mr Snail bought for me a couple of years ago. I had fallen out of love with the crochet pattern that it was originally intended for and I couldn’t find one that was exactly what I wanted. So, I bought a pattern that I was sure I could adapt. It was knitted rather than crochet, but that was ok – I’m happy to do either. I made the sleeves full-length rather than 3/4 and that worked well. Rather than adapting the wide, low-cut neck, I decided to in-fill with crochet once it was knitted. And that was where my problems started…
First I crocheted in a little triangle so it wasn’t as low-cut, but on inspection I discovered that it wasn’t quite centred, and in fact I’d made the triangle slightly too wide at the top, so it distorted the neck shape… so I frogged it. Then I decided to start slightly differently, so I edged it first, but it was saggy… so I frogged it. Then I edged it with some decreases and that was better, so I tried the triangular insert, and some more edging, but when I tried it on it still gaped and seemed very low… so I frogged it. Then I switched to a smaller hook and edged it and made a triangle using a different stitch pattern (which got partly frogged as I went) and then I realised I’d miscounted stitches down one side of the front edging, so it was uneven… so I frogged it.
Finally I got out my notebook and wrote down how many stitches I needed to work in each of the five sections. Then I counted as I worked and recounted once the first row was done. Then I put in a second row and counted again. Then I made the triangular insert based on all that I had learned from my previous attempts, which included using stitch markers to ensure that the two sides matched exactly. Then I crocheted another row and then I tried it on. It seemed to be ok, so I finished off with a crab-stitch edging.
It’s worked and I’m happy with it (it really is the colour in the first four pictures not the last one), but my word it has taken hours and hours and hours. Once all the ends are woven in, that will be another completed item made from my stash. I’m planning to spend time on something less challenging now before I return to the stripy cardigan that I abandoned months ago because of some technical issues with the pattern. Have you been struggling with any challenging makes recently?
The Snail of Happiness 
tialys
/ February 25, 2018Yes, I have and I said something very similar to ‘frog it’ quite a few times during the process. Still, it was worth it in the end and you have ended up with a very nice, one of a kind jumper and a little less in your stash and UFO pile.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018I suppose there had to be pay-back for the fact that it knitted up so quickly!
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Ann Pole
/ February 25, 2018I like that, ‘something similar to frog it…..’ Hehe!
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MrsCraft
/ February 25, 2018It’s perfect now, worth all of the effort you’ve put in.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018I’m rather pleased with the end result… thank goodness!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ February 25, 2018I love the patience that allows us to work away at a problem until it is solved. When I was young if it didn’t work out first or second time it was generally discarded. Now I’ll immerse myself quite happily in tricky creations even though if for some of them it may take many weeks of on again and off again attempts 🙂 I do like what you did with the neckline on this one.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018I really like to wool and was so keen to have a finished garment that I just kept beavering away at it. I suspect that when I was younger I would have just given up and followed the pattern and ended up with something I didn’t want to wear. I may have got more determined as I’ve aged… I’m simply not prepared to be bested by a hook and some wool!
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coppicelearner
/ February 25, 2018The last tricky thing I did was knit a copy of the jumper Rose brought back from Brazil. First I got the wrong yarn and only realised when I had done a long rectangle – that got made into a jumper dress but I need to do something better with the neckline I think. Then working with better yarn I had to have a few goes at the shaping. I knitted a second one for my daughter to fix the pattern in my head but you have reminded me I meant to re-write the instructions to be clearer and that was before Christmas! Hope they still make sense
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018Yes, writing down the pattern is lots less fun than doing the knitting/crochet.
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Laurie Graves
/ February 25, 2018Pretty!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018and nice and warm too – no point in having all that wool and a gaping neckline!
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Laurie Graves
/ February 25, 2018Right you are!
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AJ
/ February 25, 2018That was definitely worth all your effort as it’s beautiful!!!!
I have a sweater that I’m hating on right now and I’m not sure if I’m going to continue or frog it, so for now it’s sitting and I’m knitting socks🤣
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018Isn’t it awful when you know the thing on your needles is not what you want, but it’s a choice between abandoning all the work and ripping it out?
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AJ
/ February 26, 2018It’s the worst!!!! I’m ignoring it for a while:(
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nanacathy2
/ February 25, 2018It is a triumph m’dear. As to frogging, how many goes can it take one person to attach a mock pocket flap to a baby cardigan- 4!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018you see, you should have stuck to cables!
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iamsimplyhooked
/ February 25, 2018Wow – that’s what I call perseverance. Well done. I hate all that stitch counting too!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018In the end I got a bit obsessed with getting it right – which is what saw me through!
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Ann Pole
/ February 25, 2018It looks lovely. We’ve a completed project this weekend too – the new wood store! It looks like it will hold about 6 cubic meters of wood (or there abouts) and is 5/6 full of wood already! Oh, and FPA tomorrow….
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018good luck – I’m sure it will be fine
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anne54
/ February 25, 2018Lovely to have something that you will happily wear (and it is very pretty) rather than a garment that just sits in the cupboard. It’s a great solution to the low neck, and looks like it was always part of the pattern. Well done you!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018I’ve been quite keen to do more work that combines knitting and crochet for a while and this seemed like a good project to try it out. Crochet is so good for edgings.
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katechiconi
/ February 25, 2018That jumper is a tribute to human persistence, and also a very nice colour! I think the repetition of ‘oh, frog it’ is one of the reasons I stick to the smaller needles rather than the knitters or the hook. I love the *idea* of knitting but know myself too well to pretend I’ll ever make myself a wearable garment!
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yarnandpencil
/ February 25, 2018Your tenacity has paid off. It’s wonderful and such a pretty colour ❤
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Nice Piece of Work
/ February 26, 2018Full marks for obstinate persistence 🙂 It looks gorgeous!!!
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davidprosser
/ February 26, 2018You are one amazingly multi talented lady Jan.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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KerryCan
/ February 26, 2018Your problem solving technique is impressive–she persisted!
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sewchet
/ February 26, 2018Well, it was worth persevering until you got it right, otherwise you’d never have worn it – and you will now! What an interesting addition it is to the neckline, too, so much nicer than the obvious V-neck.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 26, 2018In fact I’m wearing it right now! Having had it on for a while I’m happy to report it’s comfortable… and furthermore my chest is not freezing!
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sewchet
/ February 26, 2018There you go – no scarf needed!
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crochetbyanne
/ March 12, 2018The Jumper looks amazing and I think the word for all your hard work is tenacious. Like the add to the neckline.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 15, 2018Thank you – it ended up working really well and I’m very happy with it.
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Froggy Crochet
/ March 13, 2018I do this all the time with my crochet projects 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 15, 2018The funny thing is that I don’t really mind frogging crochet, but I hate frogging knitting!
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Born To Organize
/ March 15, 2018Congratulations for persevering. And now you have a gorgeous, purple sweater/jumper to keep you warm.
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CC
/ March 22, 2018This is so cute!!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 22, 2018And so warm!
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thegrangerange.wordpress.com
/ April 20, 2018Determination won through in the end and you have something that will be a pleasure to wear. Well done for the final article it is so pretty and will bring you many compliments. And a well done to Mr Snail, gorgeous colour.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ April 20, 2018I am wearing it even now!
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