Some things get your heart thumping. Sometimes it feels great, while other times, it feels like you are going to throw up.
I haven't hopped on a rollercoaster ride since I've become an adult, but I still vividly recall the feeling one feels before climbing in this metal behemoth that has you wonder what engineering feats make it stand up still.
Well, last weekend, I experienced this feeling again. It had absolutely nothing to do with rollercoasters, but I did something some people would fear, that had my heart screaming for attention.
After many years of this project sitting in my UFO (unfinished object) bin, I picked it up again.
Photo credit: © Skeindeer Knits
It's this gorgeous colorwork pattern, Otra Cardigan by Skeindeer, that I had casted on many years ago. The yarn is Sincere Sheep Cormo Fingering, a part of their Terroir Fiber Series, a cormo wool from Wyoming, USA. It's awesome.
Photo credit: ©Sincere Sheep
If it's that awesome, why was it in my UFO bin to begin with?
Well... This is awkward, for a knitting designer. Hmmm... Here we go.
It was too big.
I wanted it a bit oversized, so I selected a larger size (nothing wrong with that, choose the size YOU want), but either my gauge must've been off, or maybe I added an extra round of increases (most likely) that I shouldn't have - I often get carried away when knitting. So, well, it turned out that the cardigan had over 8 inches of positive ease... without the button bands.
Oops!
As you know, time heals all wounds, and it turns out that my body equity (ahem) has grown a little these past 4 years. So the 8+ inches of positive ease are now more like 6 inches.
So with the button band added, if I work a narrower band than I originally planned to, doesn't make the sweater way too big anymore. Just... Oversized, like I wanted it to be.
I can pat myself on the shoulder for my seer-vision at the time... (cough cough)
So 4 years later, I picked it up again. Most of the body was already knitted, so I simply kept going down the waist, then worked the ribbing and casted off with the contrasting color.
**Warning: all pictures shown are of the unblocked object, because I like keeping it real here. Don't expect a perfect Instagram aesthetic from me, I live in the real world!
But then, I was faced with THE daunting task...
I had to slash my knitting.
Slash, slice, rip it up, crack it open. However you want to call it, I had to steek it.
It felt like I was at the top of the rollercoaster hill, looking down at what was awaiting me. Gulp.
It wasn't my first time steeking, but it was my first time steeking a sweater I had spent countless hours knitting by hand. The stakes were high, the stress levels climbing by the second, like when you're waiting for the rollercoaster ride to drop downhill while the train keeps making these clicking sounds, reminding you that it's gonna happen any second now. You will be pushed down a cliff, whether you want to or not. There's no escaping this.
First, I crocheted the length of the button band edge, as to secure the steek on both sides. It reminded me of how much I love to crochet. I rarely do it anymore, knitting has become my craft of choice, but as I was busy with the edge of my steek, I vowed to plan to crochet a blanket in the near future and crochet more often.
Then, because I was scared of having missed a couple stitches, I ran my sewing machine twice through the edge stitches of the steek (one can never be too careful).
With my beautiful golden scissors in hand, I set my sight on the task at hand: Turning this knitting project into a cardigan by slashing into it.
Like at the amusement park, the price had been paid, the effort to make it there had been made, the security measures had been taken, I was already on board. There was only one thing left to do: try to enjoy the ride.
Carefully, with my heart racing, I cut alongside the steeking stitches.
Like a rollercoaster jetting towards the ground, my heart thumping inside my chest, my insides wondering why I had let myself get into this, I cut through all the stitches of the steek, and it was over in a minute.
Done!
Phew!
Now I have to knit the button bands, then the sleeves, and hopefully, this project will be finished before the end of this year.
The stress is over, I can now relax while working on this project while the adrenaline is still running through my veins.
Already, I'm thinking about hopping on a new steeking rollercoaster adventure with the gigantic amounts of Letlopi yarns I bought last spring - Remember my colorwork addiction? I can tell it'll be coming back as soon as the weather cools off.
I might be looking for a more challenging ride, or maybe I'll just enjoy a smoother one. Who knows.
If you see great colorwork cardigans patterns, let me know. Maybe we could start a knit-along, and ride this rollercoaster together.