Frogged

There are many reasons why knitters are a little crazy. The interest in different fibers, mohair, merino, lace, sock weight, worsted weight. The needles, circs, DPNs, acrylic, metal, wood, bamboo? The concoctions that any knitter can come up with by choosing their yarn and tools is both shocking and enticing. Well, enticing for those of us who knit. But, of all these funny little quirks about knitting, I think the strongest case for our crazy is Frogging. Frogging is the act of ripping out stitches in your work - taking the end of the yarn and just pulling so you can hear it go backwards through the work you've done and as it does, it sings this lovely song, "rip it, rip it" - just like those damn peepers we hear in the spring.

I recently experienced my first true Frogging and yes, my knit-loving heart broke a little.

I had been working on this dress for Sydney for months. I dare say, 7 months or so? I can't quite remember, but it was on the needles for a long time. I noticed after about 1.5 inches that it looked really wide for a 12month skirt but I thought it'd get smaller as I kept knitting. Why did I think that? I chalk it up to a combination of being a "newish" knitter and being sleep deprived when I first read this pattern and started this project. I kept going. I knew, I swore if I just kept knitting it would all work out.

It didn't.

I got to 9 inches of the body as the pattern called for and then really looked at it. It was easily wide enough around to be a loose sweater for Nate and a dress for Sydney when she's perhaps five. I was left with no choice, I ripped it all out. I frogged it and then frogged some more and then I wound it all back into a ball. The ball now sits in my yarn basket, the basket that I rest my feet on while typing at my desk, and it awaits a new fate. I may very well attempt that same dress with it, but this time - well this time things will be different. One word my friends - Gauge. I now understand the importance of the gauge.