Christmas knitting project #1

Since I'm pretty sure stating out loud what this project actually is would spoil a Christmas surprise for a reader, I won't tell you what it is.  But I want to tell you a little about it anyway.

I do believe I was approximately 50% finished with the project when I ripped it all out last night.  It's hard to rip out an entire project when you are 50% finished with it.  However, when I KNOW there are mistakes in it, and it's going to be a gift, I just can't leave it.  Maybe one little mistake I could leave.  But there were a few mistakes in this piece.  I'm pretty sure the recipient wouldn't notice, but I would notice.  I would notice every time I saw him/her with this secret item.  I knew I'd be much happier with the end product if I started over.  There was no question.  It takes too long to knit something that might not be worn due to a few ugly mistakes.

So I handed it to Andy last night and told him to have at it.  It was like Christmas for him.  Or like giving him a full sheet of bubble wrap and telling him he could pop all the bubbles.  He loves unraveling yarn, but really, who doesn't? 

On a side note, the kids fight over who gets to unravel the sweaters I buy at Savers.  What?  Is that weird?  Maybe so, but I tell you what.  If I want some cashmere yarn, I really don't feel like ordering it online for $30 per 50 yard skein.  A few months ago I found a cashmere sweater at Savers for $4.  I brought it home, washed it, and took it apart.  I now have enough cashmere yarn to make something scrumptious and soft, for $4.  Just waiting for the right pattern to fall into my lap for that stuff.  I can't wait!  One of these days I'm going to get brave and try overdying some of the yarn I've reclaimed.  Um, after I clean my house.  hehe.

Anyway, Andy unraveled and re-wound the yarn last night on the ball winder, and I began again on the project, making a few changes that I thought would make it better.  That is another reason for me to justify ripping something out - sometimes I get ideas that will look better (in my opinion) than the way the designer wrote out the pattern.  I think of the ripped work as a practice run.  At least that's what I tell myself when I think about the time I've already put into it.  If I've learnend something, it was not a waste of time.  I will be happier with the finished product, which makes it worth it.  Sure, it's kind of a bummer to only be 10 rows in instead of however many I was before last night, but it's all good.  It's only October, right???  Plenty of time until Christmas...

XOXOX

NH