Cut and run

There comes a time when it's best just to finish off and snip that thread. Nothing short of a full frogging was going to fix this little shrug, and nobody who has ever done it before will rip Kid Silk Haze. I started it a few years ago when we were living in Texas and I had minimal vision and enough pain killers in my system to make my brain feel as if it were residing elsewhere. I have a vague memory of trying to knit the lace in 104-degree weather and setting it aside because sweat and mohair don't mix. I pulled it out of a forgotten bin a few weeks ago and have been looking at it, trying to decide the best way to salvage the poor thing. I didn't have enough yarn left to replace the collar thingy, nor enough to add an edging to the bottom, so just did a few rows and laddered down to fix some obvious mistakes, then crocheted a smooth edge. Gave it a light blocking and declared it done.

People talk about "mind-knitting," daydreaming about lace or cables. Some bloggers do wonderful series of swatches, measuring and studying. There are knitters who actually plan and sketch their ideas before picking up needles. Then there are those of us who cast on and go... This was definitely one of those winging it projects, mostly because at the time I couldn't read a chart, let alone see to count the stitches.

This project is a failure in that it doesn't fit a normal human body because the shoulder increases are too far forward. The collar is inside out and too full in the center back, and when I picked up I stretched the main section way too much. The motif in the collar comes close to what I used in the shoulders, but not close enough to meld correctly. I needed another ball of yarn to give it a bit more length, a front border, and add the way cool edging I had stored in my brain.

However, my daughter will happily wear it anyway, and if I think of it as a draft swatch, it has potential. With a few changes (like counting the stitches), the motif in the shoulders and center back could be pretty, especially if carried into a slightly different collar shape and the same bottom edging I still have stored in my brain. Now that I can sort of see to sketch, I will make some notes and someday a much better version of the the misfit will appear on DD's shoulders, perhaps when she's old enough to wear a strapless gown and actually needs a lace shrug?