Stalled Buttercup

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So, in addition to some major cleaning this weekend (which, sadly, is still far from being finished) I did manage to squeeze in some kniting time. (And frankly, I think I deserved it!)

Part of my cleaning and decluttering strategy involves a) whittling down my stash and b) finishing up some of the half-finished projects lying around my house. There are a lot of those.

So I picked up Princess Buttercup.

Wrinkly Buttercup

I had to rip back, owing to an unfortunate incident where I read decrease one stitch on each side of every other row for a total of 10 stiches as decrease one stitch on each side of every other row 10 times, but that wasn’t too bad, all things considered.

Then I noticed something. A couple of somethings, really.

First, where I ripped back and reknit, the yarn is all kinked. A lot of my stitches are uneven, and don’t really look so great. I have slight hopes that it might block out in the end, but I’m not sure I want to bank on that.

Second of all, I noticed something about the yarn. I’m using Malabrigo organic cotten, which is kettle dyed, without dyelots. The skiens looked very close in shade when I bought them, but now, knit up? Not so much.

Color change

See? It’s hard to see in a photograph, but there’s a very distinct line where I changed skeins. I’m not sure it’s noticeable to anyone else but me, though.

I can’t decide what I want to do. Part of me wants to keep plowing ahead just so I can finish, and hope that it all works out in the end.

On the other hand…I know what I should do. I should rip the whole thing out, reskein the yarn into hanks an hang it it in my shower ot steam the kinks out. Then reknit. I’m thinking the best plan would be to knit partway through the first skein, maybe 2/3 of the way, then begin alternating every other row with skein number two. Then, eventually, begin alternating with skein number 3, etc.

The only thing there is, what to do about the back? If I do this that way, I’m fairly sure the front and back won’t match up; but then again, at that point they will be separated by the sleeves so maybe it won’t matter?

Thoughts? If it were your sweater, what would you do?

  • Brenda

    That sucks, kettle dyes do that sometimes…

    First, you should compare the front and back *now*, as is. Chances are, if the skeins are varied that much, they don’t match now, either. If you really, really want the colors to match, and the lines are bugging you… well, you’re going to have to tear both out and do the back and forth with all of it, so that it matches up when its knit… Maybe more consistently than the above mentioned plan, if the color change will annoy you.

    Believe me, even though the sleeves are between, if it bugs you now, you’ll wish you’d redone it later.

    As for the kinky, uneven stitches. Given that it’s a cotton yarn, you’re going to have to tear it back again and either wash or steam the kinks out of that section. Cotton will show all the blemishes in your knitting, even the little ones, and even after it’s blocked… it just isn’t forgiving at all. But it will mellow a little with blocking, so if it won’t bother you, then by all means don’t worry about it.

    I hope that helps!
    And I think it is turning out wonderfully, either way. :)