# Projects that are DOOMED?



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

You know, the one that you started awhile ago and put countless hours into but it is just NOT HAPPENING. 

~the pattern was poorly designed
~you changed the pattern and then forgot what you were doing differently
~you LOST the pattern
~the yarn does not work for this pattern
~the yarn looked nice but was actually really yucky to work with
~the needles were inadequate for the yarn:too dull, sharp, slick, grabby, etc..
~you bungled the pattern in a fatal error
~you have ripped it back numerous times already

Does anyone know what I am talking about here?

I was visiting with a lady recently and complimented her on a project she had sitting there. She begged me to just take the yarn. She said it was cursed. She hated everything about it. She went on and on with expletives inappropriate. I managed to get away w/o her doomed yarn though. 

That got me to thinking about a project I have on the needles right now that I really ought to just throw in the towel on. But I am almost done with the first sock. They are for my MOM. She bought the yarn. It was expensive too.

I went and got this sock out today (scarf is done). I worked about 12 more rows on it. It is just being miserable. The needles, the colorchanges, a weird mistake in the heel, inappropriate pattern choice, just boring stupid hateful knitting. If I put up a pic, you would all love it, the colors are awesome! 

BUT!!...I am not having fun. 

 I am writing all this out to convince myself to just rip it out and hide the yarn for awhile.....admit to failure on this one.

How come it is so HARD?! 

Can I just hide it again and make the big decision later? I am inbetween projects and I want to knit something I enjoy.

Okay, thanks for listening. I feel better already. 

Someday I will need those needles for something else....I will worry about it then. (sorry Mom...)


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## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

You know, we all have those projects. I know that if I would just throw away the whole shabang, I would feel so much freedom. A weight would be lifted. I could stand in the breeze of the sunset, with my hair blowing over the moors, with all the time in the world to work on the really fun, nice, cooperative, easy, quick projects. But, I still have those bags sitting in the guest room closet, mocking me. Why can't I just toss them? I don't know. Guilt? Probably...

:sob:

But, I can successfully forget about them, sometimes.

:bouncy:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Guilt? GUILT!? 

Okay, that is it. You are absolutely right. 
I am ripping the whole thing out right now. 

I want the breeze of the sunset and all that (pretty words, btw...)

No. More. Guilt. 

Thank you.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

gone-a-milkin said:


> You know, the one that you started awhile ago and put countless hours into but it is just NOT HAPPENING.
> 
> ~the pattern was poorly designed
> ~you changed the pattern and then forgot what you were doing differently
> ...


Okay...from a total newbie I give you permission to unravel this project.

One advantage knitting has over sewing is that with sewing you've specifically cut the pattern pieces for the project.
With yarn...all you ever have is that one long string.
Like you said...this particular project no longer fun. 
Go for it! :gaptooth: (just 'cause I think it's a cute smiley)

stef


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Frog the whole thing GAM. Be a woman and do it! You know you can and we are here for the fallout if you need our shoulders to cry on.

BTW what was the pattern you were trying to knit? Maybe it is just a stupid bad pattern.


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## yankeeterrier (May 10, 2002)

I really wanted to cash in the wrap I made my MIL for Christmas, but I plugged through it, somehow.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I cant really blame the pattern or the yarn or the needles. It was more a combination of all 3, plus my own changes in the design.

I have bulled my way through projects that I wasn't thrilled with before. It wasn't just getting sick of the repetition. Repetition can be really comforting. It is just some extra funky stuff, this yarn. I think I just want to do something MORE with it, dunno what yet.

This is the yarn http://www.ravelry.com/people/Bettystrickt/stash/crazy-zauberball

It has reallly looong colorchanges, about an inch. I just need time to figure out how to contend with them.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You might want to find a copyof the book written by Carol ???, she goes by Black Bunny on Ravelry. She wrote a book that Interweave published. It's all about knitting with hand dyed yarns. I can't remember if it is only about socks, I don't think so. But it might help you. Or the Twisted Sister books, they have some great info too. You will find what the yarn wants to be.


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

I say rip it out. You want to find joy in making something for your mama. Figure out another pattern or something.


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## ~NY_Cowgirl~ (Sep 25, 2007)

Or.... you knit one sock but changed the pattern while knitting the said sock and forgot to take notes on what you changed....:sob::doh: I have done that sooo many times!:nono:


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## Madame (Jan 1, 2003)

Anything that is stockinette stitch - bores me silly and never gets done!


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## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

Well, I just ripped out my stockings that I had started with my homespun yarn. I thought one ball each would be enough, since I made those first socks with one skein and had yarn left over. :hysterical: Well, I got about six inches done and ran out of the first ball. :awh: It looked like I would need about five balls to do my over the knee stockings. SO! I ripped that out, rewound my ball, and am starting some regular ole socks, again. :nerd:

After I took the started stocking off the needle (circular), I tried it on my leg. Oh! It fit perfectly. It would have been so nice. Ah, well...


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I tend to think my projects to death :hysterical: Like this KAL scarf, I haven't finished spinning up the lavender yarn but I'm more than sure there will not be enough yarn. I pulled down all my giant ziplock bags full of commercial yarns to see just what I have. I definitely have enough of the Lambs Pride in a very pale yellow. Good grief it will take 3 of those skeins for this scarf. I don't think I have enough of any of the other yarns I have laying around. I really wanted to spin the yarn for this scarf but now that would take way too long. I looked for the needles and I have no #8's, how can that be? So I've been pacing the house thinking, thinking, thinking and getting nothing done.


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Humburger said:


> Well, I just ripped out my stockings that I had started with my homespun yarn. I thought one ball each would be enough, since I made those first socks with one skein and had yarn left over. :hysterical: Well, I got about six inches done and ran out of the first ball. :awh: It looked like I would need about five balls to do my over the knee stockings. SO! I ripped that out, rewound my ball, and am starting some regular ole socks, again. :nerd:
> 
> After I took the started stocking off the needle (circular), I tried it on my leg. Oh! It fit perfectly. It would have been so nice. Ah, well...


Well instead of making the buttonholes, you could use those stretchy garter things to hold them up or those one that stretch down from your bloomers with a clip on the end.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Marchwind, 2 skeins of Lambs Pride got me 52" of scarf. Just bust into that pale yellow LP. It will be stunning.  Lana will forgive you. She's cool like that.

Holy smokes on not having any #8s though. You MUST have some 7's. The Cobblestone was knit on 7's, right?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I have needles on either side of #8's I'm just shocked that I don't have #8's, I know I do someplace. Probably stick in one of those doomed projects  I do a more serious look for them tonight.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I feel your pain. Yesterday I knit a pair of slippers with some of the yarn of the coat I was making. Celtic coat by Rowan, beautiful, but I can't bare to rip it all apart. I had called Knit-picks and asked them what yarn would be comparable to the yarn called for in the pattern. So got that and had the chart enlarged real big. It is still taped to the Hutch next to the sofa where I sit and knit. Maybe 2 years so far. The yarn isn't right, I've had to take out a large section of the black to try and make it right. I need to break down and buy the proper yarn, cause I WANT that coat. Bet it will cost at least 200 $$ and a spinner has a hard time justifying that. But I have never even seen this "Rowan" yarn. I know, excuses.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

gone-a-milkin, maybe the yarn is jinxed because I have socks in the same stuff half sitting on needles too and I know it's doomed because I moved it from my good needles onto an old pair of bamboo needles.


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## Pakalana (Mar 9, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Marchwind, 2 skeins of Lambs Pride got me 52" of scarf. Just bust into that pale yellow LP. It will be stunning.  Lana will forgive you. She's cool like that.


 I look good in yellow! Yeah, GAM's right, I'm easy to please.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

It must be the time of year for frogging - I had a half done Knitty 'Quant' headband that just was NOT working out the way I wanted. I thought about finishing, then I thought, you know, you're not happy with it, you really like this yarn, frog it and do something ELSE with the yarn. You can make Quant out of something that fits better.

So I did.

I also found myself forced to rip back about 30 rows of lace knit after realizing I'd misread the instructions, but hey, it's good practice and the yarn frogs well so ... whatever.  I even got most of it redone, properly, and am happier.

I love knitting because you get your raw materials back if you mess up - unlike sewing or woodwork - and I mess up LOTS! I learn to do by doing, I guess, so it's nice to be able to just dive in and know that if it's not working out, you can pull it back and do something else.

Forgiveness. Yarn is forgiveness embodied. Hmm. There's probably a sermon in there, somewhere.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Wow, what a wonderful list. Thanks for putting things in perspective. I've done them all.

~the pattern was poorly designed
~you changed the pattern and then forgot what you were doing differently
~you LOST the pattern
~the yarn does not work for this pattern
~the yarn looked nice but was actually really yucky to work with
~the needles were inadequate for the yarn:too dull, sharp, slick, grabby, etc..
~you bungled the pattern in a fatal error
~you have ripped it back numerous times already


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

This feels like it could be the beginning of an exchange ... you know, the 'one man's junk is another man's treasure' thing?

You exchange your doomed project with someone else's doomed project, like we do in the KAL exchanges ...

The next guy has no history with the problem project and can, without any guilt at all, frog, modify, complete, or do something completely different with the project materials!

I mean, it's all good for SOMETHING, right? Even crummy yarn is good for kids' mittens, or weaving into a rug or a placemat or something. RIT dye is your friend if the colours are horrid, too (I once took this ugly pink fabric from the discount bin and dyed it blue to make a costume gown ... turned out awesome!).


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## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

That is a WONDERFUL idea. Except for one thing... There is this unexplainable tie to my unfinished (okay...doomed) projects. I don't know what it is, hence the unexplainable part.

:ashamed:


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Humburger said:


> That is a WONDERFUL idea. Except for one thing... There is this unexplainable tie to my unfinished (okay...doomed) projects. I don't know what it is, hence the unexplainable part.
> 
> :ashamed:


Okay, I will come over. You go down in the basement and I will clear out your spare room!!!  :baby04: :gaptooth:


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

This doesn't fit here, exactly but I'm posting anyway because I did this today!

A few years ago, I bought a very nice and rather expensive cross-stitch embroidery kit. At first, I enjoyed doing it but...I don't know...I seemed to just lose interest. I kept telling myself that someday I'd do it! Every once in awhile, I'd take it out and look at that picture of the finished kit. I even looked at it last week!

Today, I took it out and I carefully pressed it between two towels, folded it along with all the various thread and put in in a plastic bag. It went to Goodwill where hopefully someone will find it and fall in love with it!

When it comes to crafts and sewing, do only what you love!


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## Humburger (Sep 13, 2007)

Mrs. Homesteader said:


> Okay, I will come over. You go down in the basement and I will clear out your spare room!!!  :baby04: :gaptooth:


How about you come over and I go to Hobby Lobby while you clean out my spare room?

:thumb:


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Ardie, some of my best finds at the Thrift Store are from people who did just what you did ... and I'm glad!


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Ardie, that is the best thing you could have done. I need to do that with some things. 

Ginny, I will not be aiding and abetting you nor enabling you in your weakness. So, the answer to you is :umno:


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Back when my now 17 year old son was soon to be 10, I decided I would crochet each of my kids an afghan. They are all two years apart, more or less, so that shouldn't be too hard, especially if I used patterns that call for a Q hook. Took me several months to do it, but I made him a beautiful brown and camo afghan. He even helped me make the tassels, without knowing what they were for. 

Then I started on the next one.

The one for my 8 year old. 

He's 14 now. 

It's a ripple pattern. It's half way done. Still in a bag in my girl cave/sewing room.


> ~you bungled the pattern in a fatal error


 That's what I did. I kept decreasing accidentally and I lost about 8 inches of width. I've never had the courage to frog it and start over. 

And the other kids? Nope, didn't even make one for anyone else. Two more 10th birthdays have come and gone. At least they were too little at the time to remember that's what I was going to do....

And then there's the cross stitch sampler. WHICH, I might add, I started when said 14 year old was born. It's almost done, I just ran out of one color of thread....

MAYBE IT'S HIM!!!!


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Such an enjoyable thread! lol!
Today I cast on for a shawl. The long rectangular type. It is from a triangular shawl that I totally frogged after I spent months knitting it.
It just wasn't right. The yarn was wrong for the shape. It was just....wrong.
But I think this yarn is really happy going into a more rectangular shape. :cowboy:
It will probably only be big enough for DD, but hey, it will be happy. and I think I will be too!
(yes I am still working on the KAL scarf, almost done, and 2 other projects! lol! what's wrong with me??)


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Nellie said:


> MAYBE IT'S HIM!!!!


Whoa Nellie!!  I have been wanting to say that. Don't blame the child, he will have a horrid complex and it might ruin him for life!!! :gaptooth:


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