Sometimes, the best-laid knitting plans go wrong. Sometimes pretty projects stall. I have a habit of zooming along on a sweater until I get to the sleeves, then putting the project aside, sometimes for years. I used to think this was because I dislike knitting sleeves, but the truth is far simpler—when the body is done, I can try on the sweater, and if I don’t love it, I lose the motivation to finish it.

I’ve been sorting through my stash, my patterns and my projects, and these two are being ripped back. First is a lace circle cardigan designed by Brooke Nico which was in Vogue Knitting’s Fall 2010 edition. (Here’s the Ravelry link.) It’s knit in Kidsilk Haze, which I adore. I cast on in a hurry, using Trance, a colour I love, and even added beads. I did this despite the awareness that I never ever like or wear circle sweaters once they’re done. I’ve frogged every single one of them. They look good on some people but not yours truly.

I got to the sleeves. I tried it on. It’s been waiting for me to knit the sleeves for at least 9 years. Since that time, there’s been an explosion of patterns that use KSH held together with another yarn, to make a squishy, soft, fabulous fabric. I want these six skeins of Trance back!

Here’s the commemorative picture of the sweater so far. I’ve even knit the lace edging.You can see that I had one sleeve on the needles. The red is the waste yarn holding the other sleeve’s stitches. And yes, that is my toe.

Here’s a detail image so you can see the beads.The second project to come out of the project stash so it can be ripped out and returned to the yarn stash is also knit of Rowan Kidsilk Haze. This is my version of Belarus, a pattern by Kaffe Fassett that was published in 2014. (That’s a Ravelry link.) I loved the stripes in this design but was less happy with the design. Dropped shoulders don’t suit me, so I had planned to modify this pattern and make it a raglan. I also charted my own colour combination, which I liked better than the oranges and pinks of the original. I actually knit the entire body, realized it was too long, and frogged back to this.

Ironically, since I’ve let my hair go grey, the oranges and pinks would have suited me better than these golds and reds.Rip, rip, rip. Back it all goes to the stash. I’ll have to weigh the various colours of KSH to update how much I have.

It’s hard to make these decisions, but once they’re made and the ripping begins, I actually feel relieved. KSH has to be frogged slowly – un-knit, really, not ripped – so it will be a bit of a meditative process too.

And then that Trance KSH can join forces with the teal Koigu, the one I used in my Navelli, for a wonderful squishy soft sweater. 🙂 I can’t wait!