Give me my soul back!

I tried it on.

It’s too big.

But not “OH SHIT TOO BIG!” like it was before, more like “this could maybe use a bit more negative ease, hmm”. And it’s just the right size for the boobies. I’m about a 35″ bust and it measures about 32.5″ around, and my evil torture bra will probably smoosh down the boobs a little, so, nice and snug and not too stretchy. But it’s bunching up weird elsewhere, there’s this strange wrinkle in the back that is making me wonder whether I have a grossly misshapen body, because – it’s a tube! A stretchy tube! How the hell does it find somewhere to wrinkle strangely?

And then I thought, maybe when it’s actually finished, the elastic at the top will pull it in nicely, and the ribbon around the middle will pull it in nicely, and all will be well.

And then I thought…

… I didn’t wash my swatch.

Of course I didn’t. Of course I was too lazy to wash it, and then unraveled it to reclaim the yarn, and now it’s going to bite me in the ass. How does Rowan Calmer behave after washing? I turned to the internets, which told me that its gauge changes after washing. But not in what direction. Oh, internets.

It changes. Does it shrink? Does it grow? I don’t know. Do I have extra yarn to make another swatch and wash it? Of course I don’t. If it does shrink, will the bottom part be too small for my giant hips? Yes, probably. (And hey, whoever found my blog by googling “giant hips”? Stop that. Stop that right now.)

Am I going to stab myself in the eye with my knitting needles? Yes, yes I am.

I caaaaan’t rip it back again. I just can’t. I want this top to be finished and I want my soul back. I’m tempted to finish it, chuck it in warm water for slight shrinkage, block the snot out of the lace so it’ll be large enough, and call it a day. Surely nothing can go wrong with this well-thought-out plan…

17 May 2007  ·   Tags: Lelah, My Knitting Hates Me