When I first learned to crochet I made a lot of lumpy, bumpy, uneven, and just plain ugly blankets and scarves. I was queen of the rhombus and trapezoid when I only ever meant to make rectangles and squares. It was a bit humiliating really. But I was SO.EAGER. to make something.
Thankfully all of the friends and family members who were the recipients of my early projects never broke my 8-year-old heart by saying, "What is it?" [I think I need to thank my parents for doing some behind the scenes work to make sure this didn't happen. Thanks you Mom + Dad!]
*frogged is the knitting/crocheting term for ripping out stitches when you find an error in a previous row of work. The term comes from the noise ripping out the stitches makes [ripp, ripp, rippppp, rip, rip, rippp] which sounds like...you guessed it a frog.
When Chelsea and Little asked me to write a post about my first project I thought surely I can find something from the early years. Though certainly not my first project. I can't even remember what that was.
I am, however, a frequent purge-er. If the project isn't worth the yarn it's made of it gets frogged* or otherwise disposed of. I did manage to find some pretty fantastic failures and unfinished projects which I hope Chelsea and Little will agree is still in the spirit of this post. So... here they are:
Like I told Chelsea, for every awesome design there are at least 8 failed attempts, probably 2-200 stitches that get ripped out and re-done, oh and well at least 2 waiting works in progress which aren't actually making any progress. Yes that white thing is a shirt. Why yes is is nearly complete. The only thing left to do...attach the sleeves. Except it's so old that it would NEVER fit me these days soo...it sits. The upsidedown smilie face...no clue what that was ever going to be. But I'm certain the arch was supposed to be a rectangle.
And there's what hides in the back of my supply closet.
A BIG thank you to Kasey for stopping by! Your shop proves you've come a looooong way since your rhombus and trapezoid days! :) (And friends, we're guest-posting over at her blog this evening and sharing the first things we ever stitched, be sure to check it out!)
Take care,
Oh my goodness! This post hit home with me - I have tried numerous times to knit and knit successfully but every time it gets wonky and I have to rip out some stitches. But here is something sweet my friend Mara told me - start with washcloths. No one cares what they look like and they are a great way to find your zen knitting zone. Great advice - but I haven't picked up my knitting needles in almost two years and the same unfinished washcloth is still sitting there. :) Maybe I should just send it to Kasey's "fail stash!" :)
ReplyDeleteGreat advice from Mara! I tweeted to Kasey a photo of a scarf I started 9 years ago and never finished... it is also officially part of her fail stash, haha. What Kasey says is so true: for every awesome design there are at least 8 failed attempts. It's how we learn! Have a great weekend!
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