sorry for the spelling and grammar issues - above - I've got a bug and am not at my best. A worthy person would truly appreciate the work you have done.
Make it for someone else; you will have learned so much in this whole process and you wont have to keep reviewing it over and over in your head as you spend yet more time in your life on this project.
Rip it out Amy and start over.
Liz Good: In the March 21 edition of Spinning Daily, Amy asked your advice about what to do next on her current project, vote and share your advice here. [Please visit the original post to access the poll]
In the March 21 edition of Spinning Daily, Amy asked your advice about what to do next on her current project, vote and share your advice here.
[Please visit the original post to access the poll]
I would not hesitate at all to rip it and either reknit or use the yarn for another project.
No one could possibly appreciate what you have invested in the sweater and take care of it as you would.
The fiber is so beautiful now that you have to make something for yourself to wear. All your hard work will pay off once you commit to another project...maybe a different style sweater?!
I agree that probably the best option is to rip it out and reknit it. Think of it this way, you might have enough left over for a hat to match.
You have worked so hard to make this work, so I would suggest pressing it evenly and then using a sewing pattern to use the pieces that you have made as the fabric for a sweater or garment that will fit you perfectly. This means so much to you at this point that no one else should wear this but you!
If you're happy with the yarn as it is, unravel and reknit it....perhaps another style of garment. Perhaps using a smaller gauge needle would help). If not happy with it as a single for knitting (it will pill more and perhaps stretch more) you could weave a lovely scarf or vest with it as weft. The yarn/single would be more stabilized with a cross thread-the warp-and prevent additional stretching and reduce pilling as well.
Also use care with soaking/simmering silk in hydrosulfite....it can accelerate it's deterioration. Your yarn could become muck in the bottom of the pot or harshen the hand of the silk. (been there, done that)
Elaine in rainy Oregon
At a recent fiber arts show was an exhibited tunic handknitted in a basketweave pattern similar to entrelac. The piece had been slightly fulled and the effect was beautiful. You might consider this approach if the idea of frogging is too much to bear. Assuming your handspun is 100% silk, I think this piece would be very difficult to rip out nicely as silk "sticks to itself mercilessly", which would seem a more painful headache than the one already experienced. Being a silk lover, BTDT!
Press on. It's worth the journey.
Rip out and start again.
I agree with the person who said that she would be reluctant to try to rip out handspun singles that had already been treated, retreated and blocked. I also agree that if you are successful at ripping it out, that you might want to consider stabilizing it with another thread. I've enjoyed using wound silk for plying as it doesn't add any weight or diameter to the single, but does give it additional strength and keeps it from stretching. I don't know where to tell you to find it. Mine was a gift of a skein that contained thousands of yards. Good luck.
Don't do any of the suggested! You didn't have an option for my suggestion. I would lay each piece out then place a paper pattern over it and mark the shape out. Then sew a holding line just inside of the cutting line to stop the pieces from unravelling (similar to what you would do for a steek). Cut it to shape and sew it like you had cut the garment from a bought stretch fabric. I know this would stop seem like sacrilege to the purists but.... There has been so much work gone into it already, it would take a saint to frog it and start again, and you deserve to wear this lovely garment. You could draft the pattern from the schematics of your knitted pattern to a size that would fit. Make sure you write down everything you had done, so you will remember for the next time.
When faced with a similar disaster of my own (alpaca grows, did you know that?!), I fulled the garment pieces and made them into lovely boudoir pillows. A little bit of well-placed embroidery and beads, and voila! Good luck no matter what your choice.
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