Ever work hard on something only to hate the end result? Sometimes, nothing prepares you for it even when you follow all the rules.
The other night, after I cast off my last stitch on my half sweater/half poncho (that’s “swoncho“) and tried it on for size, I realized I hated it.
The swoncho looked frumpy…and although I hadn’t tied in all the ends, and officially finished it off by bathing and blocking it, the swoncho just didn’t look right. Too short. Weird seaming. Even though not expressed in the pattern, the back should have been made longer than the front to compensate for that bass. Yeah, no. Not good.
When I talk about knitting projects gone awry, sometimes I can fix what is broken. I can pull out seams and add more length, or shorten sleeves. But this pattern doesn’t allow for it because it is knit from cuff to cuff (horizontally) instead of the conventional waist to neck (vertically). The length of the swoncho was set once you cast on to your needles. No fixing that. Game over.
Knitting really teaches you patience and endurance. Sometimes both of these factors wear thin on me and after I’ve completed an especially challenging project, I will take an extended hiatus on knitting for a few months.
The instructions to the swoncho were simple enough to follow. The frustration factor was next to zero. I actually enjoyed this knitting experience for what it was. If the swoncho looked great when finished, it would have been the most boring knitting story ever. But, not all is well for the swoncho. And, lucky for it, aside from the time I spent knitting this, I am ready to move on to using this swoncho wool for something else. What else? To be determined.
Not only are patience and endurance important knitting attributes, so is stubbornness…
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CODA: This Swoncho’s wool has been re-purposed into a fantastic raglan sweater! Read more here!
Caught Me Gaming 
Not yet 7 am and thanks to Sarca, I’ve learned a new word, swoncho!
I like the idea of knitting, those who can do it while watching a show and at the end of the movie, they’ve actually accomplished something. My inattention to detail I’m afraid wouldn’t be a good knitting attribute.
I admire your patience/endurance/stubbornness!
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Thanks Geoff! I don’t think I’ll be knitting another swoncho for a long long time!
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I knitted this too! In grey cascade. I didn’t get enough balls of yarn and had to make the collar shorter 😦 but it looked nice….there just haven’t been a lot of opportunities to wear it without feeling “frumpy” but I have worn it with black slacks to Church and it looked sharp. Definitely more awkward then I thought it would be. It was fun to knit though?
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Yes, I found the pattern easy enough to follow. I just don’t feel comfortable wearing it…which is weird, since it’s supposed to be comfortable…:\
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Exactly! 🙂 I just hope my husband doesn’t read this, he was with me when I bought the yarn….I’ll just consider it an investment in my knitting skills.
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Hey, with every project, you learn something new. I have experienced some type of trial with every thing I have ever knitted – or tried to knit…:)
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As we mention in the pattern…..yarn choice is everything….it was designed with Border Leicester yarn in mind……so the drape becomes flattering not frumpy….I hated it until I was told to put it on….after it was sewn and washed…….the yarn makes the garment
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I think too in retrospect, the style of the swoncho wasn’t flattering for my body type from the start. I got a lotta “bass” if you catch my drift, and a poncho would make me look wider than I am. Just a poor choice of sweater style, methinks.
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There’s probably a profound life lesson in there somewhere – even if its just to torch the F—-r and move on!
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K asked me if I was going to pitch it altogether, and I said no! The wool is still good!
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I have solved many problems using this very same method.
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#phoneface! …is that a thing?
Jen would appreciate this post. She’s really put a lot of heart into her crochet work lately, and I realize that’s different, but you both still create and that’s cool. She’s had a few things not quite turn out right and it’s always crushing!
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Sounds like she understands! I was bummed for a while, but then I decided to suck it up and try again!
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My first attempt at posting a comment led to an error message… so I’m retrying. This was my first introduction to the “swoncho.” (My husband still rolls his eyes at my use of the word “jazer”) Too bad the proportions didn’t work out right, as it’s a neat idea and the top neck part looks great! 🙂
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This comment made it through! This pattern gave you the option of going without the collar but it looked naked without it!
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SWONCHO. The Brangelina of knitting.
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SATCHMO. The awesomeness of KMA.
😉
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D’awwww… 😉
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Using the recommended yarn really can save lots of tears…
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Thank you for the comment. However, not everyone can afford the recommended yarn, nor have access to it. I know that a lot of yarn that is recommended is not available in Canada or too darn expensive with the exchange rate. I am also more prone to use yarn I have in my stash. Besides, I wouldn’t have had this great story to tell 😉
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