This is a tale of woe. And a new love, disaster, resurrection and final acceptance of failure.

…my fun with Gardengate by Jenifer Steingass…twice…

I had mentioned in International Yarn Smuggling, I had fallen in love with  Lichen and Lace, Rustic Heather Sport. It was difficult to get gauge for Gardengate as the Rustic Heather is sport weight and the sweater is in fingering (4ply) – but no problem – lots of people had knit this in sport weight. I swatched and got gauge.

I had a naggling doubt because the yoke was supposed to be knit on 0.25mm size larger needle than the body. I have to size up quite a bit as I’m a tight knitter and , if the designer knits continental style, it affects the gauge. I was using 4.5mm for the body and so had to go up to 5mm for the colourwork yoke. They don’t make 4,75mm needles – I looked!! ***Remember this naggling doubt for later***

…Happy knitting ensued….😊

….Joy at colours chosen for the yoke…😁

……New love for the Lichen and Lace, Rustic Heather 😍

And then I tried it on

I had made a terrible error.

I had added the 6″ ease to the “size I usually wear” not my actual measurements. I had knit size “C” …I needed size “A”. It was bloody enormous!

Two sizes too big. ☹️😖😧😪 <<I went through all of these emotions

It was unwearable.

The yarn was too lovely to throw away (and too expensive!) so I did the only sensible thing.

I ripped it all out.

I put the yarn in skeins, then hung the skeins from a “Socktopus” (laundry sock drier with eight legs!) with heavy coat hangers as weights and steamed it straight with my steam iron.

Then I knit the whole darned thing again in size “A”

Resurrection!

It kinda looks OK…Right up until I move!

The yoke is too big for the body. It bunches and rides up above the chest within seconds. See all that excess fabric above my bust? This is not an attractive look…

I asked Kitty her opinion. I don’t think she liked the finished garment either!

Remember that nagging doubt I had about doing the yoke on a much bigger needle? I am such an idiot.

Having done quite a lot of fairisle, I know I knit pretty much the same tension as my stocking stitch – I didn’t need to size up, and certainly not by 0.5mm.

I can’t wear it. It’s a failure. The question now is what to do now?

Option 1 Rinse & repeat	Rip it all out and reknit without the bigger needles for the yoke	Can I face a third time? Would it fit better? Do I still have the same enthusiasm for it?
Option 2 Frankenstein	Surgically remove the body and sleeves, reknit the yoke and graft the sleeves back on.	Might be a lot of work for nothing if I can’t do the grafts well and I end up with a deformed monstrosity
Option 3 Metamorphosis	Rip it and knit something else	I love the yarn and would like something this colour.
Option 4 Denial	Put it back in the cupboard and wait for the magical knitting pixies to fix it while I sleep	I suspect this won’t work
Option 5 Nuclear	Throw it in the bin (or charity shop) and move on.	But I love the yarn…

Which one do you think, readers? Do you have any other Options?