When to say when

I just got back from a vacation in northern new mexico. It had all the elements of a great summer getaway – cooler weather, secluded mountain cabin, high altitude backpacking, and plenty of quiet time to knit. In preparation, I picked a project ,Triangel by Caroline Lang, that I’d been admiring for months. Granted, I’m a sucker for triangle shawls, but I love the eyelets and V pattern. It’s knit with a sock yarn on size 4 needles so I knew it would keep me busy most of the week.

I had a ball of Lion Brand sock ease in Rock Candy that I thought would be perfect. I love the colors and the self striping pattern. Well, I cast on and set to work. After the 10 hour car ride, I was making good progress, but a nagging feeling started to set in. I love this pattern but the yarn just wasn’t doing it justice. The horizontal stripes vs. the diagonal pattern was making me nuts. And, let’s face it -no one wants to see another yellow hat catastrophe. So, I took a big gulp and a quick trip to a yarn store and made the tough decision to start over.

Well, I’m happy to report it was worth it. I switched to a solid gray skein of Berocco Ultra Fine Alpaca and never looked back. It’s hard to walk away from 10 plus hours worth of work, but considering how many hours I put into the finished product, it was definitely the right decision. So, the lesson is – yarn choice is crucial to a great knit. Trust your gut and don’t be afraid to walk away and start over.

Lesson #2 – Inspiration is everywhere. The very next day I wandered into an outdoors store in Taos with a shelf full of hand knits. My favorite item? A pair of fingerless gloves knit in none other than the striped sock yarn I’d just abandoned. I’ve never been more excited to start frogging.