How was your weekend? Mine started off pretty good. I worked hard on Friday and rewarded myself Friday night by finishing up the back of my CPH. Georgie brought home some EXCELLENT take-out and I slept pretty well. The next morning I headed off to a job – where I was greeted by another sappy song on the CD player left by my fantabulous husband (“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys) and where I successfully drove to the job by MYSELF (this is an accomplishment in my phobia ridden life.) The baby was a cutie pie, the parents were nice and I came home and knit away the afternoon, finishing up one of the fronts on the CPH. We went out that night to see some old friends and it was okay, but there was lots of cancer talk because some people only knew about the hip surgery that never happened, not the cancer stuff, so I ended up drinking more than I should have and I came home drunk and went to bed. Woke up a bit hungover – nothing really bad, just blechy, but even though I was feeling like crap I STILL WENT OUT AND RAN!! (I think we can say this is a habit now. I may actually be starting to see some body changes as well.)
The rest of the afternoon was spent nursing a killer headache (I ALWAYS get a headache before it snows. Without fail. This was not a wine headache.) and packing up socks for virgins. (US Virgins – you should get your yarn this week. NON-US Virgins – maybe next week? And all virgins have been accounted for – but I appreciate the volunteers.) Then I settled into the couch to finish up the second front of my CPH.
It was going well – I was happy with the changes I had made to the pattern: doing the fronts and backs together up to the arm holes. Switching out the bound off shoulders for short row shoulders (directions here and here.) And I was thrilled that I could incorporate these changes without a lot of muss or fuss – really feeling like I’ve grown as a knitter.
I cruised along – would I start the hood next, or leave it and go to the sleeves? I dreamed of wearing this on the beaches at Big Sur, the hood up, the sea whipping around me. Still LOVING the yarn. Still loving the pattern. Still loving the knitting.
Even with the headache – the night was going to end well. Knitting had saved me once again. La la la la la….
ZZZZZZIIIIIIPPPPPP! (Insert the sound of someone scratching the fucking needle across the record.) WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?
I was comparing the two fronts – making sure I had put the first cable on the holder at the right row when something looked…how shall I say it…OFF.
JUPITER’S C*NT!!!! (Been watching too much Rome. Sorry – but we only take Roman Gods‘ names in vain now.)
I thought I was going to throw up. Georgie immediately knew something was very wrong. Was it the violent cursing? The hurling of the sweater across the room? He says I just should’ve taken a picture of my face when I realized what had happened. I didn’t. But let’s just say I looked something like this:
What happened though, really, was that I gasped as if I were dying, let out some stuff about Janus and Mars performing unspeakable acts, and called Ann. Boar answered the phone and asked me if I was okay – I sounded depressed. I mumbled something about headaches and snow and Ann got on the phone and said what’s the matter honey? And I may have started crying, or talking about Hades’ asshole or something, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t laugh. She told me I had three (or four – but now I can’t remember the fourth) options. 1) I could rip the fucker back to it’s bare freaking bones; 2) I could try to fix the cable in one of two ways; or 3) I could ignore it and keep knitting.
All my previous choices for this sweater suddenly seemed very VERY wrong. You see, the cable that’s twisted wrong is way down town. WAY down town.
I thought I was so fucking smart to do the back and fronts in one piece. SO FUCKING SMART. You know what, if I had just followed the pattern and done it all in pieces the whole ripping it out and fixing would have ABSOLUTELY been the answer. I could’ve ripped out the front and knit it back up in a day – two days – at the most. And I swear to you that’s what I would’ve done had I knit the thing in pieces. But I didn’t knit the thing in pieces. I knit it in ONE PIECE. Ripping it means this:
Ann and I both remembered a post from Stephanie a while ago that talked about fixing a mis-twisted cable. We both headed to the computer to look. Stephanie says the proper way is to drop down and reknit the stitches – of course she’s talking about six rows. And honestly? If I had miscrossed a cable six rows back that sucker would’ve been ripped before you could twist Minerva’s tit. I have no problems ripping and reknitting to get something right. And honestly, I tried to fix a cable earlier in the sweater – isolated it and ripped it back and tried to reknit it and it looked like shit. The second option that Stephanie talks about is fudging the cable – duplicate stitching OVER it to make it seem like it’s twisted in the right direction. She says to use this (and I quote)
…for miss-crosses very far down. Too far down. Too far down with other cables stacked on top of them creating complications. It’s for when you have knit a whole stinking back of an aran for a 7 foot tall 500 pound man and you find a miss-crossed cable on row 9.
It is for when you know that you will not be able to live with the mistake, but you know that you can’t live with ripping back either.
It is a last resort. It is voodoo.
Um. You think? Please, please! I need the voodoo that you do so well! Ann and I decided that I should at least try this before I ripped the whole thing back. So we found some websites talking about backstitch and duplicate stitch because at that point my head hurt so bad I don’t think I could’ve knit a garter stitch scarf if I tried. In fact, I was so distraught over the whole thing I folded laundry instead of knitting. Later on, I did pick up a sock, but the yarn was so thin and the needles so small after the Beaverslide on 9s for days on end, I felt like I was all thumbs and just put it down. People. I FOLDED LAUNDRY. That should give you a clue as to how bad it is.
If you’re looking for the happy ending in all of this, I haven’t fixed it yet. I did try the backstitch part of the equation and it worked pretty well and then I ripped it out – but I’m going to have to practice duplicate stitch. I think in theory this should work – but if it doesn’t – if I don’t like how it looks – I’m going to rip it out and reknit. You may think I’m completely insane, and I don’t blame you if you do, but there is NO WAY I could live with the mistake. It will absolutely RUIN the sweater for me. The fact that I KNEW I could fix it – KNEW I could just reknit the thing and make it right – well, that’s all I need to know. I’ve been enjoying knitting the sweater – as I said before – I love the yarn and it will hold up perfectly to ripping (don’t ask me how I know) so in my mind there is absolutely NO excuse for NOT reknitting. I’m going to try the fix, because as Ann tried to convince me, it will be new skills. And if it looks okay then fine. But I’ll still always know it’s there. Accepting that might actually be the greatest lesson learned in all of this. Wish me luck.
ETA: Margene just told me about a fourth option – cutting the three stitches that go over the wrong way and bringing the back stitches to the front. Then knitting a couple of rows and kitchenering the cut stitches in the back. I’m going to swatch and try this. Hopefully I’ll have something to show you soon. I’m taking my time with this though – so don’t hold your breath.
ETA2: LOOK WHAT I FOUND! Via Yarnival, via Jenn.
Ugh. How completely frustrating. I hate when you can’t un-see something, it would be so much better if we could do that. Here’s hoping that you do not have to rip. Could you pretty please put that fantastic angry face on a t-shirt or a mug that could be my very own? It sums up, very aptly, how it is over here.
No no no!! Just isolate those rows and drop it back. It probably will look like shit until you even out the stitches and block it. I think you will see the duplicate stitch, it’s right in the front in a very obvious place, and it’s a pretty big cable.
Actually if it were me, I would probably rip out the front down to the armhole, drop down to fix the mis-cross, and then reknit the front up to the shoulder, just to make it a bit easier, as that way you’re only fixing 3-4 crosses that way.
I’m so sorry… that sucks so bad!!! I hate it when that happens. I mis-decreased on a jaywalker and didn’t realize until I had COMPLETELY FINISHED THE SOCK. I just left it the way it was, I couldn’t bear to rip to fix it.
That SUCKS!!
I am so sorry for you!
I feel your pain!
I feel your pain – hopefully it will all work out in the end and hope you have a better day 🙂
Ok, grab Saturns rings and hang on with me here. A cable-ectomy is possible.
Knit a corrected patch of the offending cable and a bit of the surrounding area top, bottom and sides. Put some stay sticthes in the rows and columns around the screw up (the size of your patch) to hold the ripping to minimum (a contrasting yarn will help). Excise the screw up clipping in the middle of the area to be patched so you have some ends to work with. Your patch will have to incorporate the cut area being wide enough to have ends to work with – these will be darned in afterwards. You’ll kitchener with separate yarn and work your patch in to place. A hassle, yes. Less of a hassle than ripping the poor wretch back so far.
Girlfriend.. RIP THE THING and save yourself the time and anguish of “learning a new skill”. I have a pair of wristwarmers from Weekend Knitting-Ann’s pattern, done in Artyarns supermerino. Laying up on my closet shelf for a month…they are calling, calling(like THE RAVEN!!!!) to be ripped and DONE RIGHT! I will do the ripping-today! It’s been a month of listening to that “heartbeat” coming from the closet!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Bad night.
Oh, my heart aches for you. I think I would do what Marisa said. Or box it up and send it to the Harlot, with a “please fix my cable, pretty please.”
Lucy Neatby teaches a way of fixing this. I don’t have the instructions with me but the general idea is this. Cut the yarn just above the mis-crossed cable. Then ravel down and retwist the cable. Repair the cut by weaving in a small piece of yarn. This certainly seems like it would look better than trying to duplicate stitch over an existing cable.
Good luck!
Judi
Oh… what a shame! One last thought before ripping the whole thing. Perhaps you could save the back and possibly one side by doing a “steek type thing” at the side seams. I’ve never done this, and you would have to compensate on the reknitted front(s) to get your ribbing to match at the seams and it may be more work than just reknitting the whole thing. i like the sound of the Lucy Neatby fix. Good luck.
I absolutely understand having to get it right. I recently made a pair of mittens (OK, so I know it’s not exactly the same as a sweater which has a WHOLE lot more stitches, with CABLES) and the second mitten has given me hell. I knit to almost completion the second, had ripped back so many times and it just looked like hell. I didn’t even bother unravelling the yarn, just bought more and re-started. Even THAT second-second mitten caused me to rip back several times. I’m so glad I did, because I wouldn’t be happy if they weren’t just right.
Oh. That’s all I have to say. Oh. Well, maybe dear, too.
Oh. Dear.
Ok, a teeny part tof me can’t help but laugh because I submitted an article about this to Yarnival, and you were the one who edited it and picked my submission. And if I can fix it (and let’s face it, I’m sort of stupid sometimes), you can fix it. Except…it’s on an edge and that sort of strikes fear in my heart. But you can do it! I have total faith in you. 🙂
Oh dear. This makes my stomach hurt. You poor thing. You are a brave knitter/ripper. Dare I ask – any chance of cutting it in half just above the mistake, ripping back, reknitting and grafting it back together? It makes me a little queasy to think about but if you’re going to rip anyway, maybe that’s worth a try? Good luck.
I agree with Marisa. Rip down just the left front to where the armhole shaping starts. Then ladder down to the problem and fix it, then ladder back up using crochet hook & cable needle, and reknit the left front. I could never try a cable-ectomy — nothing involving cutting. At least give the dropping down method a try, including blocking it, before you decide on ripping the entire project.
My heart goes out to you.
CARA, try this first, if you haven’t already thought of it: you could snip a stitch in a plain row above the incorrect cross, undo the row to the width of the cable, drop down just a few rows to re-cable it, and then, since you have plenty of yarn, just weave back in a plain row in between crosses. It’d block out to be invisible. Quicker than doing all that long cable over again, although you end up with four ends to darn in, but to my mind that’s the lesser of two evils.
Good luck! It can be done, and you’ll do it!
Meg
First, I could not stop laughing at all the Roman god cursing!
If it were me I would do what Margene suggests, since this is a very small cable. Or you can nip out the cable row and the row above and below it and reknit them in with some new yarn . . .
If you want some help, and you’re willing to bring the sweater into the city, I volunteer to help you with the surgery, ok? I’ve done this sort of thing before, to various degrees.
I could feel your pain loud and clear. Yow-ow ow!
I have a habit of just running an eye along my cabled knits as I go. Just to see if anything is out of place. It’s sort of like proof reading as you go. Saves the worry at the end.
oh crap… but Good for Margene! I think her suggestion is the best… there’s got to be a way to do that without ripping the whole sucker out… i don’t blame you for wanting to rip it out. i know i would. but i would do a lot of kicking a screaming first too. eeehhh! sending you a huge herculalian hug!
good luck! yikes, i would hate to hear that you ripped all of that back. i’ve dropped down and redone cables before but not that many rows back. let’s hope the voodoo method works out.
I agree with Margene, giving it the SNIP is the way to go.
A warning: Roman gods were/are quite capricious. Do not tempt their wrath or call any more attention to yourself, especially with Minerva, who is supposed to help you out here. Incense, coins, and wine should be left out in some conspicuous place. Also, you could eat goat balls.
(Never mind that last suggestion. That’s for making you “manly.” Also you would need a new tunic and to “penetrate” someone.)
(Guess who’s on Season One?)
I am sorry to laugh at your misfortune, but your post is so funny! I hope it works out in the end – I remember marveling at the ingenuity of the overstitching cable solution when I read it on YarnHarlot’s blog.
Would you hate me if I told you the experience was worth it from a blogging perspective? Just the well places Roman curses kept my undivided attention, and to learn 100 ways to fix a mixed up cable was frosting on the cupcake.
At last Marc Anthony wasn’t pissing into a flowerpot while you realized how screwed you were.
I wouldn’t be able to live with that one either. I think the cutting/reknitting thing is brilliant. Hope it works for you.
Wow, that tutorial was freaking fantastic. I will never fear miscrossed cables again. (Cutting yarn, I still fear, but I am certain, given my proclivity for dumbassery, that I will use it A LOT.)
That is one beautiful sweater, btw.
Argh! I think cutting the stitches and moving them back is the best option, and if that doesn’t work, rip.
Holy mother of Ceasar, I shouldn’t chuckle but that post was very amusing. Good luck and keep thinking of a windy Big Sur and a cosy CPH…
Oh, honey, I am so sorry. That sucks. but I think you’ll be able to fix it without ripping back. I KNOW IT! YOU CAN DO IT!
it really looks beautiful, by the way! it’s going to be one bad ass sweater.
I understnad not being ablt to live with something you know you could have fixed. The snipping and re-knitting sounds scary and sexy in some odd way. Can’t wait to see what you decide to do for a fix. Good luck!
Oh my gosh. I’m a pretty new knitter, and so I have no advice. Some of these methods you’ve found and added links to look very scary to me. I hope you can figure it out! It would be very horrible to have to rip back.
Good luck!
Yup. I’d cut and paste too.
Good luck!
I’ve never been a perfectionist type, and I certainly wasn’t when I started getting serious about my knitting. But the more proficiency I develop, the more I strive for perfection. So I understand your decision to rip if you can’t fix it otherwise. However, how nice to see several possible workarounds for this problem. Now if only there were a similar way to fix lace knitting problems that are WAY downtown. 🙂 Good luck, Cara. I know it will look perfect when you’re done…whichever way you choose.
I have all the faith in the world in you, babe. You can do that cut-the-yarn-and-re-cross-the-cable thing, no prob. Well, maybe a little cursing and holding of breath and deep sighing and gritting of teeth, but really, you can do it.
That sketch of you? Totally accurate at that moment, I think.
You are most welcome. 🙂 Glad to be of service. Your situation is exactly where one tiny cut is preferable to ripping (all those rows!). IMH.
It occurred to me just now, re-reading my instructions, that if one were to cut the wrong strand, as long as it were *above* the correct one, it would be fine, as one could unpick that one, then rip down one more row’s worth under the unpicked stitches (surely one wouldn’t be off by more than one row?), fix the cross row with a crochet hook, and then graft the row above the cross…..
sign me A Major Admirer of your Photography
Holy crap. I’m very glad you found such a simple solution before I got here, as it was quite distraught-making just to read about it.
Anything that makes you say “JUPITER”S C*NT”, though, can’t be all bad!
I just feel sorry for all those abused Roman gods and goddesses.
OK and YOU TOO.
CUT THAT YARN. CUT THAT YARN. We want to see it!
Well, at least it wasn’t ALREADY SEAMED.
The fix you link to looks perfect…I’d definitely see if it would work first. Sniff!
So sorry for you!!! I know that feeling. I am not even close to being a perfectionist on many subjects, but when it comes down to knitting, I certainly am. Good luck! I look forward to hearing the happy end. Fingers crossed.
The only thing is I’m not sure you need to unknit both top and bottom of the cable. Anyway, you can do it!!!
DO IT!!!!!! Do the I need orange fix! But make a little test swatch first to make sure you got it down. 🙂
Oh shite. That totally sucks…..I hope you can figure it out.
WOAH. I’d probably leave it, like a total wuss. CUT IT! CUT IT!
Oh my, I’m with Al, I’d probably wuss out and leave it too…unless I were making it as a gift for someone I don’t live with. Then I’d rip it back because I hate to see sub-par work go out in the world without me being around to explain exactly what happened to anyone who would happen to ask.
I’m so sorry about your cable troubles! This may sound downright idiotic, but I’m regularly awed by people who can repair mistakes. I suck at fixing knitting mistakes, and when I make them, I usually just have to rip back. Some day i must take a “mistakes” class.
Now, there’s one thing you wrote that gives me pause: I am one of those people who thinks the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” is the single greatest pop album ever made, so I can’t bear to see “God Only Knows” characterized as “sappy.” Try giving it another chance, won’t you? Maybe if you listen to “Pet Sounds” as a whole, and hear the song in context, you’ll change your mind. I don’t usually proselytize about music: to each their own, I say — but this album is different. It’s THE album, in my humble estimation. Good luck with the sweater! xoxo
yeeehaaw! more new cusswords to adopt!! (i loves me a good cussword!) cara, i gasped out loud when i read about the misfortune! (my co-worker heard me and was all concerned. luckily she’s a knitter too so i shared your pain with her instead of lying about reading blogs at work!) i’m doing my CPH in one piece too, and have only made one cable my whole life, so maybe i should learn from you and go back to separate pieces… mind you, if i do screw up, i have a whole new arsenal of colourful language!
That last link looks like it might be a good fix. I so feel your pain – that drawing of your face – OH! I felt so bad. (and I always get headaches when the weather changes drastically, so I know that pain too). Good luck with the cable fix, whatever direction you decide to take.
Oh Cara, that really sucks. I was going to offer Margene’s suggestion, so I’m glad that you’re already on that track! I hope it look flawless when you’re done!
eek! how frustrating! I hope it doesn’t come down to having to rip down to the mis-cross, but I will say that if you can’t fix it to Cara-perfection without it, you will be much happier if you do rip. At least it’s gorgeous Beaver…Slide yarn!
(I’m working on celtic dreams and I caught 4 separate mis-crossings on it last night! I spent an insane amount of time fixing them last night — maybe there is an evil cable mis-crossing gnome going around the mid-atlantic, wreaking havoc on unsuspecting knitters?).
It will be ok… i have had the same problem – and actually I DID unravel all the way down – you just have to be careful and watch your tension when reknitting – and I preferred that to the cutting method – but I have ALSO done that one too.
you can do it.
Dude. That would seriously make me hit the bourbon.
First, don’t even try fixing this until your headache is gone. Before I ripped the whole thing, I’d try just taking out the shoulder part on that side down to where you were knitting everything back and forth, then just dropping down the cable stitches for that cable all the way to the mistake. Then knit up the cable. It’s fiddly, and may not look good enough to use, but it’s worth a try.
That’s not a mistake! It’s a feature!
Oh no! But I’m amazed at the third way of fixing the the cable that you posted.
I hope your head is feeling better, Cara. (((HUGS)))
Oh goodness! I hope all goes well as you snip and reknit.
Hmm. that sounds trully horrific. Have you got a copy of Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus though? It has a piece on cables crossed incorrectly. It offers a variation, so you don’t have to rip out all those rows of knitting. All you need, is some stitch holders, a crochet hook, some big chunky plastic stitch markers, and a cable needle.
I am a total perfectionist.
I love cables and mis-crossing happens occasionally. I have had great luck with working back with a good crochet hook and a glass of wine (to stay relaxed during the torturous effort)followed by a really good blocking.
Occasionally, however, I leave errors in my work. They serve as great reminders to me that I cannot and never will be able to control everything and have everything perfect. If I think the error will make me sad every time I see it – I fix it but if it will keep me a bit more grounded, I have been known to leave it. (This of course only applies to items intended for my own use!)
BTW I recently finished a sweater – pattern modified to my specifications, seamed, blocked – the whole shebang that looks like a corset on me and there is no more yarn available in the dyelot so it ain’t going to be reknit to fit. I have yet to decide on next steps with that one!
Bottom line I feel your pain!
Oh, Cara!
I have worked back, probably as far as you would need to, to fix a cable and it turned out okay. I can’t give you a final analysis because it is one of the UFOs that I must deal with (and this, I believe, is destined to one day be an FO). I have also seen a the fix that Margene talks about illustrated on a blog or two — oh, it’s been a while now — but it turned out fantastic.
I’d like to strongly urge you to reconsider the drop-down method of fixing the stitches. I’ve done it on columns of stitches that far down, and as long as you take your time and stay calm, it’s totally do-able. Of course, I’d also love to watch if you attempt the cutting method.
Best of luck,
Shelly
Good luck with swatching the possible fix. Otherwise, I’m with you, I would need to rip the whole thing and reknit it. That type of a mistake on the front would make it impossible for me to go on. I hope you find a solution for yourself soon.
I don’t have any magic for the missed cables, but I do have happy news. I went to the Madrona Fiber Arts Festival in Tacoma WA this weekend and saw the STR green blanket and it’s still looking lovely. I figured it was the next best thing than being able to meet you in person. 🙂
Oh dear. I’m sorry. It happens to the best of us.
That said, take your time now. Folding laundry was extreme, but more or less the right thing to do. I have always had better luck fixing things like this when I sleep on it a night or two. Try things out on swatches. Work in good light and try to stay calm.
I think the snip and graft sounds like a do-able option. I think the scariest part of this is how close this cable is to the edge — somehow that makes fixing harder for me.
Good luck
OMG! I’d rather watch Saw2 than look at this post again. The freaking horror! Cut your cable? I’m definitely not that brave.
May the force be with you.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!
Oh god, I’m so sorry this happened to you, but I’m SO RELIEVED. I just discovered a similar problem RIGHT at the bottom of my Rogue. (Seriously, the first cable twist pretzel-y thing is wrong on one side.) I didn’t really get how to do the duplicate stitch either, but maybe (MAYBE) I’ll try the cutting. So I’m glad this happened to you so you could help me! (That’s probably not very good for my karma.)
I say leave it alone. It’s one thing to drop a stitch or do something poorly, but you executed a beautiful cable that twists to the beat of a different drummer. I think it’s now part of the fingerprint of that sweater. Eccentric, off-kilter, sweet.
Oh, Cara, I don’t know how you managed not to have a heart attack on the spot! The cut-and-graft solution is pure genius (though scary… but genius often is.) Good luck! Can’t wait to see the photos of your beautifully re-crossed cable. 🙂
I have another option (although I think the cut graft one is a winner/genius)
just cover up both front cables with some kick ass ribbon like it was meant to be that way.
Because you need more advice on this like you need a hole in the head…
First, I TOTALLY understand why you would rip it back if you can’t fix it. I would do exactly the same thing. I would bang my head against the wall the whole time, but I would still do it.
Second, I read the blog entry about snipping stitches – my only idea would be that if you are going to do that, perhaps you could knit a swatch of the miscrossed cable and practice on it before you go snipping your sweater.
GOOD LUCK.
So, I don’t normally comment on your blog, but I read it religiously.
I had to comment on this one though, because I’ve been working on an Aran for myself since May. The mistake I made was on the very first cable in the center of the back. Damn you Kathy Zimmerman with your intricate and beautiful cables. I didn’t see it until well after I had been cruising through the back, so I ignored it and did the front and am now on the sleeves.
But now I wonder if I should take it all out, because I too am tortured in my dreams by the sneaky cable.
But thank you anyway for the other tips and good luck!
Oh no – the thought of you ripping all that out makes me nauseous, hopefully you can use one of the other methods suggested or just duplicate stitch it?
Okay, I hate to be the one to pick knits, but…well, you know me, the Rometard.
#1. Jupiter is male, therefore he has no cunt, unless you’re referring to his wife Juno.
#2. In the series, Mark Anthony is always referring to Juno’s cunt. In fact, Juno seems to be that family’s favorite diety.
Sorry, I’m addicted to the series too.
damn, just realized you didn’t spell out that awful C word, and I did.
God, I’ve got a potty mouth
damn, just realized you didn’t spell out that awful C word, and I did.
God, I’ve got a potty mouth. Sorry about that.
Uh….have you ever been bitten by a moray eel?
I think the cutting, re-crossing- and kitchenering sounds like the most painless. You can do it girl!!!! Good luck!!!!
Oh. Tartarus.
The snipping sound like a good idea. Way better than trying to reconstruct all those cables on the way back up.
YES!!!! The ETA 2 fix really does work. I crossed a cable the wrong way on the first cabled sweater I ever knitted, and took it to what was then The Wooly West in Salt Lake City (now Black Sheep Wool). Anne took one look at it and said she could fix it and before I knew it she had clipped a stitch. Shock! Panic! (on my part–she knew what she was doing.) It was so amazing to see the cable fixed instantly, and all the weaving in and grafting done on the inside so no one ever knows. And it’s sturdy, too. That’s my favorite sweater and I wear it, throw it over the couch, etc. with no bad results.
YES!!!! The ETA 2 fix really does work. I crossed a cable the wrong way on the first cabled sweater I ever knitted, and took it to what was then The Wooly West in Salt Lake City (now Black Sheep Wool). Anne took one look at it and said she could fix it and before I knew it she had clipped a stitch. Shock! Panic! (on my part–she knew what she was doing.) It was so amazing to see the cable fixed instantly, and all the weaving in and grafting done on the inside so no one ever knows. And it’s sturdy, too. That’s my favorite sweater and I wear it, throw it over the couch, etc. with no bad results.
As someone who recently f’d up her own cables, and is a huge fan of Rome, I applaude you! I love the creative use of ancient profanity, and I admire the talent. And I think I’d have to go with cutting it to fix it.
Love your blog!
Oh my. How awful. Must got check the cables on my ‘not your standard issue sweatshirt’ in progress. Your post had me rolling with laughter though. Also, as a somewhat new, and not nearly as prolific, knitter, I must ask: how does it work knitting the fronts and back together? Do you just add 2 stitches to each side? CPH is on my to-knit list, and I hate seaming with an unbridled passion.
Not to be a Polly-Anna or anything, but … aren’t you kind of — I said kind of — glad you made this mistake? Without it you never would have learned such a kick ass technique to fix such a horrifying mis-hap. Think of the stories you’ll be able to tell once said mis-hap is easily and so cleverly fixed!!! I know what my swatch will be tomorrow…
I hope you find a solution that works for you. I could never live with the mistake, either. Good luck! Positive thoughts coming your way…
Oh I am so sorry.
Dropping down is really nae bother, at least on a cable that straightforward..but it’s a bit nervy when it’s that far down. Need a table, quiet, good light, a couple sets of dpns in the right size, a crochet hook and a large whisky. It can look a little patchy, but washing usually solves.
As an alternative – I was going to suggest the cut and patch method. Which I haven’t done, but that tutorial looks clear.
I dunno about the duplicate stitch method – THAT would bother me.
Best of luck.
i don’t think i can watch. it is first thing tuesday morning here and now i am feeling quite ill.
mental note to self: remember to read cara’s bare bones blog after the caffeine has already begun to kick in and not quilst you are still half asleep.
2nd mental note to self: do not read cara’s blog immediately before bedtime
Ugh. Holy crap that sucks. It looks so beautiful too. Well, whatever you decide to do, you’ll like the finished product even more, right?
Way to go on the running! Keep it up! You’re on the right track!
I am SOooo looking forward to your chronicles about getting out of this one. You go, Houdini!! 😉
Not to make light of this, but you’ve been through worse, this is fixable.
At least you have reasonable options! (Because, no, ripping out half the sweater is NOT an option.) Good luck!
Oh, honey. OUCH! That link to how to fix it by cutting the strand (which is probably the way to go) looks as stressful as defusing a bomb! Do I cut the yellow wire or the green wire??!!?? Athena’s taint, I feel for you. Good luck!
I have complete faith you will be able to fix the cable, as was described in the link. Your sock making skills will stand you in good stead. My heart does bleed for you. Good Luck!
I just barely scanned the comments so I don’t know if anyone has said this before but Elizabeth Zimmerman in Knitting Without Tears talks about correcting something way down if you can’t live with it. She talks about clipping the yarn and unravelling the offending stitches, reknitting then weaving in the ends. It actually works well with cables because I tried it on a fisherman’s that I messed up in the front, in the back would have been a mistake that I wouldn’t have been looking at all the time and so I would have let it go.
Personally, I would not have thought you crazy for undoing the entire sweater to fix something you could not live with. I have been there, I have done that…countless times, unfortunately, but in the end I am at peace with the knitting and all is well in my world. And really, isn’t that the point of all this?
Yey about the 2nd ETA…good luck.
Oh Cara…that is a mistake that even I the Goddess of mistakes I can live with, couldn’t. I hope that cutting it back does the trick. It looks like it should.
Good Karma coming your way :’)
Oh Cara! Good luck with the fixing..”ineedorange” looks like a good solution to your need. I have to confess…you did such an OUTSTANDING job of describing your anguish that I couldn’t help but rock in my chair with laughter. OMG!! Thanks for the endorphins.
I saw this a long time ago:
http://cast.off.net/archives/002123.html
Looks like it works just fine. Go for it!!
the more I see of your Central Park Hoodie the more I think I want one…
oh and really you are an inspiration 🙂