What factors go into deciding on when to frog a project for you?  How do you decide when it’s time to rip out a project because it just isn’t working?

QueerJoe’s Failure Factors

Here are some of my factors.  This is a list of some of the items I consider when deciding.  Do I forge ahead?  Do I rip out?

1. Color Patterns – If I’m doing multi-color work, is the patterning creating something displeasing?  Years ago, I knit a two-color zig-zag sweater that was dizzying in terms of the pattern.  I finished that sweater.  But I  shouldn’t have.
2. Color Blending – Again, with multi-color work, am I getting the intended effect of blending, mixing and/or keeping colors distinct?  When colors blend to make an overall muddy blur, I rip it out.  If colors mix to create a really trite combination, I will usually rip it out.  I remember one time I created a peach and aqua combo of colors.  It wasn’t dreadful so I kept it to sell.  But if it had been for me, I would have ripped it.
3. Unintended Fabric Characteristics – Does the fabric need to lay flat and curls instead?  Is the garment intended to be reversible but the “wrong” side doesn’t look good enough?  Can the fabric be salvaged through blocking?
4. If I am clearly not going to have enough yarn to finish the project, I rip it out.  That assumes I can’t come up with a way of including other yarns into the project.
5. Better Use of Yarn – Is the yarn in a mediocre project much better used in something else?  The topic of today’s blog came from a project I decided to rip out.  The crochet scarf (in the top photo) I was making had three undesirable factors:

• The fabric rolled too much (although I probably could have fixed it with blocking).
• The stitch pattern blended the colors in a way that muddied them to much.
• The yarn could MUCH better be used on something else.

I’m not sure what I’ll use the frogged yarn for.  It will most likely become a Knitted Cross Stitch Scarf.

Current Knitting

There has been a lot of progress on the Tilt Cardigan.  I’m actually starting to imagine finishing it!

I’m still reducing at the front opening every four rounds of knitting.  So, it still requires some concentration.  But I’ve made it a bit easier by writing out a chart of decreases, including the pattern row the decrease is made on.  Not too much longer and I steek for the sleeves!

I also did a couple of rows on the Black & Blue Garter Stole.

It’s looking quite fine.  This shows the garment at the halfway point, so it will end up being twice as wide as shown in this photo.