It's all unravelling...

I finished up a project last summer (look at that wonderful tan!!), spending many hours knitting at the cottage and during our long car rides to and fro. Well, to be honest, I don't think I've actually put it on and worn it out. It's not that I don't like how it turned out, because I do. It's warm and cozy, but I just don't think it quite works for me. Of course, when I put it on to show people what I mean, they say it looks just fine, even cute. But I know myself that if I haven't worn it in a year, I'm probably not going to wear in the next year (it's kind of like cleaning out your closet...just pull the band aid off already, and forget about it!) But I love the yarn, and so I am very tempted to just unravel the entire thing and start fresh on a new project. And I know that once I pull out that first row, there's no going back!

The original pattern is from Americo, a really great little knitting shop on Queens St. They have some really fabulous yarns, and a lot of really creative and unique patterns that the owner designs and knits to display in her store (the catch, of course, is that you have to buy the yarn in order to get the pattern). The picture to the right is what the original pattern looked like finished.

It was actually really neat how you knit it: first, you start by knitting a long rectangle, which you then folded lengthwise to create the arms and the back (stitching together equal seams on each side to create the sleeve). Then, using circular needles, you pick up and knit in a giant circle, over and over again, to create the wrap portion around the front and back. It did take some time to work it up, but it was pretty cool to see how it all came together finally. I may not be describing it very well, but you might be able to see what I mean from my finished sweater in the picture. I used two different colours of grey to create a striped pattern, thicker on the back, thinner along the front. It was a great colour combination, too, so I know I'll like whatever it turns into next.

Now, don't try to talk me out of it - I've pretty much made up my mind. Besides, what fun is knitting a project that you're not going to wear? All that time plus the lovely yarn would just sit in my closet. So, I'll shed a single tear as I unravel it all, and then move on to something else that I know I'll enjoy knitting and wearing. Now, the questions is, what?!