Should it stay or should it go... ?

Sometimes you knit something and it looks wonderful and fits just perfectly. Other times, not so much. This was the case with a sweater I knit for myself about a month ago. The yarn was a great deal, and with my excitement to get started, I decided to knit up just a very simple short-sleeved pullover. There were no real design elements, and partly the reason I decided on a simple stitch was so that it didn't take much thinking as I worked away. It worked up really quickly, especially working in the round and having no seams to sew up afterwards. But after blocking and shaping, then trying it on, I wasn't convinced it was the sweater for me, and the idea of 'frogging' it out bounced around my head...even after the hours of knitting. 

On the hanger, it looks really nice, and others have said the same. My mom gave me the great idea to even roll the sleeves to give it a different look, which I really liked! But on me, the person, well, I'm not convinced that it looks that great, and since I will be the one wearing it, well, it should probably fit me properly and I should feel comfortable in it. Part of the problem might have been that I knit the wrong size (I never knit a gauge swatch as EVERY pattern recommends...maybe I should start...). Even though the measurements were the same as mine in the pattern, they probably didn't work out that way...hence why you knit a swatch. I'll learn one of these days. 

So, the question is, should it stay or should it go? I mean, I enjoy knitting a lot, so the fact that I get to start a new project without having to purchase any more yarn is a big plus. And, essentially, the sweater I knit is kind of like my gauge swatch, so now I also know that I have to knit a bigger size, so that's also a huge plus. And lately with my projects I've been taking on more challenging designs and patterns (more on those in later posts), so this would give me a chance to experiment more. Hmm... lots of pluses to start frogging, don't you think? 

On another note, I also knit up a really cute hat to match the sweater. I had been looking forever for a pattern for a similar hat I received as a gift from Matt on Valentine's day, and finally found a free one! It had everything I was looking for - cables and a brim. You can't really see the cables in this picture, but they run around hat and add a really nice look to the entire thing. It's been done for a while, so now to just wait for the colder weather to get here to wear it out (don't worry, I'm not really in a huge rush for that. Sometimes I just wear it around the condo for fun anyway....). I won't be frogging this one any time soon. If anything, I might have to knit up a few more in a variety of colours to match all my other sweaters. Now, that would keep me busy for a while!