Tiny Mistakes in Knitting Driving Me Insane (semi-rant)

[trollgirl]

I finished one of my Fetching convertible mittens yesterday. While I was admiring it, I noticed that the cables on the flip-top I made was one row too short. Horrified, I checked the cable pattern and realized I should have made an extra row. Numbers got mixed up in my head and I knitted only four rows. Now the cables on the flip top don't match the ones on the wrist.

Now, I've frogged the basic fingerless glove once, because I forgot one extra cable twist. I've also ripped the mitten flippy top twice because I didn't like the way it looked. I was basically making it as I went, since there is no pattern for a flippy top. First I only put cables on the front of the mitten. Didn't like that, then ripped it. Then I put cables in the middle of the flip-top. Didn't like that either and ripped it. Now my cables are a little shorter and stumpier looking than the ones on the wrist.

The mittens still look good, but I know the mistake is there. I really really don't want to frog them again, but I feel guilty for not wanting to. Like the mitten is going to stare at me accusingly forever and say in a tiny mitten voice: "You broked me!" And the next mitten I make will have an intentional mistake in it, to match. Am I crazy? Does anyone else ever feel knitting guilt like this? Like you have a perfectly good piece of knitting that everyone says is awesome, but you look at it and only see the flaws?

- tam

[Stiney]

If you do it on the pair, then it's not an intentional mistake, it's design.

[Ingrid]

I've knit things like that. First, though, everything I make has a mistake in it somewhere . Most of the time, I'm the only one who sees it. If it hollers at me, though, I fix it. If it's just a difference in what the pattern called for--then it's personalized.

[suecq]

The beautiful (and expensive) turkish rugs always - always have a mistake in them. This is done with purpose as the makers believe only God (Allah) can do anything perfect.

[Stiney]

I never understood that. How can it be a mistake if you did it in purpose?

[trollgirl]

The beautiful (and expensive) turkish rugs always - always have a mistake in them. This is done with purpose as the makers believe only God (Allah) can do anything perfect.

Wow... that's really inspiring. It really makes me feel better about everything. Maybe I should see mistakes as signs that something is just unique and handmade.

[Ingrid]

I never understood that. How can it be a mistake if you did it in purpose?

I never heard it put that way. Good point. Maybe imperfect is better?

[janelanespaintbrush]

Like the mitten is going to stare at me accusingly forever and say in a tiny mitten voice: "You broked me!"

I share your pain. I'm a frogaholic, and I know I need to learn how to accept some little mistakes once in a while. It's tough.

[Stiney]

Originally Posted by cawthraven

I never understood that. How can it be a mistake if you did it in purpose?

I never heard it put that way. Good point. Maybe imperfect is better?

That makes sense, I guess.

[dustinac]

They make me crazy too... I use to frog out everything that would drive me crazier so one day I just stopped and accepted it...

My mom has a friend who puts a mistake in her quilts cause she says only God is perfect so her quilts won't be... none of my mistakes are on purpose I don't usually spot them for several inches then its just laziness that takes over and then I quote her and make myself feel better..