Cautionary Tale

See this lovely pile of knitting? It represents the bulk of my Christmas holiday and driving knitting. We went to Grand Rapids and back, so I spent almost twenty-four hours in a car.

I'd been looking forward to this project. I purchased a kit of materials at La Droguerie during our Paris vacation in 2004, to make a size 2 cardigan with lily-of-the-valley embroidered on it. A day or two before we left on vacation, I was desperate for a new project because I knew I would finish my Go With The Flow socks before we got home. So I grabbed this yarn from the stash because I thought I wouldn't have to swatch. After all, it's only a baby sweater.

Did you catch that? I wouldn't have to swatch. Remember that phrase.

The night before we left for vacation, I translated the pattern from the French version. And once the socks were done, I cast on and merrily knit my way through highway driving, goofy holiday movies, and family gab fests. I was amazed at how quickly I made it through the two front pieces, and halfway up the back. I kept working on it after I got home--stockinette is great for subtitled movies.

At this point, hours into the knitting, I finally decided to check my gauge.

[Insert sinking heart here.]

Instead of 27 stitches to the inch as called for, I'm getting 24. I should have known! Because I'm using the needles specified by the pattern, and I should know by now that I always have to go down a needle size or two, at least.

So, there are a number of reasons why I can't continue like this:

• I'll run out of yarn. It's a kit. And sadly, I'm not going back to Paris anytime soon.
• The length measurements are to pattern, but the width is way off. So unless I plan to give this sweater to a very fat two-year-old, it ain't gonna fit.

As soon as I realized that all my precious car knitting must be ripped out, I chucked everything behind the couch. For two months. Just now I've had the courage to bring it into the light and present it to you, my friends, as yet another illustration of those words of wisdom that ought to be tattooed into my forehead by now.

ALWAYS SWATCH.

That is all.