Fun with frogging

Oh yes, frogging can be satisfying.  I have been wrangling with this Wicked sweater for a while now, at least four months. It was my first top-down sweater, and I loved the collar so much that I kept knitting and reknitting the yoke, trying to get it to fit correctly.

This should have been a cinch, except my gauge kept changing due to arm pain, requiring various ripouts. Then I got weary of knitting row after row of stockinette in the round and began making careless mistakes, not counting stitches when I should have, etc.

But I still had warm feelings for the yarn, which is Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted. The color is Douglas Fir.

Two days ago I wondered if I should frog the sweater, collar and all. It was hard to think that a sweater that so many have knit successfully has been such misery to me. But I was also a little concerned that I would get too hot in this wool pullover, rip it off, and heap it in a corner somewhere.

When I considered frogging it, I felt a big rush of relief and happiness. (I know, I have no life.) This was a sign. I slept on it (the idea, not the sweater), and yesterday I gazed fondly at the collar one last time, removed the needles, and ripped away.

This yarn and I needed a fresh start. I wanted to return it to its tranquil lying-around-in-a-hank state.

So after the yarn was in two balls, I used my new swift to wind the yarn back into two large hanks. Because the swift is freestanding, I secured the bottom slat to the table with masking tape. One of the extra posts (six were provided) worked great as a handle to rewind the yarn.

The yarn soaked in the bathtub for about half an hour.

Honestly, wool yarn absorbs so much water that I don’t know how sheep manage to stay upright when it’s raining.

I rolled the yarn in a towel, squeezed moisture out . . .

. . . and hung it to dry. Yes, the hanks are giganto because my large swift allows me to make them (requiring fewer revolutions and thus, more efficient arm motion).

Voila, the dried yarn—in all its fluffy softness—is like new again.

And I have big plans for it, namely the DROPS 101-24 cardigan. But first it will get a little R & R in the stash while I distract myself by knitting socks and the Tuscany Shawl.

By the way, Sandi Wiseheart outlined this yarn-rejuvenation process in a Knitting Daily post, and I will be doing this soak & dry process again with some of my early knitting projects that were total wrecks valuable learning experiences. Sometimes it’s just so nice to start afresh.