To frog or not to frog, that is the question

Today I marked a project on Ravelry -- the Unseamly Sweater from SnB: The Happy Hooker -- "hibernating." I don't think I've worked on it since last August, and technically it's wearable; I think I weaved in the ends and all that's left to do is the lacy edging, which I could leave off anyway.

But you know that feeling you get when you realize that something is just never going to happen? Yeah. While theoretically I could knock out that lace edging in one evening, I just don't think I ever will.

I was so excited when I started that sweater. I picked it out of The Happy Hooker as my first "real" garment, as opposed to hats and scarves. And that was right around the time I started going to Knitch, and I was so excited because they had the recommended yarn, Cascade Sierra, in dozens of gorgeous colors. And it was the most I'd ever spent for one project, but that was okay because it kinda felt like my first real project, with sleeves and everything! I was so proud when I brought that yarn home. I felt like I was finally becoming a real crocheter.

And I learned a whole lot from that sweater. The initial chain stitch was way too small, and I did the seed stitch in the middle section all wrong and had to take the sweater to Needle Nook and ask Beth for help. I had to frog that thing so many times.

And back then, I thought I just couldn't figure it out and it was my problem, but now that I'm on Ravelry and can look at other versions of the sweater other crocheters have made and posted, I can see that a lot of people had some of the same issues I did. So later on this sweater helped me learn about design flaws, and trusting myself and finding workarounds (or, actually, begging on the internet for workarounds).

So the Unseamly Sweater is a bit of a nostalgia item for me, but it's also a sweater that I doubt I'll ever wear because I don't think the tight-fitting seed stitch middle is particularly flattering on me. And now that I've admitted I'll probably never finish it, I find myself thinking about what I could do with 1300 yards of Cascade Sierra in ruby.

It'll probably take a while for me to take the leap and actually frog the sweater, but I'm something of a packrat (actually, a huge packrat would be more accurate) and the fact that I'm willing to tear up something with sentimental meaning to get at the yarn really speaks to the depths of my yarn addiction.

Look! In the sky! It's a ...FO!!

After recent frustrations, I spent the weekend getting my crochet back to basics and it's been a good change of pace. And rather than stressing over what I haven't finished lately, I'm going to show off what I have finished.

This is Laurie Rossbach's Cold Shoulders Capelet, from Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I'm generally not big into capelets, but I was really taken with this pattern, and I'm really, really pleased with how this one turned out. I was afraid the Suri Dream from KnitPicks might be too heavy to be a good substitute, but I think it worked out just beautifully. The alpaca is light but very warm. The pattern is clearly written and very easy to follow; I think it would make a good first garment project. I plan to keep this at work for days when the air conditioning is just too chilly.

I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to this project because it was the first thing I brought to knitting group that got passed around the table and cooed at. Though I dare you to pick up some Suri Dream and not coo. It's so soft.

Thanks to the co-worker who volunteered to model (the shirt I was wearing would have clashed horribly).