Perseverance Pays Off or How I Learned My Lesson. Finally.

I nearly gave up on this one. I was *this* close to frogging it in disgust.

You see, I knit a gauge swatch, something I rarely ever do. Even rarer: I washed and blocked the swatch and my gauge was spot on. I happily cast on for Sahara in the corresponding size and knit away.

I tried it on a couple of times and thought it was a little snug but managed to convince myself to keep going. I finished the body and cast off but I wasn't fully happy with my bind off. It was too inelastic. But I still managed to convince myself that it would be okay.

Then I tried it on. Reality hit. It was WAY too small. Embarrassingly too small. I wanted to rip it out right then and there but put it aside in time out instead.

One day last week I came across my gauge swatch and picked it up. And realized that it was far more drapey than the body of my Sahara. Hmm... I decided to wash and block the body without finishing the sleeves or neck to see if it made any difference in the fit. Whadya know? It fit!

I'm brilliant like that.

I re-knit the bottom lace rib and did a tubular bind off, then did the neck finishing and sleeves and, voila! Like that it went from terrible disappointment to one of my favorite knits.

Pattern: Sahara by Wendy Bernard. I knit the short sleeve option.
Yarn: Patons Silk Bamboo
Mods: none. Amazingly. Well, other than yarn substitution.