… imagine you are working on your lace-cobweb shawl, slowly approaching the halfway-through milestone, getting the grasp of the pattern after all when, all of a sudden, the thread rips into two and while you are still trying to join the threads again you are completely missing the one stitch that slipped off the needle, seizing the chance of the moment, and wanders down row after row after row after row …
… firstly you want to scream from the depth of your lungs …
… then you settle down and go for cautiously frogging the rows affected …
… until you realize that this is a lace piece, and everything is tiny tiny tiny and those stitches you rescued back to the the needles belong to approximately 5 different rows.
Sooo …. what do I do now? The patient is stable for the moment – but in a devastating state.
Do I try to fit another needle into the stitches of the same row and hope I’ll be able to figure out which row I hit or do I realize that this very patient can only be given the coup de grâce!?
10 Responses to “Worst Case Scenario”
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Wow Sligo, that’s terrific advice. I usually end up going the way of nolaboard. I find that the time it takes me to reknit (and the brain power) is greater than the tinking/reknitting time. I try to carefully frog to the row before the problem, then tink the good row to get to the offending one. Not always possible, depending on the yarn. Time and distance from the project does wonders for it in these situations. I make it sit in the corner for a day or two. Not too long though, or it might end up in the “beyond”.
All I can say is, so sorry!! I tink back the whole thing when this happens to me, unless I’m really sure of the pattern and have the time to carefully reknit just a portion of the pattern.
It’s very sad, but in the end, it’s worth it to make it perfect again, like you want it!
It’s nice that your husband can help! A Magnifying glass might help too, and a nap.
If you get close enough, then you can tink back a single row. If you are receiving my messages on e-mail, you could reply to me, and I’d be happy to give you support that way.
So you know–I personally do not use lifelines if I’m using a wool or alpaca yarn. I simply pull out the stitches. Wool keeps it’s shape and the stitches stay there. Then I pick up the stitches one at a time, not worrying about stitch direction. I don’t worry about the yarnovers either–just skip them. Once all the stitches are on the needle I slip them to the other end or another needle, and pick up the yarnovers as necessary (they are still there). Check twice that everything is right and that you know where you are on the pattern before you continue.
Thats basically what I’ve been trying to do all afternoon now.
But I always end up with stitches from different rows on the lifeline. Just can’t figure out how to get the lifeline into the stitches of the same row.
Hubby’s giving it a try now; I am ready to frogg the freakin’ thing considering it mission impossible by now.
Oh yes, and leave the lifeline in. you never know if you might need it again!
If your yarn is very slippery, or very sticky, you may want to thread a skinny needle with a long thread, find a correct row several rows down and carry the thread through the entire row, one stitch at a time. If this is your first time doing this, it’s probably your best bet. Make sure to pick up each stitch in the same way, and you won’t miss the yarnovers.
Then, frog, gently, keeping the lace supported on a surface like a table, so you can focus on the stitches you are undoing.
After you have ripped out the rows, you pick up each stitch on the lifeline with the needle, one at a time. Then, before knitting, you slip each stitch one more time, making sure that you know which row you are on, and that each stitch is correct, and is facing the right direction on the needle.
I hope that helps.
I think your idea is best, but I invite you to consider as you work that you could carry this process out over a particular number of stitches, say one pattern repeat, instead of over the whole piece. When you frog only a section of the work, the working yarn hangs in strands across the frogged section. You simply knit one row at a time, working with the lowermost strand first, and following the pattern until you get back to the top. Any uneven stitches will work themselves out in blocking. I’m not sure I’d want to try this for the first time with cobweb, though.
Luck to you!
Thanks for the advice.
I’m going for frogging the entire affected rows though since I see no way of reknitting only the affected area without making a huge mess of the whole pattern.
However I have no idea as for how to frog lace – as in: How do I get the needles back in once they’re out? (which would apply as well to the lifeline idea, which basically is what I’d like to do)
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-gossamer-web/1107179/1-25#8
that’s the address of the thread, which contains more detailed discussion. Just trying to be helpful, and guide people to a great resource.
I think the hairspray is a great idea, because it will hold things stiff while you examine the situation. I would try to run a tiny lifeline a few rows below where the error is, just over the number of stitches that are affected. Then try to frog only those few stitches and reknit them, one row at a time. a crochet hook would be very helpful for this, or an extra pair of needles?
Good luck!
Oh someone just asked this question on Ravelry. I’m going to copy the response here. The thread is in the Gossamer Web group.
“Stop. Put it down. Now. Preferably on top of a piece of tape on each side. Run to the drugstore and buy some hair spray. Spray the nerfs off of the area. Then carefully unpick a few stitches on each side of the break, weave in a new end, and reknit the broken area. The hair spray will rinse out.”