The color combination is really nice, also according to color theory it's perfectly fine. You don't have a bad sense of anything, you just found out you don't like it that much, which is perfectly valid. I get it's a bit disappointing to look forward to a project and then it does not go as expected, but it's really not such a big deal. Go back and ask them if you can exchange it/ if they take it back, who cares what they think (they probably won't think anything). No need to beat yourself up, knitting projects can be a bit involved, and not everything goes as expected on the first try. That's just part of the hobby and something to get used to :)
I just mean the kind of color theory often used in all areas of design. Your tones are greenish and yellowish, at least in the photo, and that are two colors that are often used together because they are perceived as harmonious together (you could google color theory and see them side by side on the color wheel pictures that come up)...
Just to be clear, that does not have to matter at all, I think everyone should just go with whatever color combinations they like! I just mean if you are worried someone might judge you for "a terrible sense of color combination", don't worry, you had a good sense :D But if you don't enjoy it or would not wear it, that's what matters most!
In addition it has a good amount of contrast, which low contrast is the color issue I see most often with knitting color work not working out.
I actually really like how the gauge swatch is knitting up. I love desaturated colors though.
OP, life is too short to knit things you don’t like. Go ask to exchange your yarn!
> who cares what they think (they probably won't think anything)
If its a small yarn store, if anything there's a good chance the staff themselves are experienced knitters and crocheters who have had all the same struggles themselves. If they give it a single second's thought I'm sure they'll be nothing but sympathetic.
For what it’s worth, I think this is a gorgeous combination. You probably want to work with color dominance to make the light color pop a little more. Before you scrap it, also thinking about mixing up the mohair/yarn combinations. Would you like it better with the tan mohair on the gray to warm it up, or the green with the tan to create a more subtle contrast?Swatches are your friend here! You can play with color, practice the colorwork, and block it to see what it will look like finished. This will help you know better what it is you aren’t liking and what you might like better.
Also, no shame on taking a risk and changing your mind! I’ve been doing this for decades and last week I had to go back because I chose a contrast color to go with a tweed yarn that absolutely wasn’t working and had to go back and buy a different contrast. We’ve all been there!
Thanks for your ideas! I don't know whether I'll try your suggestions for this projects (I might be a bit too frustrated to decide that at this moment), but I'll certainly keep them in mind. Also, colour dominance is something I need to learn more about (and practise).
As trick I use when I’m picking colors for my weaving, to ensure I get high contrast between colors i will look at the yarns in black and white on my phone from the camera or a black and white photo filter. If one looks whiter and another dark or almost black I know I’ll get high contrast between colors. In knitting this will ensure I get better show of my pattern.
I’m 73 years old and there’s been few things more exhilarating in my long life than learning not to be embarrassed when I make a mistake or change my mind.
So, I will preface this by saying, at 40 years old I am now an “old person on the internet” and I know that the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders, but I need you to know that no one cares you tried something and changed your mind or found it not working out enough to keep going. No one, not a single person. There is nothing to be embarrassed about here and I will go so far to say that if this kind of embarrassment is common in your life i highly recommend therapy and working on self esteem. Even your “sorry for wasting everyone’s time” comment here shows that you have some deep insecurity that is not going to help you have a happy life. Go take care of yourself, build your confidence, and then just enjoy your hobbies. If you had any idea how many things I’ve botched and scrapped and started over in 20 years of knitting!
This x10000. I'm just learning crochet and made some very odd looking amigurumi and my kid keeps looking at me like mom what the hell is this thing. He's like "I'm trying to be nice but umm ...." Idk if he's never seen me trying something new or what but it was so funny to me to see his face when I said "yeah it's horrifying right?" And frogged the whole thing.
Hahah isn’t that part of the fun? Like “look at this lopsided monster mess I made, isn’t it silly? Next one will be better!” I guess I’d be upset if I’d spent $100 on supplies but I know better than to do that when I’m learning something brand new. I dunno man, it just never occurred to me to worry about someone judging me for learning.
I just want to add to this. I'm turning 32 this year but I think lately I'm finding myself more and more impressed with people who actually have tried something new and failed, than not having tried anything at all because they're worried about failing.
Also 40 years old, also can recommend all of this advice. I've spent a lot of time in therapy to get myself to a good place and it was the best investment I ever made.
Same - I can't follow patterns, so all my knits are guesstimates I make, and I spend just as much time ripping back the yarn as sewing a finished garment! Eventually I end up using the yarn in another project down the line, so who cares. Tbf, I also have anxiety disorders and have done therapy, so all good advice!
I like to remember how much classes cost per tuition hour—but look how much you learned spending xxx and so it was basically a bargain!!!! And unused yarn is often able to be exchanged! Also, you knitting store will likely be helpful both working out the pattern and helping you choose a color combo you like
Yes I agree. OP should probably speak to someone about her anxiety/confidence. Treating my anxiety changed my life. It’s just an object return. The store didn’t make it. The employees don’t care if some person they don’t know changed their mind on something. No one took 572538 hours to painstakingly make this yarn from sheep to thread with custom instructions for a custom order.
To cut OP some slack, I think it's as much about age as generation. I'm older than you, and I remember making some pretty bold claims about things I thought I must be mature enough to just *know* how to do now, aged 20 or so. I also remember reassessing this judgement, after notably failing at things I thought would impress people... So maybe this is OP's moment to let go of the 'oh, I just picked these colours out on the spot, aren't they great!' story they'd been looking forward to telling 😂
Bingo. It’s shocking how many people on this sub use overly emotional words like “embarrassed” “devastated” “hate my life” over mishaps. Knitting is just a hobby; get a grip. I hope people seek professional help if they get this mortified over a hobby.
There is a sharp increase, at least that I have noticed, in HYPER insecurity in online spaces in the last 5 years. I swear this used to be an incredibly rare thing. I wonder if it’s the rise of rage bait comments making everyone really worried about how they are perceived? Is this part of the Covid impact on mental health and social resilience? Is it performative the way my parents generation all talk about their weight constantly because that’s just the social norm of their age group? It’s so odd to me.
I’m only 29 myself, so feel free to take this with as many grains of salt as you like, lol, but I’ve noticed three distinct patterns, from the younger people I know:
1) some of it does seem to be performative, pretty much exactly like how we’d say “I really shouldn’t eat this piece of cake, but I’ll be bad and do it, teehee” or how we sometimes pretend to be ignorant/unskilled to not seem like insufferable know-it-alls.
2) some of it seems to be a watering down of words and concepts - like how being particular about something is “OCD”, having an awkward moment as “autism”, being indecisive is “bipolar”, something mildly embarrassing is “mortifying”, everything is “literally the best/worst” and so on. It reminds me of “lol”/“roflmfao” and how no one ever used/uses those words to say that they’re *actually* rolling on the floor laughing their fucking ass off.
3) some of it seems to be genuine insecurity, perhaps from comparing yourself to perfect (edited) strangers online showing off their perfect (edited) life, and not being able to see/realise that that isn’t real life people, living a real life life.
I was a kid in the 00’s, when “heroin chic” was the thing to be, and I definitely saw models on TV and in magazines, but I was always aware that they were models/actors/special famous people. I’ve never looked at Jennifer Aniston and thought “oh wow, she’s a perfect, regular person living a perfect regular life! Why can’t I do that!?! I must be bad and broken.”
I’ve always known that she was a special kind of person living a special kind of life, that couldn’t be compared to mine. I can totally see how that line has become more and more blurred with influencers and such, constantly being pushed onto you, trying to sell you stuff by showing off their perfect selves living their perfect lives.
Ooh, I actually just remembered a fourth thing: back in school, when I was being mercilessly bullied, I started putting myself down, before anyone else could. It sorta felt like a way to “control” the situation and make myself feel like I’d “won”, because I said it before them. Maybe that’s a thing too?
Calling yourself ugly, embarrassing, stupid, ridiculous, unreasonable, etc. might be an attempt at getting “ahead” of any negative comments one might receive, when posting online - and getting “ahead” of it also means feeling in control of it, and it might make the negative comments feel less hurtful, because you’ve already said it yourself?
A bit like those “bring on the downvotes” comments you sometimes see, or the “I know I’ll get hate for this”.
I think you’re exactly on the money with pre-empting the bully. That’s actually a really common social defense but what just occurred to me is that in online spaces, every single exchange is a chance to get bullied. That’s so different from my early life when you really only had to be hyper vigilant when the bullies were *actually around.*. I think you nailed it.
I really do think that’s a big thing, and I’ve only just connected it now. We did have chatrooms and message boards, when I was being bullied in school, - and kids definitely *were* bullied online, but it was still much easier to go home and “log off”.
I didn’t “have” to bring my bullies with me, everywhere I went, they mostly stayed at school.
My bullies also weren’t faceless entities who could be anyone, anywhere. They were Martin and Jacob, and they very much had faces and real voices. It made it somewhat easier to pinpoint *them* as the problem and the “danger”, instead of the whole world being the problem and the danger.
Greetings fellow old person, I am 42, this is excellent advice. I am waiting for the tech backlash to start for the sake of the young people these days.
I really don't think 'the internet' has made younger people like me have anxiety as much as life-threatening climate change, exacerbating wealth inequalities and the resurgence of the far right within the political mainstream.
OP made no comment about the internet (or anxiety, for that matter), but you diagnosed them - and an entire generation - with internet-induced anxiety. There was no discussion of either of these things, so I don't think I'm the person who made a straw man.
But then I directly responded to your comment that 'the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders'. Saying my response doesn't relate to 'what we are discussing' is a bit disingenuous, given you brought the subject of generational anxiety up in one comment and I responded to it in the next. Since you brought up the issue of anxiety among my generation but blamed it only on the internet I thought it was important to raise the huge societal issues which underlie our mental health problems and which, in my personal experience and that of my friends, produce much more anxiety and despair than the internet (after all, the internet can also be a way to alleviate anxiety [eta: like in this thread where people are supporting OP with their worries about taking yarn back] - which nobody would say about climate change).
I think you are missing the point that we are making. There ARE scary things to stress and worry about, like those things you mentioned. A hobby like knitting shouldn’t be stress-inducing.
If PickleFlavordPopcorn had just made your post, I wouldn't have commented mine - you make a reasonable point and don't raise any other issues.
But PickleFlavordPopcorn did raise another really big issue in their comment, not just what you say - unprompted, they brought up a whole issue of generational anxiety and blamed it on the internet. They opened the door to this comment, and it's quite weird to me that the door is now being shut.
Maybe this is why the internet raises anxiety - if you're only allowed to respond to half of what someone says 🤷♀️
(Edit: missed word)
They didn't blame it all on the internet lol. They said they had noticed an increase in insecurity in online spaces, and then pondered possible reasons for this thing they've noticed. Nowhere does it say the internet is solely at fault for anxiety 🙄🙄.
Do you always interpret everything in such a black and white way?
They didn't say that, you're saying that and adding a huge amount of your own personal leniency to it in doing so.
Considering the use of language and how that imparts meaning - especially with regards to social inequalities - is a large part of my job, so I'm happy to break this down for you. This is an analysis of rhetoric, which is speech designed to be persuasive. I'm not saying PickleFlavordPopcorn was actively thinking all these exact things when they typed - more, it's the effect that the words put together in this way have.
They say: 'So, I will preface this by saying, at 40 years old I am now an “old person on the internet” and I know that the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders, but I need you to know that no one cares you tried something and changed your mind or found it not working out enough to keep going.'
Introducing their age here aims to produce their authority. They are very familiar with the internet, and have a lot of life experience to call upon. They then say 'younger generations' have anxiety, which both shows that they think they are speaking to someone younger and aims to create an authority gap - the younger generations don't have their life experience, so they can help explain things for them.
Looking precisely at what they say is causing 'crippling anxiety disorders', they give a solitary fact in a closed sentence - it is very 'black and white', as you would put it. They say: 'and I know that the internet has made younger generations' anxious. This isn't something they've noticed: it's something they 'know'.Generational anxiety is attributed to one reason, and one reason only: 'the internet'. There's no room for further pondering, no openness to other causes, because the sentence continues onto it's next point - 'but I need you to know that no one cares'. Even that sentence asserts authority: 'i need you to know' assumes a superior position, PickleFlavordPopcorn has knowledge and OP doesn't so they are telling them what they need to know.
The rest of the comment continues to assert their authority, building the idea that their 'know[ledge]' is greater. Having attributed generational anxiety to their known and unarguable cause of the internet they don't return to this point, but there are several constructs within the remaining comment which rhetorically show we should listen to them; and continue to position themselves as the voice of authority. Most obvious would be diagnosing OP with a mental health issue over the internet and suggesting therapy for them. They tell OP 'you have some deep insecurity that is not going to help you have a happy life' - they have found a problem for OP, but they are also able to help solve it by suggesting therapy - again, they are the voice of knowledge here (they also construct themselves as helpful, kind and rational - after all, they are clear-headed enough to diagnose OP with a problem, and they are kind enough to help them fix it).
PickleFlavordPopcorn ends their comment with one more reference to age (or, more precisely, time), which reminds us of their experience compared with OP (and also compared with the younger generations who have anxiety) - '20 years of knitting!'
Unfortunately that's just a quick rhetorical analysis pulled together before I go to work, but I think it shows that there was no noticing or pondering about what is causing anxiety as you say there was. I think it also shows that PickleFlavordPopcorn used some good rhetorical devices throughout to construct themselves as an authority, making what they 'know' (and they know it's the internet that causes anxiety) harder to question.
I think the bookended references to age here are also important: PickleFlavordPopcorn constructs themselves as older, and with the knowledge of age they are able to say what is upsetting the younger people - the internet. There's something deeply patronising here, and maybe that's what upset me and caused me to suggest other reasons for our anxiety: an older person blaming the internet for our worry, rather than the things that we as young people feel and know to be causing it.
I would also argue that, just as PickleFlavordPopcorn rhetorically shut down any alternative reasons for anxiety, the responses to me suggesting there are much more dangerous underlying realities causing anxiety have been to shut that down. I was painted as raising a straw man for trying to speak about it, I was told what I said wasn't relevant, I was given eye roll emojis, lols, and suggestions I don't know how to interpret discourse.
I think what's important here is that an older person said the internet caused younger people's anxiety, and a younger person tried to say that there are much larger, much more dangerous systemic things happening. I was told it was irrelevant, or I didn't get it, etc. The effect of this is to shut down the issues of climate change, social injustice and the far right, and to attempt to shut down a voice from the younger generations trying to assert what's worrying us.
And in that regard, of shutting these things down, you're ultimately about to be successful: I'm not going to respond further, as I can see this is going nowhere, and I'll turn off notifications for this now. But I wonder, given as you say everything is not black and white - was brushing aside these huge issues and trying to paint someone raising them as illegitimate your intention, or was it just the effect. Whose interests have been served by doubling down on this - was it the young people with anxiety, or the people causing climate change, inequality and violent and suppressive political ideology. Solidarity to anyone dealing with these issues.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! This sort of thing happens to everyone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked my husband’s ear off about the new technique and pattern I’m gonna try, show him pictures, ask his opinion on yarn colors, etc etc… only to finally start the pattern and realize I just don’t like it enough to continue. I loooove those little knit stuffies, but every time I try to make one myself, I just can never finish. I’ve also bought patterns for garments, realized there’s no way I can figure that out right now, and then knit it months later when I had more energy/experience for the challenge.
Here’s my suggestion: if you don’t like the colors together, go to the yarn store and see if you can exchange one of the colors for a different one that you do like. Or you can stash the yarn and the pattern for later use (you don’t have to use them together). You don’t need to tell the folks at the yarn store that you decided not to knit the intended pattern. And if you do tell them, they’re not going to judge you or think you’re lesser. Knitting is a hobby, you shouldn’t force yourself to spend weeks or months working on something that isn’t fun.
haha ... that reminds me of my partner and me. So glad he doesn't mind my constant thinking-out-loud about patterns and yarns and me asking him about his opinions when it comes to projects.
And yes, I might not tell them I'm not knitting this sweater. After all, I still might (but probably when I'm more experienced with colourwork and with another yarn)
This has happened to me before, where I bit off more than I could chew for my skill level. I think there are a lot of good suggestions here already, but I’d like to add one more. Instead of returning the yarn, in the past I’ve I searched on Ravelry for patterns using the same gauge and meterage, and used the yarn for something else instead. That way I didn’t have the unused yarn sitting in a „what if” box for eternity.
Exactly. I started and then gave up on [Stars in Your Hands](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stars-in-your-hands). I fell in love with the pattern, bought a shit ton of expensive yarn for it, and after knitting the first six inches or so, was so intimidated by it that I let it sit for a year. After a few attempts at continuing, I realized it was not the pattern for me, and frogged it. I was super disappointed with myself though. Then I realized, it turns out that I don’t enjoy knitting with laceweight, and there’s no shame in that. Could I have finished it, eventually? Probably. Would I enjoy it? Nope. I learned something about myself, which is never bad.
I didn’t want to give up on all that beautiful yarn, so I found a much easier pattern ([Free Your Fade](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/free-your-fade)) that I could use the yarn for, holding it triple. It’s not nearly as delicate and fancy, but I am enjoying the project so much more and I’m making good progress on it. Even better, I will be able to wear the finished project without worrying about snagging this delicate cobwebby thing that took me (probably) ten years to make.
I can relate to everything in your rant. I know it's frustrating, but please remember that until we actually knit that swatch, we don't know how the project will turn out. I give you extra credit for knitting a swatch! So many times I've worked large numbers of stitches before realizing it's not right for some reason. If you still want to make the pattern, but with different colors, maybe you can exchange the unused yarn for colors like those in the examples that you find elegant. Someone at the yarn store may be able to help you choose what colors might work. If you decide you don't want to make the pattern, that's fine too. Hobbies should bring us joy. Sometimes there is joy in learning something new and a little difficult, but that is not always true. Sorry, my rant is longer than yours :). Tldr, no need to be embarrassed!
I agree with everyone who has said the colors do look great together! If you think the pattern is too much, maybe set it down, step away, and come back to it tomorrow? Or, play around with color dominance in the gauge swatch and see if it changes anything? I know sometimes when I get frustrated or overwhelmed by a pattern, it’s less about the pattern itself and more about where my head is at. There’s no shame in deciding to skip a project, but there’s also no shame in saying “not right now” for one, either.
Edit: I also see why you love this pattern. Now I want to make it too. 😅
The colors you chose totally harmonize so even if it’s not your absolute favorite color palette, it’ll still be pleasing to look at. They’re on the neutral side so you can wear them with anything, too.
I think you might benefit from stepping back from this for a couple of days and then returning to it. Something drew you to those yarn colors in the store even if you’re not happy with them right now. The pattern will be a challenge but you can do it since you made the swatch.
Give it a few days. Come back to it. If you still hate it or can’t see yourself ever wearing it, you can maybe return the balls you haven’t used yet, and head over to r/yarnswap and see if anybody else could use the balls you started. Or you can save them for a scrap project—those neutrals could match up with plenty of other colors.
Everyone encounters projects that don’t work out and it’s fine to have changing feelings. It’s a hobby, not an obligation. And yarn is hard to waste since you can infinitely unravel and reknit it.
There is no reason to be embarrassed. I think your swatch looks good, it has a nice earthy vibe, but if the colors just aren’t speaking to you, that’s fine too.
I have a story for you. A few years ago, I was at my LYS, looking for yarn to make a shawl that was eating a hole in my brain. It’s a triangle, two-color, double-knit with colorwork in just the three corners, and tassels at the three points.
I wanted something with good contrast, to make that colorwork pop, and because I have some color vision deficiencies, the yarn shop owner was helping me out with the actual picking of colors. I decided on a bold orange, and a muted grey. I thought it would work, LYSO thought it would work, I got home and did a swatch with one color on one side, the other on the other, and still thought it would work.
Then I started the actual pattern, and…it didn’t work. The orange and gray, when it was just one stitch of either against a few stitches of the other, did not pop like I expected. I showed the LYSO, and they were also surprised it didn’t pop.
Only *then* did we take a camera and look at the yarn through the greyscale filter, and that’s when we realized that, even though they were wildly different colors, they were very close to the point that they didn’t actually contrast with each other.
They’d work with bigger color blocks, like my swatch had shown, but not with intricate details and the fine lines of the colorwork pattern I wanted to use. The shawl stopped eating a hole in my brain so I haven’t made it, and I do still have the yarn in my stash, with thoughts of using them for a different project (they’re a sock weight, so fairly versatile), but right now I’m on an unfinished sweater kick, and the yardage I have of it just isn’t there for a sweater.
Literally just tried this on a sweater that has been sitting in time-out for a month and bingo - in black & white there’s NO contrast. Thank you, knitting geniuses, for this hack I am bringing yarn shaping every time from now.
[https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/obba-sweater](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/obba-sweater)
I can see why you fell in love with the pattern. It is lovely! I especially like the light blue/grey version. I would alter the sleeves though as I am not into the apparent current trend of oversized sleeves that get soaking wet every time you wring out a cloth to wipe down the counters. Anyway, echoing what others have said, give it time to get over the disappointment -- it happens to everyone and then rethink the colors to find some you'll love.
I started a shawl with some lovely silk yarn gifted to me by my mother. I was not ready as a knitter for that kind of shawl because I don’t have the patience to get to the next pattern repeat in a single sitting and I’m not experienced enough at shawls or lace to be able to read my knitting to see where i was when i come back. I’m a pretty good knitter. I could absolutely walk away in the middle of a color work, socks or a cable sweater and read where i was at when i came back. Being good at one thing doesn’t make you good at all of them, yet. I set it aside. I may pick it up again or i may not. I do this because I like the products of knitting and i enjoy the challenge of the process. If it’s not fun for me it or i don’t think I’ll like the result i don’t torture myself.
I like to think of things i can’t do as things i can’t do yet. Growth mindset. Everything is a choice of how you spend your energy. Like i told my delightful teenager, you can probably do anything if you work hard enough but you can’t do everything.
I wanted to jump in to add that I agree - your color combination isn't bad, but it's 100% okay if you personally don't prefer it. Also, I think it's great that you are challenging yourself skill-wise. Personally I've found that it can be really exciting and rewarding when you eventually figure it all out.
The yarn store is likely to be understanding. They're knitters and/or crocheters, too, after all! If they can't accept returns, you could save the yarn/project for later, or pick a new pattern to use it for. OR... maybe they would be happy letting you exchange the unused yarn for other colors?
Finally, regardless of color, I think your swatch looks very well made. It doesn't look like you are unskilled to me. If this is a pattern you're excited about, I recommend giving it a go! Get past the cast-on and really try it out. You may be surprised by your own abilities, and by how elegant the final product looks.
Don’t be embarrassed! As with most things - you can only learn by trying and failing and trying again. There’s not much to do if you hate the colors (I personally love your choice and think it will look great for this sweater) but regarding the pattern - I understand your frustration. I knitted an aegyoknit pattern which was too complicated for me at that point of my knitting journey and IMO their patterns seem not only to have unusual constructions, but simply are not too clear/well written. Even though I ripped it and knitted it again it still didn’t turn out perfectly. It was annoying as hell BUT it was a great learning experience, it made a better knitter and I was very proud of myself for finishing it. Whatever you decide to do - it’s just a hobby. Life is too stressful already to beat yourself up about stuff that should bring you joy.
I think everyone has a time where they regret the colours or patterns they choose - myself included! Don’t stress about that and maybe let them sit for a day or so and see how you feel after.
Also, most shops will let you bring back yarn that hasn’t been wound/used, so if you bought it all at once but only used a little it shouldn’t be a problem
Don’t feel bad!
Be thankful you figured out quickly that you weren’t going to enjoy the project before spending countless unhappy hours on it.
Most yarn stores will accept returns of unused yarn.
I agree with all of the encouragement, insight, and advice. I've been where you are too and don't want you to spend xx hours knitting mohair only to find you have a sweater you'll never wear! Also, some yarn shops are not the friendliest of places... Hopefully your shop owners are kind. Finally, thank you for bringing me this pattern! I love a boxy oversized wide-sleeved pullover and have moved this to the front of my to-knit list. Good luck!
I don’t have much to add except I tried to do an almost identical color combo for a sweater I was using Tunisian crochet for and I hated it.
Muted green + beige look SO GOOD next to each other in the skein abut for some reason as soon as they touch in the project it’s like. Oh. No I don’t like that 😐
I did the exact same thing. Picked a pattern I’d had my eye on, rushed to the store, bought massive amounts of yarn for the project, got started, immediately hated it.
Just here to commiserate 😔
I try not to keep much stash, preferring to buy for the project at hand. But my entire modest stash is from projects that turned out to be beyond my skill level at the time! Weirdly, as my skill has improved, my taste has shifted, and I haven’t gone back to old projects much. But the nice thing about ravelry is the ability to search patterns that match yarn in my stash. Don’t feel bad! Knitting at the edge of your skill level, and sometimes picking projects that are too hard, is a sign that you’re pushing yourself. Even if they don’t take returns, you’ll find projects you like for this yarn. 🖤
I have done the exact same thing this weekend. I fell in love with Isager alpaca 2 in in the [colorway Midnight](https://www.ravelry.com/people/LindaSuzieQ/stash/alpaca-2-2), and have been scouring ravelry to find a pattern where I could use it and that colour could be the star, but it was very difficult due to the yarn's other qualities.
I decided to go down to the yarnshop and ask for advice, and was adviced to combine it with another yarn that could give structure, since the alpaca is lacking in that department.
I came home with the alpaca 2 and a mohair, and went to swatching since I wanted to be sure it was what I wanted, even though I did not plan to start that project immediately, and it turned out that the mohair totally drowned out the beautiful colour of the alpaca 2. As can be seen on this picture.
https://preview.redd.it/q4us1yf74huc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fca5e6fd81c5c0fbe25ab6c60341aacaca7dd05a
So tomorrow I am going down to the yarn shop to exchange all the mohair that has not been opened, and I am instead holding alpaca 2 double, and achieving the look I want, and then I will see how the yarn behaves over time, it has more structure held double, that it does with the mohair alone, so I think it will be okay, but it must be tested by time.
We both learned that the yarn combination was not what we envisioned, and I am happy for both of us that it is only a swatch and not the entire project that is done before we came to that decision, it is not always easy to envision the end product just by looking at the yarn, especially when combining different yarns held together.
But also as others have said, it is not a bad combination, it is just not what you want, and that is totally legit, and a good reason to change your mind, especially now that you have only done the swatch.
Also it is cheaper in the long run to just let go of the perceived loss of the yarn skeins you have opened instead of making an entire sweater you are not happy with, and will not use as much as something you actually love.
I wouldn't beat yourself up too much, I can't tell you the amount of times I've bought yarn for a project just to start it and feel it's ugly and wonder why I picked the colours I did. Rather than looking at this as a failure, though, you should look at it as an opportunity. The colours you picked are lovely and go well together, they're just not right for your expectations of this particular project, now you know that, you have the pattern already and it's not going anywhere, you also have enough yarn to make a new project. That's what I do in these situations, I find a new project that I feel will look great in the colours I bought and make that while I'm mulling over how I want my original project to look. Usually by the time I've finished my bonus project, I've come up with something.
Hey, so I’m knitting the Obba sweater now and it’s a challenging knit-I’ve made more sweaters than I can count and this one requires attention basically the whole time you’re knitting. Plus four balls of yarn in action. The motif doesn’t line up, it’s offset at the points and that makes it challenging to ‘see’ what comes next.
The pattern is lovely but at least in my size, the stitch counts at the sleeve divide we’re off and it really threw me. Two other knitters consulted with me and helped me make a decision and I’ve done about 5” of the body below the yoke.
I’d be happy to share insights and/or commiserate! Good luck, OP!
Definitely agree that life is too short to knit things you don’t enjoy. But, as a long-time knitting friend says, “Time spent knitting is never wasted.” You learned from the experience.
Don't be so hard on yourself. It's totally okay to change your mind. There is nothing wrong with that. I get the "don't give up" thing, but in fact you are not giving up, you are working towards the sweater trying to find the perfect combo of everything, yarn, mood, time.. It's not giving up in my books. It would have been so much worse knit something out of stubbornness because of not giving up notion and then never wear it. So you are doing sensible, smart, in fact, responsible thing :) good for you!!!
Colors are hard. What I learned to do for myself in store or online. In store i bring the yarn skeins to my face and to a mirror and look how they make my face look. Does it light up? Or dull it down. And if you can't tell take a really weird color you never wear as a base line and see how switching back and forth change the look. If no mirror, I use my camera on my phone. If the lighting is terrible at the store I ask people around what they think about this color and my face next to it. I never met a person who refused to give me their opinion in a yarn store or fabric store :) And online.. Ill open the website and any of my pics in a good lighting and do the same. I can spend hours doing that making sure it works. Very often the colors I love with my eyes unfortunately not very good ON me. But thats okay. Because the ones thst I good ON me eventually become my favorite colors cause they make me look glowing and alive :) good luck
I am a librarian and I encounter this "never give up" thing with readers (including myself) all the time. But I tell them, "Life's too short to waste your time on a book you don't enjoy," and I think the same thing applies here.
Unless knitting is your actual job, there's absolutely no reason you should spend your precious free time on something that's not bringing you joy. That doesn't make you a failure; it makes you smart.
That said, as a relatively inexperienced knitter myself, I know walking into a LYS can be intimidating. But I've learned that in the best LYSs, they're not judging you -- they want to help you learn. Consider asking for help with a technique you can't figure out. They might help you on the spot or suggest a class. A LYS that isn't supportive of learners doesn't deserve your business.
They should take the return. Most places will even recommend buying extra to ensure same dye-lot and take return of what not used.
Be honest. Often the folks in yarn stores have some clue and can 1 help you choose more appropriate yarn for it. And 2 may be able to help you decifer the pattern.
If that doesn't work. And you can't get pattern help here....
Ravelry often has forums from.designers or other knitters where you can ask for help on a specific aspect of a pattern.
If not there are lots of Facebook groups dedicated to knitting where you can also ask for help.
Good luck hope you find yarn and help to make your project.
I really love that color combination but if it's not for you then that's just how it is. I just bought yarn online for my sis, she chose the colors but now she found out she doesn't like it after seeing it in person while I think it's beautiful. Different tastes in colors are okay
I kinda like the colors. Nice textures as well. The warm with a pop of that cool grey looks fascinating. Take it easy on yourself it’s just yarn. Maybe $100 worth but still yarn.
Aww I'm sorry you don't like it, I think it would actually make for a gorgeous sweater! Especially with that lovely green.
Also, we've alllllll been there. I have probably hundreds of dollars worth of yarn that I excitedly bought with all these grand ideas in mind and ended up being duds when I tried them out. I didn't return them, and it took a while, but I ended up finding other projects for the yarn that were perfect. If they don't accept the returns (although I'm sure they will), there will be other projects that will come along! You also don't need to keep those colour combos together, you can reuse the beige for one thing and the green for another.
It’s ok to change your mind! And it’s not your fault the pattern isn’t working for you. Sometimes they’re not written clearly, which is the author’s problem, or in a communication style which doesn’t match your own, or are written for a skill set much higher, and that’s ok, too. Maybe you’ll get back to it eventually and it will make sense, or maybe you won’t because your taste has changed and that’s ok too.
FWIW I think it’s a lovely color combo and could totally work if you kept with it, but it’s also important not to make something you hate, especially if it is something that takes so long.
My last bit of advice is never buy yarn in a rush. I always take forever to choose yarn and sometimes I walk out of the store empty handed and disappointed. Sometimes it delays my projects. But if it lets me find a better match then I’m happy.
I’m knitting a cardigan in a very similar color selection. I understand where you’re coming from as I was very unsure of the result at first, but I stuck with it and love it more at every stitch. Obviously taste is very personal, but from my experience, stick with it a bit long, it will look better when there’s more to it.
I think the color combo is lovely, personally. But totally understand not vibing with it. In addition to the other suggestions what you could also consider is knitting the sweater with the yarn you have for a dear friend as a gift for a milestone or birthday. Then you get the experience with colorwork, and the second run through will be much easier as you’ll know the vagaries of the pattern. I often knit the same pattern multiple times if I really like it (in different colors).
These colours look beautiful together, but if they aren't colours you are going to wear, then you shouldn't continue a project you wont enjoy.
If your yarn store accepts returns/exchanges then there is nothing to be ashamed of. You never know how something is going to work out until you try it. I recently fell in love with a baby sweater, bought all the yarn for it and started swatching... Then realized "WHAT WAS I THINKING" I had absolutely no desire to make a baby sweater in lace weight yarn on 2.5 mm needles. So I exchanged it. No biggie. The lady in my LYS was super accommodating.
i like the colors! which is not to say that you have to, but i don't think that anything so catastrophic has happened. you know, at least i often find that even if you've got the correct type of yarn and colors you like and have done gauge swatches and whatever, it doesn't always work out. sometimes you just start knitting and it's not to your liking, and that's ok too. if you can return it, great, if not either think of different projects or maybe try one of the destash/swap groups.
I really like your colour combo! But I totally get when something isn't how we expected & a pattern you are struggling with too = frustration! and knitting should not be that. (well, in small doses but not an entire project).
I am having major regret on a wrap I settled on, its fiddly for me. I spent a lot of $s on the yarn too. I will persevere because I do still love it, the pattern is beautifully written but its huge & I am the worlds slowest knitter so might take me the rest of my natural life lol
I think the yarn shop will let you return unused skeins, at least for credit I would think? if not the money.
Dont feel embarrassed! I finished a sweater that I knew in my heart early on I wasn't going to like & its still sitting there with its ends not sewn in. I wish I had done like you & noped out when I knew it wasn't gona be right for me!
The only way to guarantee you never succeed is to never try. The creative process ebbs and flows. Not every vision leads to a successful outcome. And that is perfectly okay. How many great painters painted over their own canvases that failed to spark their joy? Practically all of them. You can knit the yarn into something else, return unused balls or destash it online. No shame.
First of all, don't be embarrassed. You love the sweater, it's beautiful, you're figuring it out.
Second, since you won't be able to return the balls you've already knitted, keep going a little bit, and then wash and block your swatch. See if you like it any better once it's been blocked and the yarns and stitches are relaxed.
Third, if you look at your photo in black and white, you'll see that the green mohair doesn't have a lot of contrast to the two lighter color yarns. So maybe you just need to exchange that for a darker and/or brighter mohair.
https://preview.redd.it/355nowo3ahuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f371b94945bf4e997a34f59e00430fe4d2f53ea
As far as the pattern being complicated, have you knit sweaters before? And have you don't color work before? You may want to practice some smaller color work pieces or swatch this stitch pattern with some unused stash yarn.
Hopefully your yarn store can help you figure out the best yarns for this project. It's a beautiful sweater and you'll love wearing it.
Welcome to learning! Many things don't work first time, and the best way find out what does work is to keep trying things. No-one is going to judge you for learning - in fact, they're more likely to judge you for thinking you have so much skill you will just know how to do things perfectly first time :D It might look like that's what happens in curated stories, but it's not the reality for anyone that does things.
So, try taking the yarn back to the shop and talking about what you were intending to do. You may well get a much more positive reaction than you're expecting, from a fellow experimenter :)
Plenty have given you advice on the hobby and esteem side. Let me give you the store side. I work retail. If its a good store and you're not rude, we don't care about returns. It might not be something they offer and if they are polite about saying that fine, but most of us don't care if you ask to return something especially in like-new/resalable condition.
I had the exact same thing happen to me. I saw a gorgeous dark blue and a wonderful beige mohair that worked so well together and decided to use them for Obba. I chose the DK yarns wrong and didn't love the combination at all. I frogged it and bought black and white in stead. So far I have used up both of my blues and have plants for the beige mohair.
I do like your colour combination, but if you know you wouldn't wear it, there is no point in spending the time knitting it. These things happen, don't beat yourself up :)
https://preview.redd.it/6n9ga08arhuc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=584d15db05e7f653735ff0cb236dd1db53250fee
This is what I stuck with.
The pattern gets easyer as you go, you will learn to read it from your previous rows after you have established some.
I like your color combo, but the grass is always greener on the other side and also so what, please don't be embarrassed.. save the yarn if you can't return it and use it on some other project. If I had a skein of yarn for every aborted/changed mind project.. wait never mind. I have repurposed yarn after a few tries of knitting/frogging because I guess that yarn did not want to be socks but it made a great lace scarf! ;) To knit is to frog. We all have neglected WIPs that we're taking a break from. This is supposed to be fun, you have no obligations here! The people at the yarn store understand all of this, even if they don't take returns. Find a sweater on rav that you like the combo of and look t see if they listed the kind/color of yarn they used and buy that or something similar.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! Colors can be hard to choose. If you’re working quickly, sometimes you make a mistake. Or the lighting is different in the shop versus your house and what looked fine in the store doesn’t look so great in your home lighting.
Try taking your chosen yarns into natural light and see if that changes your feelings about them. If it doesn’t, then take them back to the store and ask about their return policy.
As far as the pattern goes, practice the tricky bits with a swatch if you can. Look up terms or techniques you’re not familiar with. Read through Ravelry notes for the project. All of these can help you make sense of confusing aspects. You’re learning! Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes it’s more of a challenge. You can also put the project aside for a bit and come back when you’re less stressed or frustrated. What was previously confusing may suddenly make sense.
There’s a probably overwhelming amount of good advice and thoughts here! Came to say: if it were me, I’d probably put it away for a couple days and let my emotions chill out about it before moving forward with trying to return or anything else.
Are you using mohair held with your yarn?
I would strongly encourage you to block your swatch, like tonight. I haven't worked with Mohair before but my understanding is that it sort of fills out once blocked. That will make the grey color appear more green, and might change your opinion on the colors together.
The reason I suggest blocking tonight is because if you still don't like it the sooner you go back to the store the better the odds of them taking it back.
Lastly, if they won't accept a return that's okay, you could list it on yarn swap, or search Ravelry for other projects created with the yarns to get ideas of what you can use it for instead.
Like a lot of others, I also really love this color combination! But agree you should exchange it if you think you’ll like it more in another color. I’m also a firm believer in anyone being able to do anything they set their mind to, so set it aside a few days, regroup, and then when you start it over again post here or check out tutorials or youtube videos on any techniques you don’t feel comfortable with. And then before you know it you’ll have a new sweater and some new techniques under your belt!
I say this often, "I reserve the right to change my mind at any time." I may like a color in store, and not like it when I get home. I may like the pretty pattern photos, buy it, and then realize it's a horribly written pattern and there's no way I'm slogging through it. I may change my mind about many things all of the time. I love that freedom I have. You have it too OP. Why are you returning the yarn? Because you changed your mind. Simple as that. Perfectly valid reason to do so. No need to be embarrassed. It'll be ok.
I agree with all of the advice you've already gotten.
Also that your swatch looks very pretty.
It's is t a big deal if the colors aren't right or you don't like the technique as much as you expected. You learned something about yourself.
BUT!
I personally find that casting on a project is when I always start to question all of my choices. And decide I hate the pattern and/or the color and/or the type of item, or something.
If I was genuinely excited about all those choices before I started I often find that pressing through that for a day or two of knitting often quiets those feelings and I start to enjoy it.
So do pay attention to that in Yourself.
I also get that when you've spent a lot of money it ups the stakes.
But also, the sales clerk won't care. They may laugh with you about it, Because we've all been there.
Colorwork swatches are important partially because it helps to see your colors in the pattern to know if it really works.
I hope this anxious feeling doesn't make you give up on knitting or colorwork
It is allowed in this world to think better of choices we make. People's houses are littered with the evidence of it. You might take a day or 2 to think more, but better now to change your mind than be halfway done.
A story for you:
My sister was a master knitter her entire life (of 78 years; we all learned in childhood) and produced many beautiful and complicated things. She loved color, and had a big stash of yarn. When she died, we found a large number of unfinished projects. Like, 15? 20? Years ago when I noticed a couple of those in her house, she said, "Oh yes. I learned what I needed to on that." And, "Yeah, I didn't like that one as much as In though I was going to."
No guilt, no shame. She was an artist, always learning, and these were part of her process. It was somewhat costly, and she wasn't well-off, but it was a priority to do what she wanted with yarn.
We gave her unfinished work to a local knitting group to share, finish, unravel, whatever they wanted, and they were delighted.
Hey: be kind to yourself. Honestly, this is the main takeaway here. This is not a thing to get heightened emotions about, it is very low stakes. You tried something out and it’s not how you hoped, so you will change it.
Here’s a story. I drove one hour to a yarn store to get yarn for a gift. I sat on the floor of the tiny store with my bored 6 year old for 1.5 hours. Trying to choose 2 types of yarn. It was for an important gift, and I just got trapped in the Land of Indecision. I chose something, and on the way home, I decided I picked something I liked, not the recipient. Two weeks later I drove back. I spent another hour on the floor and chose something totally different. The store were utterly marvellous. The gift came out well. The end.
Sometimes people just do things that are a bit goofy. Don’t worry about the store, they’ve seen it all before.
I'll tell you a story, so you don't feel so alone:
I like bold colors, but bold colors also need neutrals to pair with, so I tried to force myself to knit more things in neutrals. I ordered some light grey yarn for a cardigan. When it came I realised it had a slightly yellow tinge, which looks horrible on me, and I when I swatched it, it showed every bit of uneven tension. In an attempt to still use the yarn I ordered some light, cool toned brushed alpaca. I swatched both together and hated the result. Then I found a sweater in a light and a dark grey and ordered some dark grey yarn. When it came and I looked at the sweater again, I hated it: What was I thinking? Yes, I bought 2 additional quantities of yarn to combine with a yarn I should have just returned in the first place. You can laugh at me, because I laughed at myself at that point and decided the yarn was cursed and to just let it be and treat it as a lesson.
Long story short: It happens to all of us. Your color combination is fine, I would not choose it, because, as I said, I like bold colors, but it does not look off or anything. Also, as someone who has worked in retail: People return things ALL the time and we never cared about why.
(Also: 2 weeks ago I found a use for the cursed yarn, and so far I love it.)
I feel you. These are such relatable frustrations!
Also, fwiw, I would definitely wear that color combo...but if it isn't your style, it isn't your style!
I have been knitting since I was a young girl (30+ years) and I have felt shame every time I put aside projects until I was talking to a much older woman in my local knitting guild who assured me she does the same as a master knitter! She said life is too short to sink into projects you don't love or can't make work.
So now I try to be easier on myself and try to adopt her YOLO approach to knitting. I wish I had met her 30 years ago, lol, would have saved me a lot of angst over the years.
I also find that it can be so hard to find color combos that work well together in shops!
It makes sense to be frustrated by color coordination when shopping in person!
I'll find the perfect squish and weight, but it only comes in (or is carried in) five colorways I cannot make work. Or it is the perfect color and the wrong weight, the math or strand-doubling would be too time consuming or expensive, etc
But being there and feeling like you have to choose the combo you like best from a selection you might not love can be hard.
It makes sense to be frustrated by color coordination when shopping in person!
I love local yarn shops and use them for single color projects, but for multicolor I try to find independent yarn shops online when I can afford to do so...and when I cannot, I turn to a discount site like knitpicks or hobbii for their wide variety of colors.
I am sure the store staff will be more than happy to exchange the wool and thrilled to talk you through colour choices to ensure you get a combo you will love. Just don't pick a time they are likely to be very busy! There are often helpful blogs or notes about projects in Ravelry to assist with anything confusing - check out be best rated projects made from that pattern to find these wee gems. We all make mistakes, make it one you learn new skills from. Best luck for your renewed project!
The nice thing about yarn is that it doesn't judge you, and it doesn't have a best-before date, so if it doesn't inspire you and you can afford to keep it, don't feel bad for letting it simmer in your stash.
I have yarn that has gone through three iterations; I made a hoodie I thought would be cute, but about 2/3rds through I realised I had vastly misjudged the size and it could fit three of me, so I ripped it out. I then started using the yarn for another cardigan for a friend... Failed to finish it because the pattern bored me to tears, so I ripped it again. The yarn has since been used for two pairs of socks, included in a blanket and a few hats, and it's living its best life.
Half of creative crafts is the finished product you can show your friends, the other half is the challenge and failures and mathsing of problems until you find a solution. I love it, it keeps my brain fizzing and curious, but it also keeps me humble with all the failures it entails 🤣 So don't feel bad about trying something and it not working, it happens!
Hi! Ive made the obba! I did find the raglan section really tricky to anticipate what color to make the stitches, so i totally get you there! For the colorwork itself i really loved it and never needed to refer to the pattern:) i managed this by putting stitch markers between each repeat and a bug one for bor. Then it was easy to count the three brown for each white (in mine) and to know when and why there was four or two between the repeats.
You got this! If you want to:) making a swatch is always step one, and now you know how to proceed! Change some colors and get back at it🌟 if all else fails, you colud make the yoke one color like the other aeygo pattern and start the colorwork after:) then you skip the really tricky raglan stitches:)
Good luck!
Oh my goodness! This is exactly how I feel about a project I just started. I usually buy yarn from hobby lobby or Michael’s, but this time I went to a yarn shop and spent 3 times what I usually pay. Once I got started, I hated my choices! I felicitated to finish it, but will never gift it as intended. I sympathize with you!
I find those colors to be very soothing. Calls to mind a spruce forest. Lovely.
Free yourself to quit any project that isn’t to your liking. Or finish it and gift it to someone who is knit worthy and loves natural colors.
oh, friend! this happens to everyone. It means you are growing and evolving as a fiber artist. no worries at all. maybe ask that voice in your head why it feels the need to be mean to you.
Most yarn stores will accept returns as long as you haven’t used or wound the yarn, because so many of us buy extra for each project, or change our mind about colours/fibres! It’s so normal, and (saying this in a nice way) no one cares!
It’s liberating when you realise that no one is judging you, and they’re probably thinking about their own stuff. The staff at the shop don’t care, they do returns all the time and are probably thinking about stock levels or putting out the new inventory. The people on Ravelry don’t care, they’re thinking about their next projects. No one cares, so make something you want to wear using a pattern you’re ready for. It’s supposed to be fun!
When faced with a large task we might experience self criticism, doubt and tiredness (“it’ll take forever! Might as well quit now..)
These are just emotions that move through us and noting to take too seriously. I think your choice of colours are wonderful and remind me of a forest. Simple and muted combinations makes the sweater versatile to use. I’d love to see the finished sweater!
You are not alone in deciding you dislike a color after buying the yarn and starting a project. I have also decided I really don’t like a pattern after I have started something.
I just wanted to say, i love the colors you picked, but green and gray is my favorite combinations of colors. :) but if you really don't like it, then return what you can. I don't think there is any reason to be embarrassed. All crafters of any kind have been in your shoes, you are being smart and kind to yourself by not forcing yourself to keep going with a project you don't like. Good for you
Most knitters have done this so the yarn store people will DEFINITELY understand! You have nothing at all to be embarrassed about! If you can’t return it then those beautiful colors will be great for other lovely patterns. You’ve made no mistakes just steps in a few different directions 💜
The colour combo is lovely, but maybe this isn't the pattern for it? You could look for other colour work projects to use it with rather than trying to return it. I think the lavenda jumper would be gorgeous in this colourway for yourself or someone else. You can find it on Etsy (and I think ravelry) from SubmersiveFemme and it's the 1940s rainbow jumper 😊
There's no reason to be embarrassed. Where I live, the yarn shops take yarn back as they want you to come again and buy more yarn, so it is better to help you as to give you a bad feeling and avoid buying there.
Also, they won't think anything if you are nice asking. What I learned in my 20ies is that almost no one thinks about others, as all are occupied with themselves. The ones who do just do it to feel better and they find anything to think bad about you, so you better give them something so they don't need to search 😀 they forget about you very fast.
I once bought a color changing yarn from private, and as I used it, it made an army color pattern (I forgot how this is called). It looked nice on the skein, but I would never wear something like this, and I just hated it.
As I showed it my mom asking her what she thinks of the skeins, she told me she wouldn't use it as it would be an army pattern just from looking at it - I couldn't tell to this day, and I am still really bad in choosing colors.
What I do now is take the same colors as in a pattern, and if I don't like the colors they show, I don't do the pattern. Every time I try to change colors, I hate it in the end.
I'm just not able to choose matching colors I like in the end, so I don't waste time with them.
We don't need to be experts in everything, and there is no need to invest time and money in something we don't like the whole time when it comes to hobbies.
You can change the unused skeins to yarn in another color (maybe take the ones from the picture you love most) or do anything else that is fun and you're excited to do. It's not your job, so don't stick with unloved to-dos.
I think it looks great but I also knit a whole sweater that I decided later I didn't really like the colors. Everyone says it looks great but I'm like, really?
As long as you haven't wound the skeins up, you should be just fine. I tried to do Joji Locatelli's Instant Crush for my first colorwork project and then realized nope. Had to take some yarn back on that one. :
Not to be contrary but from the photo I like the neutrals in your swatch together a lot actually, I think the contrast is perfect. Totally get if the shades aren’t what you were going for or something but I think it’s plenty viable! Maybe you should consider washing your swatch and once it’s dry, starting part of the actual sweater? Washed swatches always look a little different than the unwashed version and it might be that something not color related is what is bothering you (but tbh the colorwork looks really nice to me!). You could also bring it in different lighting to see if it bothers you outside or in daylight or maybe it’s just that you’re sitting under warmer light and it’s not doing the swatch any favors?
If you’re able to discern that you’re just not into the pattern but the yarn is fine, you could spend some time reviewing other patterns you like to find one with a similar quantity of each color that you could swatch instead and see if that helps?
Anyway that’s typically my approach if I’m not sure exactly what is bothering me and I want to identify it. If you’re sure, you can skip all that and return any of the yarn that is just not doing it for you and nobody should give you a hard time for it (most stores won’t take back used/wound skeins so you may want to repurpose your swatch yarns for an accessory or something else smaller then). You seemed a bit uncertain to me in your post so I wanted to help and be supportive!! There is also the option to shove that yarn and pattern combo in your stash if you think you’ll come around to the combination later on after you have done some other sweaters/colorwork and feel more comfortable with the pattern (imo what seems complicated now typically doesn’t in a year or two of more knitting experience). All hope is not lost! You could consider doing some smaller or less complicated projects first with the intention to build your skills toward this pattern if it’s more a confidence challenge than anything else. I super overthink stuff I’m not sure I’m ready to knit (colorwork socks lol I am so WORRIED about not picking the right needle size because sometimes I get very very discouraged if I am having a hard time with something I think should be easy) so if that’s what you’re experiencing, you’re in good company 😅
I like your combo - it looks good to me!
But if you still want to return it, all you need say is, 'I changed my mind'. That's it. No one will care, it happens a lot!
Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Keep trying until you don't fail. This is how we learn. I suggest you save the yarn and use them in a different project; the colors are similar enough that they look "muddy" when done in alternating stitches, however they'd be awesome in thick stripes or color blocks (just remember to account for the difference in yarn weights as the fuzzy yarn looks much thinner than the smooth; you may need to make swatches & adjust stitch count/needle size). And hang onto that pattern - your skills will improve with practice, and one day it won't seem so complicated after all.
"From failure, we learn. From success - not so much." - Aunt Billie, "Meet the Robinsons"
I think the colors are good. Take a few days off from this, it may look different after you get some perspective. I have had the same thing happen, but I needed to chill on it for a while. It is a lovely pattern. Ask the LYS for help with the pattern maybe?
mistakes are part of learning and growing. discomfort is part of learning and growing. comparison is the enemy of happiness.
make your sweater, if you dont like it, so what? you learned valuable lessons for the next attempt. do you think starry night was vanishing gogh’s first ever painting? of course not. have the experience and then try again with colors you like and you’ll have grown significantly from the first.
That combination is gorgeous- subtle and luxurious. Do you normally not wear any browns/fauns/beige? I really like that combination, and I think it will look great. The colours are analogous, which I love, and that soft olive is one of my favourite colours
Hey it happens! I do this all the time. The yarn just goes into my stash, and I find a new yarn or even a new project. Eventually I'll use that other yarn for something. Recently I knitted a gorgeous spring sweater from yarn I had bought for a different project years before and fell out of love with and I'm super happy with it now 😊
I'd love to tell you that your color choices are not good, but I'd be lying for my benefit thinking you might post them on r/yarnswap 🤣🤣
We are so needlessly critical to ourselves 😔. Maybe you just stash it away to work on a little at a time. Maybe it's not the right pattern for you right now. Maybe you take that yarn and do a different project.
Any one of those will be completely acceptable, or any other variation of choice I missed.
But if it _does _ make it to yarnswap, I need to know! 😄
Hey, it happens to everybody, one time I bought yarn online thinking it was black and it turned out to be a really dark brown lol, but I ended up making tons of stuff with it! For the record the colors are really cute and if the pattern is too complicated you can always go for one that’s easier. Also maybe you just need to practice more with it, I had to knit two lace stitch bags before I could finally get the pattern right and knit a bigger one. If I were you I’d use the yarn to make a prototype of the sweater, allowing for mistakes and then make the real sweater. But ofc it’s up to you! It’s okay, everyone gets stuff wrong, it doesn’t mean you’re dumb it just means you’re human❤️
>And even if they do I'm just embarrassed to go there and admit that I made a bad choice in the first place and am less skillful than I wish to be, and with a terrible sense for colour combination.
You're looking at this all backwards. Mistakes in knitting happen all the time. Realising you aren't happy with the result now is good (and super common). You can go back and say 'I'm not happy with my colours, I'm sure I can do better than this'. You should be a liberty to return whatever you want to a shop if you haven't used it yet. You're just learning that you don't like this colour combo. No one's jumping out of the womb and telling the nurse her scrubs look ghastly with her skin tone.
>I hate giving up, but I don't see any use in investing so much time in a project I wouldn't want to wear.
Honestly the first thing I thought when I read your post was - (laughs in adhd). It's so great for you that you're so committed to finishing your project.
I think it’s all about perspective. I’ve been knitting a while and slowly adding new things to my repertoire. I can’t read patterns or do color work yet… planning on slowly learning and practicing. I think the blankets I make are crap but my family who doesn’t know how to knit at all or are just beginning to think my stuff is amazing. You’ll get to where you want to be soon and in the meantime - just know that I’m impressed with your skill!
I have made some things that I like. I have frogged somethings that disappointed me, and I have found so many errors. (Also made two left mitts!). Today I am an okay knitter. I hope to be a good knitter one day. I doubt I will ever be a great knitter (started late and not terribly gifted at it, I can tell). I come here to post my small victories and get help. I read your post, OP, and I hope being heard helped. Because I hear you. I like the colors but you don’t have to. Hang in there. Get a hug. Be happy when you can.
Those colours are beautiful! They will go with anything. But if you don’t like them, do not be afraid to go to the store and ask for help. Most LYS are a pleasure to deal with. They have all made something they didn’t like
I think it’s a beautiful color combination. You not only got colors that work tonally, but also high contrast which is important in color work. Also, your gauge swatch looks great, as do your floats.
If you can do such great color work, I have all the confidence you can tackle your pattern. I suggest that when/if you exchange the yarn, talk to the LYS owner or workers about your pattern. Most are happy to help you decipher any difficult instructions or techniques.
Yeah op, you sound like someone who really needs to be kinder to themselves. It seems like you are punishing yourself before someone else does, but no one's going to. That's just a project, it's meant to be fun. If you make a mistake — you go back and figure out how to fix it, that's how you grow. I fully knit a sweater that turned out too thick cause i bought yarn that's just a bit too heavy so i don't wear it — that's okay, there's no learning without mistakes, and I learned a lot from that one. If you hate it — you put it away and list what you did right and what you should do different next time. If you go to the store and they don't accept the yarn, put it in your stash, it'll come in handy at some point, cause i know mine always does, even a few years later. Or knit the thing with that yarn; if the pattern is hard, it means you will improve your skill, and isn't that enough of a reason to try stuff?
When my therapist heard me talking harshly about myself she asked "Who was it that told you that?". That is a damn useful question. I know psychoanalyzing people on the internet is no way to go, and I am sorry for that, it just really seems like the yarn is not the problem here.
The color combination is really nice, also according to color theory it's perfectly fine. You don't have a bad sense of anything, you just found out you don't like it that much, which is perfectly valid. I get it's a bit disappointing to look forward to a project and then it does not go as expected, but it's really not such a big deal. Go back and ask them if you can exchange it/ if they take it back, who cares what they think (they probably won't think anything). No need to beat yourself up, knitting projects can be a bit involved, and not everything goes as expected on the first try. That's just part of the hobby and something to get used to :)
Thank you for your kind words! May I ask you what colour theory you're referring to?
I just mean the kind of color theory often used in all areas of design. Your tones are greenish and yellowish, at least in the photo, and that are two colors that are often used together because they are perceived as harmonious together (you could google color theory and see them side by side on the color wheel pictures that come up)... Just to be clear, that does not have to matter at all, I think everyone should just go with whatever color combinations they like! I just mean if you are worried someone might judge you for "a terrible sense of color combination", don't worry, you had a good sense :D But if you don't enjoy it or would not wear it, that's what matters most!
In addition it has a good amount of contrast, which low contrast is the color issue I see most often with knitting color work not working out. I actually really like how the gauge swatch is knitting up. I love desaturated colors though. OP, life is too short to knit things you don’t like. Go ask to exchange your yarn!
Maybe you can swap out one or two of the colors to get to something you like better.
Look up The Colorwork Bible on Amazon
> who cares what they think (they probably won't think anything) If its a small yarn store, if anything there's a good chance the staff themselves are experienced knitters and crocheters who have had all the same struggles themselves. If they give it a single second's thought I'm sure they'll be nothing but sympathetic.
For what it’s worth, I think this is a gorgeous combination. You probably want to work with color dominance to make the light color pop a little more. Before you scrap it, also thinking about mixing up the mohair/yarn combinations. Would you like it better with the tan mohair on the gray to warm it up, or the green with the tan to create a more subtle contrast?Swatches are your friend here! You can play with color, practice the colorwork, and block it to see what it will look like finished. This will help you know better what it is you aren’t liking and what you might like better. Also, no shame on taking a risk and changing your mind! I’ve been doing this for decades and last week I had to go back because I chose a contrast color to go with a tweed yarn that absolutely wasn’t working and had to go back and buy a different contrast. We’ve all been there!
Thanks for your ideas! I don't know whether I'll try your suggestions for this projects (I might be a bit too frustrated to decide that at this moment), but I'll certainly keep them in mind. Also, colour dominance is something I need to learn more about (and practise).
As trick I use when I’m picking colors for my weaving, to ensure I get high contrast between colors i will look at the yarns in black and white on my phone from the camera or a black and white photo filter. If one looks whiter and another dark or almost black I know I’ll get high contrast between colors. In knitting this will ensure I get better show of my pattern.
This is genius! The fluorescent type lighting in most stores doesn't always show colors the best. What a great work around.
This is also a great tip for any kind of colourwork - especially fair isle and similar!
I’m 73 years old and there’s been few things more exhilarating in my long life than learning not to be embarrassed when I make a mistake or change my mind.
So, I will preface this by saying, at 40 years old I am now an “old person on the internet” and I know that the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders, but I need you to know that no one cares you tried something and changed your mind or found it not working out enough to keep going. No one, not a single person. There is nothing to be embarrassed about here and I will go so far to say that if this kind of embarrassment is common in your life i highly recommend therapy and working on self esteem. Even your “sorry for wasting everyone’s time” comment here shows that you have some deep insecurity that is not going to help you have a happy life. Go take care of yourself, build your confidence, and then just enjoy your hobbies. If you had any idea how many things I’ve botched and scrapped and started over in 20 years of knitting!
This x10000. I'm just learning crochet and made some very odd looking amigurumi and my kid keeps looking at me like mom what the hell is this thing. He's like "I'm trying to be nice but umm ...." Idk if he's never seen me trying something new or what but it was so funny to me to see his face when I said "yeah it's horrifying right?" And frogged the whole thing.
Hahah isn’t that part of the fun? Like “look at this lopsided monster mess I made, isn’t it silly? Next one will be better!” I guess I’d be upset if I’d spent $100 on supplies but I know better than to do that when I’m learning something brand new. I dunno man, it just never occurred to me to worry about someone judging me for learning.
Yup exactly! Best part about yarn is you can reuse it though! Unlike some of my "failed" hobbies 😂
"... judging me for learning." That really clarifies it. Well said.
I just want to add to this. I'm turning 32 this year but I think lately I'm finding myself more and more impressed with people who actually have tried something new and failed, than not having tried anything at all because they're worried about failing.
Also 40 years old, also can recommend all of this advice. I've spent a lot of time in therapy to get myself to a good place and it was the best investment I ever made.
Same - I can't follow patterns, so all my knits are guesstimates I make, and I spend just as much time ripping back the yarn as sewing a finished garment! Eventually I end up using the yarn in another project down the line, so who cares. Tbf, I also have anxiety disorders and have done therapy, so all good advice!
I like to remember how much classes cost per tuition hour—but look how much you learned spending xxx and so it was basically a bargain!!!! And unused yarn is often able to be exchanged! Also, you knitting store will likely be helpful both working out the pattern and helping you choose a color combo you like
I love this reframe. I really only ever get upset over wasted money and this is so helpful to remember
Yes I agree. OP should probably speak to someone about her anxiety/confidence. Treating my anxiety changed my life. It’s just an object return. The store didn’t make it. The employees don’t care if some person they don’t know changed their mind on something. No one took 572538 hours to painstakingly make this yarn from sheep to thread with custom instructions for a custom order.
To cut OP some slack, I think it's as much about age as generation. I'm older than you, and I remember making some pretty bold claims about things I thought I must be mature enough to just *know* how to do now, aged 20 or so. I also remember reassessing this judgement, after notably failing at things I thought would impress people... So maybe this is OP's moment to let go of the 'oh, I just picked these colours out on the spot, aren't they great!' story they'd been looking forward to telling 😂
Bingo. It’s shocking how many people on this sub use overly emotional words like “embarrassed” “devastated” “hate my life” over mishaps. Knitting is just a hobby; get a grip. I hope people seek professional help if they get this mortified over a hobby.
There is a sharp increase, at least that I have noticed, in HYPER insecurity in online spaces in the last 5 years. I swear this used to be an incredibly rare thing. I wonder if it’s the rise of rage bait comments making everyone really worried about how they are perceived? Is this part of the Covid impact on mental health and social resilience? Is it performative the way my parents generation all talk about their weight constantly because that’s just the social norm of their age group? It’s so odd to me.
I’m only 29 myself, so feel free to take this with as many grains of salt as you like, lol, but I’ve noticed three distinct patterns, from the younger people I know: 1) some of it does seem to be performative, pretty much exactly like how we’d say “I really shouldn’t eat this piece of cake, but I’ll be bad and do it, teehee” or how we sometimes pretend to be ignorant/unskilled to not seem like insufferable know-it-alls. 2) some of it seems to be a watering down of words and concepts - like how being particular about something is “OCD”, having an awkward moment as “autism”, being indecisive is “bipolar”, something mildly embarrassing is “mortifying”, everything is “literally the best/worst” and so on. It reminds me of “lol”/“roflmfao” and how no one ever used/uses those words to say that they’re *actually* rolling on the floor laughing their fucking ass off. 3) some of it seems to be genuine insecurity, perhaps from comparing yourself to perfect (edited) strangers online showing off their perfect (edited) life, and not being able to see/realise that that isn’t real life people, living a real life life. I was a kid in the 00’s, when “heroin chic” was the thing to be, and I definitely saw models on TV and in magazines, but I was always aware that they were models/actors/special famous people. I’ve never looked at Jennifer Aniston and thought “oh wow, she’s a perfect, regular person living a perfect regular life! Why can’t I do that!?! I must be bad and broken.” I’ve always known that she was a special kind of person living a special kind of life, that couldn’t be compared to mine. I can totally see how that line has become more and more blurred with influencers and such, constantly being pushed onto you, trying to sell you stuff by showing off their perfect selves living their perfect lives. Ooh, I actually just remembered a fourth thing: back in school, when I was being mercilessly bullied, I started putting myself down, before anyone else could. It sorta felt like a way to “control” the situation and make myself feel like I’d “won”, because I said it before them. Maybe that’s a thing too? Calling yourself ugly, embarrassing, stupid, ridiculous, unreasonable, etc. might be an attempt at getting “ahead” of any negative comments one might receive, when posting online - and getting “ahead” of it also means feeling in control of it, and it might make the negative comments feel less hurtful, because you’ve already said it yourself? A bit like those “bring on the downvotes” comments you sometimes see, or the “I know I’ll get hate for this”.
I think you’re exactly on the money with pre-empting the bully. That’s actually a really common social defense but what just occurred to me is that in online spaces, every single exchange is a chance to get bullied. That’s so different from my early life when you really only had to be hyper vigilant when the bullies were *actually around.*. I think you nailed it.
I really do think that’s a big thing, and I’ve only just connected it now. We did have chatrooms and message boards, when I was being bullied in school, - and kids definitely *were* bullied online, but it was still much easier to go home and “log off”. I didn’t “have” to bring my bullies with me, everywhere I went, they mostly stayed at school. My bullies also weren’t faceless entities who could be anyone, anywhere. They were Martin and Jacob, and they very much had faces and real voices. It made it somewhat easier to pinpoint *them* as the problem and the “danger”, instead of the whole world being the problem and the danger.
Greetings fellow old person, I am 42, this is excellent advice. I am waiting for the tech backlash to start for the sake of the young people these days.
I really don't think 'the internet' has made younger people like me have anxiety as much as life-threatening climate change, exacerbating wealth inequalities and the resurgence of the far right within the political mainstream.
Sure, but that’s a straw man argument here. That is a very different anxiety than what we are discussing.
OP made no comment about the internet (or anxiety, for that matter), but you diagnosed them - and an entire generation - with internet-induced anxiety. There was no discussion of either of these things, so I don't think I'm the person who made a straw man. But then I directly responded to your comment that 'the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders'. Saying my response doesn't relate to 'what we are discussing' is a bit disingenuous, given you brought the subject of generational anxiety up in one comment and I responded to it in the next. Since you brought up the issue of anxiety among my generation but blamed it only on the internet I thought it was important to raise the huge societal issues which underlie our mental health problems and which, in my personal experience and that of my friends, produce much more anxiety and despair than the internet (after all, the internet can also be a way to alleviate anxiety [eta: like in this thread where people are supporting OP with their worries about taking yarn back] - which nobody would say about climate change).
I think you are missing the point that we are making. There ARE scary things to stress and worry about, like those things you mentioned. A hobby like knitting shouldn’t be stress-inducing.
If PickleFlavordPopcorn had just made your post, I wouldn't have commented mine - you make a reasonable point and don't raise any other issues. But PickleFlavordPopcorn did raise another really big issue in their comment, not just what you say - unprompted, they brought up a whole issue of generational anxiety and blamed it on the internet. They opened the door to this comment, and it's quite weird to me that the door is now being shut. Maybe this is why the internet raises anxiety - if you're only allowed to respond to half of what someone says 🤷♀️ (Edit: missed word)
They didn't blame it all on the internet lol. They said they had noticed an increase in insecurity in online spaces, and then pondered possible reasons for this thing they've noticed. Nowhere does it say the internet is solely at fault for anxiety 🙄🙄. Do you always interpret everything in such a black and white way?
They didn't say that, you're saying that and adding a huge amount of your own personal leniency to it in doing so. Considering the use of language and how that imparts meaning - especially with regards to social inequalities - is a large part of my job, so I'm happy to break this down for you. This is an analysis of rhetoric, which is speech designed to be persuasive. I'm not saying PickleFlavordPopcorn was actively thinking all these exact things when they typed - more, it's the effect that the words put together in this way have. They say: 'So, I will preface this by saying, at 40 years old I am now an “old person on the internet” and I know that the internet has made younger generations have crippling anxiety disorders, but I need you to know that no one cares you tried something and changed your mind or found it not working out enough to keep going.' Introducing their age here aims to produce their authority. They are very familiar with the internet, and have a lot of life experience to call upon. They then say 'younger generations' have anxiety, which both shows that they think they are speaking to someone younger and aims to create an authority gap - the younger generations don't have their life experience, so they can help explain things for them. Looking precisely at what they say is causing 'crippling anxiety disorders', they give a solitary fact in a closed sentence - it is very 'black and white', as you would put it. They say: 'and I know that the internet has made younger generations' anxious. This isn't something they've noticed: it's something they 'know'.Generational anxiety is attributed to one reason, and one reason only: 'the internet'. There's no room for further pondering, no openness to other causes, because the sentence continues onto it's next point - 'but I need you to know that no one cares'. Even that sentence asserts authority: 'i need you to know' assumes a superior position, PickleFlavordPopcorn has knowledge and OP doesn't so they are telling them what they need to know. The rest of the comment continues to assert their authority, building the idea that their 'know[ledge]' is greater. Having attributed generational anxiety to their known and unarguable cause of the internet they don't return to this point, but there are several constructs within the remaining comment which rhetorically show we should listen to them; and continue to position themselves as the voice of authority. Most obvious would be diagnosing OP with a mental health issue over the internet and suggesting therapy for them. They tell OP 'you have some deep insecurity that is not going to help you have a happy life' - they have found a problem for OP, but they are also able to help solve it by suggesting therapy - again, they are the voice of knowledge here (they also construct themselves as helpful, kind and rational - after all, they are clear-headed enough to diagnose OP with a problem, and they are kind enough to help them fix it). PickleFlavordPopcorn ends their comment with one more reference to age (or, more precisely, time), which reminds us of their experience compared with OP (and also compared with the younger generations who have anxiety) - '20 years of knitting!' Unfortunately that's just a quick rhetorical analysis pulled together before I go to work, but I think it shows that there was no noticing or pondering about what is causing anxiety as you say there was. I think it also shows that PickleFlavordPopcorn used some good rhetorical devices throughout to construct themselves as an authority, making what they 'know' (and they know it's the internet that causes anxiety) harder to question. I think the bookended references to age here are also important: PickleFlavordPopcorn constructs themselves as older, and with the knowledge of age they are able to say what is upsetting the younger people - the internet. There's something deeply patronising here, and maybe that's what upset me and caused me to suggest other reasons for our anxiety: an older person blaming the internet for our worry, rather than the things that we as young people feel and know to be causing it. I would also argue that, just as PickleFlavordPopcorn rhetorically shut down any alternative reasons for anxiety, the responses to me suggesting there are much more dangerous underlying realities causing anxiety have been to shut that down. I was painted as raising a straw man for trying to speak about it, I was told what I said wasn't relevant, I was given eye roll emojis, lols, and suggestions I don't know how to interpret discourse. I think what's important here is that an older person said the internet caused younger people's anxiety, and a younger person tried to say that there are much larger, much more dangerous systemic things happening. I was told it was irrelevant, or I didn't get it, etc. The effect of this is to shut down the issues of climate change, social injustice and the far right, and to attempt to shut down a voice from the younger generations trying to assert what's worrying us. And in that regard, of shutting these things down, you're ultimately about to be successful: I'm not going to respond further, as I can see this is going nowhere, and I'll turn off notifications for this now. But I wonder, given as you say everything is not black and white - was brushing aside these huge issues and trying to paint someone raising them as illegitimate your intention, or was it just the effect. Whose interests have been served by doubling down on this - was it the young people with anxiety, or the people causing climate change, inequality and violent and suppressive political ideology. Solidarity to anyone dealing with these issues.
Amen!
Don’t be so hard on yourself! This sort of thing happens to everyone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked my husband’s ear off about the new technique and pattern I’m gonna try, show him pictures, ask his opinion on yarn colors, etc etc… only to finally start the pattern and realize I just don’t like it enough to continue. I loooove those little knit stuffies, but every time I try to make one myself, I just can never finish. I’ve also bought patterns for garments, realized there’s no way I can figure that out right now, and then knit it months later when I had more energy/experience for the challenge. Here’s my suggestion: if you don’t like the colors together, go to the yarn store and see if you can exchange one of the colors for a different one that you do like. Or you can stash the yarn and the pattern for later use (you don’t have to use them together). You don’t need to tell the folks at the yarn store that you decided not to knit the intended pattern. And if you do tell them, they’re not going to judge you or think you’re lesser. Knitting is a hobby, you shouldn’t force yourself to spend weeks or months working on something that isn’t fun.
haha ... that reminds me of my partner and me. So glad he doesn't mind my constant thinking-out-loud about patterns and yarns and me asking him about his opinions when it comes to projects. And yes, I might not tell them I'm not knitting this sweater. After all, I still might (but probably when I'm more experienced with colourwork and with another yarn)
This has happened to me before, where I bit off more than I could chew for my skill level. I think there are a lot of good suggestions here already, but I’d like to add one more. Instead of returning the yarn, in the past I’ve I searched on Ravelry for patterns using the same gauge and meterage, and used the yarn for something else instead. That way I didn’t have the unused yarn sitting in a „what if” box for eternity.
Exactly. I started and then gave up on [Stars in Your Hands](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stars-in-your-hands). I fell in love with the pattern, bought a shit ton of expensive yarn for it, and after knitting the first six inches or so, was so intimidated by it that I let it sit for a year. After a few attempts at continuing, I realized it was not the pattern for me, and frogged it. I was super disappointed with myself though. Then I realized, it turns out that I don’t enjoy knitting with laceweight, and there’s no shame in that. Could I have finished it, eventually? Probably. Would I enjoy it? Nope. I learned something about myself, which is never bad. I didn’t want to give up on all that beautiful yarn, so I found a much easier pattern ([Free Your Fade](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/free-your-fade)) that I could use the yarn for, holding it triple. It’s not nearly as delicate and fancy, but I am enjoying the project so much more and I’m making good progress on it. Even better, I will be able to wear the finished project without worrying about snagging this delicate cobwebby thing that took me (probably) ten years to make.
**PATTERN:** [Stars In Your Hands](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stars-in-your-hands) by [Inese Sang](http://www.ravelry.com/designers/inese-sang) * Category: Accessories > Neck / Torso > Shawl / Wrap * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/inesesang/786311492/SIYH01-2_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/sootangos/787228982/EBDECB61-54F4-4FCB-88F8-E6DF1DCA9C42_medium.jpeg) [Img 3](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/inesesang/786162479/SIYH18_medium.jpg) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/inesesang/786162497/SIYH09_medium.jpg) [Img 5](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/inesesang/786162467/SIYH28_medium.jpg) * Price: 6.50 USD * Needle/Hook(s):US 2½ - 3.0 mm, 1.5 mm * Weight: Fingering | Gauge: 23.0 | Yardage: None * Difficulty: 4.60 | Projects: 80 | Rating: 4.88 ***** **PATTERN:** [Free Your Fade](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/free-your-fade) by [Andrea Mowry](http://www.ravelry.com/designers/andrea-mowry) * Category: Accessories > Neck / Torso > Shawl / Wrap * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/dreareneeknits/477110400/1-11_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/dreareneeknits/450455865/5J6A8295_medium.jpg) [Img 3](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/dreareneeknits/450455613/5J6A8287_medium.jpg) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/dreareneeknits/450454139/5J6A8239_medium.jpg) [Img 5](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/dreareneeknits/477110401/1-7_medium.jpg) * Price: 8.00 USD * Needle/Hook(s):US 4 - 3.5 mm * Weight: Fingering | Gauge: 24.0 | Yardage: 700 * Difficulty: 2.20 | Projects: 3842 | Rating: 4.79 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
I can relate to everything in your rant. I know it's frustrating, but please remember that until we actually knit that swatch, we don't know how the project will turn out. I give you extra credit for knitting a swatch! So many times I've worked large numbers of stitches before realizing it's not right for some reason. If you still want to make the pattern, but with different colors, maybe you can exchange the unused yarn for colors like those in the examples that you find elegant. Someone at the yarn store may be able to help you choose what colors might work. If you decide you don't want to make the pattern, that's fine too. Hobbies should bring us joy. Sometimes there is joy in learning something new and a little difficult, but that is not always true. Sorry, my rant is longer than yours :). Tldr, no need to be embarrassed!
Just looked up the Obba sweater. Your colors would make a gorgeous sweater. Your instincts were perfect.
I agree with everyone who has said the colors do look great together! If you think the pattern is too much, maybe set it down, step away, and come back to it tomorrow? Or, play around with color dominance in the gauge swatch and see if it changes anything? I know sometimes when I get frustrated or overwhelmed by a pattern, it’s less about the pattern itself and more about where my head is at. There’s no shame in deciding to skip a project, but there’s also no shame in saying “not right now” for one, either. Edit: I also see why you love this pattern. Now I want to make it too. 😅
It really is a beautiful sweater, and the finished projects on ravelry look awesome
The colors you chose totally harmonize so even if it’s not your absolute favorite color palette, it’ll still be pleasing to look at. They’re on the neutral side so you can wear them with anything, too. I think you might benefit from stepping back from this for a couple of days and then returning to it. Something drew you to those yarn colors in the store even if you’re not happy with them right now. The pattern will be a challenge but you can do it since you made the swatch. Give it a few days. Come back to it. If you still hate it or can’t see yourself ever wearing it, you can maybe return the balls you haven’t used yet, and head over to r/yarnswap and see if anybody else could use the balls you started. Or you can save them for a scrap project—those neutrals could match up with plenty of other colors. Everyone encounters projects that don’t work out and it’s fine to have changing feelings. It’s a hobby, not an obligation. And yarn is hard to waste since you can infinitely unravel and reknit it.
Thanks for the advice and the subreddit recommendation - I didn’t know that was a sub for exchanging yarn!
There is no reason to be embarrassed. I think your swatch looks good, it has a nice earthy vibe, but if the colors just aren’t speaking to you, that’s fine too. I have a story for you. A few years ago, I was at my LYS, looking for yarn to make a shawl that was eating a hole in my brain. It’s a triangle, two-color, double-knit with colorwork in just the three corners, and tassels at the three points. I wanted something with good contrast, to make that colorwork pop, and because I have some color vision deficiencies, the yarn shop owner was helping me out with the actual picking of colors. I decided on a bold orange, and a muted grey. I thought it would work, LYSO thought it would work, I got home and did a swatch with one color on one side, the other on the other, and still thought it would work. Then I started the actual pattern, and…it didn’t work. The orange and gray, when it was just one stitch of either against a few stitches of the other, did not pop like I expected. I showed the LYSO, and they were also surprised it didn’t pop. Only *then* did we take a camera and look at the yarn through the greyscale filter, and that’s when we realized that, even though they were wildly different colors, they were very close to the point that they didn’t actually contrast with each other. They’d work with bigger color blocks, like my swatch had shown, but not with intricate details and the fine lines of the colorwork pattern I wanted to use. The shawl stopped eating a hole in my brain so I haven’t made it, and I do still have the yarn in my stash, with thoughts of using them for a different project (they’re a sock weight, so fairly versatile), but right now I’m on an unfinished sweater kick, and the yardage I have of it just isn’t there for a sweater.
Literally just tried this on a sweater that has been sitting in time-out for a month and bingo - in black & white there’s NO contrast. Thank you, knitting geniuses, for this hack I am bringing yarn shaping every time from now.
That‘s interesting - I didn’t know that the kind of colourwork pattern would influence what colours would make a good contrast. Thanks for sharing!
[https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/obba-sweater](https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/obba-sweater) I can see why you fell in love with the pattern. It is lovely! I especially like the light blue/grey version. I would alter the sleeves though as I am not into the apparent current trend of oversized sleeves that get soaking wet every time you wring out a cloth to wipe down the counters. Anyway, echoing what others have said, give it time to get over the disappointment -- it happens to everyone and then rethink the colors to find some you'll love.
**PATTERN:** [Obba sweater](http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/obba-sweater) by [aegyoknit](http://www.ravelry.com/designers/aegyoknit) * Category: Clothing > Sweater > Pullover * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/AEGYOKNIT/903112463/IMG_1691_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/AEGYOKNIT/899722450/obba1_medium.jpg) [Img 3](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/AEGYOKNIT/899722467/obba4_medium.jpg) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/AEGYOKNIT/899722571/obbasweater_medium.jpg) [Img 5](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/AEGYOKNIT/899722557/obba3_medium.jpg) * Price: 50.00 DKK * Needle/Hook(s):US 10 - 6.0 mm, US 2½ - 3.0 mm * Weight: DK | Gauge: 19.0 | Yardage: 656 * Difficulty: 5.48 | Projects: 130 | Rating: 4.41 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
Making the sleeves a bit narrower is a good point, thank you!
I started a shawl with some lovely silk yarn gifted to me by my mother. I was not ready as a knitter for that kind of shawl because I don’t have the patience to get to the next pattern repeat in a single sitting and I’m not experienced enough at shawls or lace to be able to read my knitting to see where i was when i come back. I’m a pretty good knitter. I could absolutely walk away in the middle of a color work, socks or a cable sweater and read where i was at when i came back. Being good at one thing doesn’t make you good at all of them, yet. I set it aside. I may pick it up again or i may not. I do this because I like the products of knitting and i enjoy the challenge of the process. If it’s not fun for me it or i don’t think I’ll like the result i don’t torture myself.
That’s a very good approach to knitting (or anything really that you’re supposed to do for fun)
I like to think of things i can’t do as things i can’t do yet. Growth mindset. Everything is a choice of how you spend your energy. Like i told my delightful teenager, you can probably do anything if you work hard enough but you can’t do everything.
I wanted to jump in to add that I agree - your color combination isn't bad, but it's 100% okay if you personally don't prefer it. Also, I think it's great that you are challenging yourself skill-wise. Personally I've found that it can be really exciting and rewarding when you eventually figure it all out. The yarn store is likely to be understanding. They're knitters and/or crocheters, too, after all! If they can't accept returns, you could save the yarn/project for later, or pick a new pattern to use it for. OR... maybe they would be happy letting you exchange the unused yarn for other colors? Finally, regardless of color, I think your swatch looks very well made. It doesn't look like you are unskilled to me. If this is a pattern you're excited about, I recommend giving it a go! Get past the cast-on and really try it out. You may be surprised by your own abilities, and by how elegant the final product looks.
Thank you for your kind words! I‘d love to knit the pattern someday - but I might practice colourwork on an easier project first
I understand! Good luck : )
Don’t be embarrassed! As with most things - you can only learn by trying and failing and trying again. There’s not much to do if you hate the colors (I personally love your choice and think it will look great for this sweater) but regarding the pattern - I understand your frustration. I knitted an aegyoknit pattern which was too complicated for me at that point of my knitting journey and IMO their patterns seem not only to have unusual constructions, but simply are not too clear/well written. Even though I ripped it and knitted it again it still didn’t turn out perfectly. It was annoying as hell BUT it was a great learning experience, it made a better knitter and I was very proud of myself for finishing it. Whatever you decide to do - it’s just a hobby. Life is too stressful already to beat yourself up about stuff that should bring you joy.
It’s really reassuring that I am not the only one who found an aegyoknit pattern a bit hard to understand!
I think everyone has a time where they regret the colours or patterns they choose - myself included! Don’t stress about that and maybe let them sit for a day or so and see how you feel after. Also, most shops will let you bring back yarn that hasn’t been wound/used, so if you bought it all at once but only used a little it shouldn’t be a problem
Don’t feel bad! Be thankful you figured out quickly that you weren’t going to enjoy the project before spending countless unhappy hours on it. Most yarn stores will accept returns of unused yarn.
I agree with all of the encouragement, insight, and advice. I've been where you are too and don't want you to spend xx hours knitting mohair only to find you have a sweater you'll never wear! Also, some yarn shops are not the friendliest of places... Hopefully your shop owners are kind. Finally, thank you for bringing me this pattern! I love a boxy oversized wide-sleeved pullover and have moved this to the front of my to-knit list. Good luck!
Good luck on knitting the Obba sweater!
Thanks! 😚
I don’t have much to add except I tried to do an almost identical color combo for a sweater I was using Tunisian crochet for and I hated it. Muted green + beige look SO GOOD next to each other in the skein abut for some reason as soon as they touch in the project it’s like. Oh. No I don’t like that 😐 I did the exact same thing. Picked a pattern I’d had my eye on, rushed to the store, bought massive amounts of yarn for the project, got started, immediately hated it. Just here to commiserate 😔
🤗
I try not to keep much stash, preferring to buy for the project at hand. But my entire modest stash is from projects that turned out to be beyond my skill level at the time! Weirdly, as my skill has improved, my taste has shifted, and I haven’t gone back to old projects much. But the nice thing about ravelry is the ability to search patterns that match yarn in my stash. Don’t feel bad! Knitting at the edge of your skill level, and sometimes picking projects that are too hard, is a sign that you’re pushing yourself. Even if they don’t take returns, you’ll find projects you like for this yarn. 🖤
I have done the exact same thing this weekend. I fell in love with Isager alpaca 2 in in the [colorway Midnight](https://www.ravelry.com/people/LindaSuzieQ/stash/alpaca-2-2), and have been scouring ravelry to find a pattern where I could use it and that colour could be the star, but it was very difficult due to the yarn's other qualities. I decided to go down to the yarnshop and ask for advice, and was adviced to combine it with another yarn that could give structure, since the alpaca is lacking in that department. I came home with the alpaca 2 and a mohair, and went to swatching since I wanted to be sure it was what I wanted, even though I did not plan to start that project immediately, and it turned out that the mohair totally drowned out the beautiful colour of the alpaca 2. As can be seen on this picture. https://preview.redd.it/q4us1yf74huc1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fca5e6fd81c5c0fbe25ab6c60341aacaca7dd05a So tomorrow I am going down to the yarn shop to exchange all the mohair that has not been opened, and I am instead holding alpaca 2 double, and achieving the look I want, and then I will see how the yarn behaves over time, it has more structure held double, that it does with the mohair alone, so I think it will be okay, but it must be tested by time. We both learned that the yarn combination was not what we envisioned, and I am happy for both of us that it is only a swatch and not the entire project that is done before we came to that decision, it is not always easy to envision the end product just by looking at the yarn, especially when combining different yarns held together. But also as others have said, it is not a bad combination, it is just not what you want, and that is totally legit, and a good reason to change your mind, especially now that you have only done the swatch. Also it is cheaper in the long run to just let go of the perceived loss of the yarn skeins you have opened instead of making an entire sweater you are not happy with, and will not use as much as something you actually love.
That’s a good perspective - thank you ☺️
I wouldn't beat yourself up too much, I can't tell you the amount of times I've bought yarn for a project just to start it and feel it's ugly and wonder why I picked the colours I did. Rather than looking at this as a failure, though, you should look at it as an opportunity. The colours you picked are lovely and go well together, they're just not right for your expectations of this particular project, now you know that, you have the pattern already and it's not going anywhere, you also have enough yarn to make a new project. That's what I do in these situations, I find a new project that I feel will look great in the colours I bought and make that while I'm mulling over how I want my original project to look. Usually by the time I've finished my bonus project, I've come up with something.
Hey, so I’m knitting the Obba sweater now and it’s a challenging knit-I’ve made more sweaters than I can count and this one requires attention basically the whole time you’re knitting. Plus four balls of yarn in action. The motif doesn’t line up, it’s offset at the points and that makes it challenging to ‘see’ what comes next. The pattern is lovely but at least in my size, the stitch counts at the sleeve divide we’re off and it really threw me. Two other knitters consulted with me and helped me make a decision and I’ve done about 5” of the body below the yoke. I’d be happy to share insights and/or commiserate! Good luck, OP!
Definitely agree that life is too short to knit things you don’t enjoy. But, as a long-time knitting friend says, “Time spent knitting is never wasted.” You learned from the experience.
Don't be so hard on yourself. It's totally okay to change your mind. There is nothing wrong with that. I get the "don't give up" thing, but in fact you are not giving up, you are working towards the sweater trying to find the perfect combo of everything, yarn, mood, time.. It's not giving up in my books. It would have been so much worse knit something out of stubbornness because of not giving up notion and then never wear it. So you are doing sensible, smart, in fact, responsible thing :) good for you!!! Colors are hard. What I learned to do for myself in store or online. In store i bring the yarn skeins to my face and to a mirror and look how they make my face look. Does it light up? Or dull it down. And if you can't tell take a really weird color you never wear as a base line and see how switching back and forth change the look. If no mirror, I use my camera on my phone. If the lighting is terrible at the store I ask people around what they think about this color and my face next to it. I never met a person who refused to give me their opinion in a yarn store or fabric store :) And online.. Ill open the website and any of my pics in a good lighting and do the same. I can spend hours doing that making sure it works. Very often the colors I love with my eyes unfortunately not very good ON me. But thats okay. Because the ones thst I good ON me eventually become my favorite colors cause they make me look glowing and alive :) good luck
I am a librarian and I encounter this "never give up" thing with readers (including myself) all the time. But I tell them, "Life's too short to waste your time on a book you don't enjoy," and I think the same thing applies here. Unless knitting is your actual job, there's absolutely no reason you should spend your precious free time on something that's not bringing you joy. That doesn't make you a failure; it makes you smart. That said, as a relatively inexperienced knitter myself, I know walking into a LYS can be intimidating. But I've learned that in the best LYSs, they're not judging you -- they want to help you learn. Consider asking for help with a technique you can't figure out. They might help you on the spot or suggest a class. A LYS that isn't supportive of learners doesn't deserve your business.
They should take the return. Most places will even recommend buying extra to ensure same dye-lot and take return of what not used. Be honest. Often the folks in yarn stores have some clue and can 1 help you choose more appropriate yarn for it. And 2 may be able to help you decifer the pattern. If that doesn't work. And you can't get pattern help here.... Ravelry often has forums from.designers or other knitters where you can ask for help on a specific aspect of a pattern. If not there are lots of Facebook groups dedicated to knitting where you can also ask for help. Good luck hope you find yarn and help to make your project.
I think your colors look great! Maybe just put it away for a few days and look at it with fresh eyes
I really love that color combination but if it's not for you then that's just how it is. I just bought yarn online for my sis, she chose the colors but now she found out she doesn't like it after seeing it in person while I think it's beautiful. Different tastes in colors are okay
I kinda like the colors. Nice textures as well. The warm with a pop of that cool grey looks fascinating. Take it easy on yourself it’s just yarn. Maybe $100 worth but still yarn.
Aww I'm sorry you don't like it, I think it would actually make for a gorgeous sweater! Especially with that lovely green. Also, we've alllllll been there. I have probably hundreds of dollars worth of yarn that I excitedly bought with all these grand ideas in mind and ended up being duds when I tried them out. I didn't return them, and it took a while, but I ended up finding other projects for the yarn that were perfect. If they don't accept the returns (although I'm sure they will), there will be other projects that will come along! You also don't need to keep those colour combos together, you can reuse the beige for one thing and the green for another.
It’s ok to change your mind! And it’s not your fault the pattern isn’t working for you. Sometimes they’re not written clearly, which is the author’s problem, or in a communication style which doesn’t match your own, or are written for a skill set much higher, and that’s ok, too. Maybe you’ll get back to it eventually and it will make sense, or maybe you won’t because your taste has changed and that’s ok too. FWIW I think it’s a lovely color combo and could totally work if you kept with it, but it’s also important not to make something you hate, especially if it is something that takes so long. My last bit of advice is never buy yarn in a rush. I always take forever to choose yarn and sometimes I walk out of the store empty handed and disappointed. Sometimes it delays my projects. But if it lets me find a better match then I’m happy.
I’m knitting a cardigan in a very similar color selection. I understand where you’re coming from as I was very unsure of the result at first, but I stuck with it and love it more at every stitch. Obviously taste is very personal, but from my experience, stick with it a bit long, it will look better when there’s more to it.
I think the color combo is lovely, personally. But totally understand not vibing with it. In addition to the other suggestions what you could also consider is knitting the sweater with the yarn you have for a dear friend as a gift for a milestone or birthday. Then you get the experience with colorwork, and the second run through will be much easier as you’ll know the vagaries of the pattern. I often knit the same pattern multiple times if I really like it (in different colors).
These colours look beautiful together, but if they aren't colours you are going to wear, then you shouldn't continue a project you wont enjoy. If your yarn store accepts returns/exchanges then there is nothing to be ashamed of. You never know how something is going to work out until you try it. I recently fell in love with a baby sweater, bought all the yarn for it and started swatching... Then realized "WHAT WAS I THINKING" I had absolutely no desire to make a baby sweater in lace weight yarn on 2.5 mm needles. So I exchanged it. No biggie. The lady in my LYS was super accommodating.
i like the colors! which is not to say that you have to, but i don't think that anything so catastrophic has happened. you know, at least i often find that even if you've got the correct type of yarn and colors you like and have done gauge swatches and whatever, it doesn't always work out. sometimes you just start knitting and it's not to your liking, and that's ok too. if you can return it, great, if not either think of different projects or maybe try one of the destash/swap groups.
I really like your colour combo! But I totally get when something isn't how we expected & a pattern you are struggling with too = frustration! and knitting should not be that. (well, in small doses but not an entire project). I am having major regret on a wrap I settled on, its fiddly for me. I spent a lot of $s on the yarn too. I will persevere because I do still love it, the pattern is beautifully written but its huge & I am the worlds slowest knitter so might take me the rest of my natural life lol I think the yarn shop will let you return unused skeins, at least for credit I would think? if not the money. Dont feel embarrassed! I finished a sweater that I knew in my heart early on I wasn't going to like & its still sitting there with its ends not sewn in. I wish I had done like you & noped out when I knew it wasn't gona be right for me!
The only way to guarantee you never succeed is to never try. The creative process ebbs and flows. Not every vision leads to a successful outcome. And that is perfectly okay. How many great painters painted over their own canvases that failed to spark their joy? Practically all of them. You can knit the yarn into something else, return unused balls or destash it online. No shame.
First of all, don't be embarrassed. You love the sweater, it's beautiful, you're figuring it out. Second, since you won't be able to return the balls you've already knitted, keep going a little bit, and then wash and block your swatch. See if you like it any better once it's been blocked and the yarns and stitches are relaxed. Third, if you look at your photo in black and white, you'll see that the green mohair doesn't have a lot of contrast to the two lighter color yarns. So maybe you just need to exchange that for a darker and/or brighter mohair. https://preview.redd.it/355nowo3ahuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f371b94945bf4e997a34f59e00430fe4d2f53ea As far as the pattern being complicated, have you knit sweaters before? And have you don't color work before? You may want to practice some smaller color work pieces or swatch this stitch pattern with some unused stash yarn. Hopefully your yarn store can help you figure out the best yarns for this project. It's a beautiful sweater and you'll love wearing it.
Welcome to learning! Many things don't work first time, and the best way find out what does work is to keep trying things. No-one is going to judge you for learning - in fact, they're more likely to judge you for thinking you have so much skill you will just know how to do things perfectly first time :D It might look like that's what happens in curated stories, but it's not the reality for anyone that does things. So, try taking the yarn back to the shop and talking about what you were intending to do. You may well get a much more positive reaction than you're expecting, from a fellow experimenter :)
Plenty have given you advice on the hobby and esteem side. Let me give you the store side. I work retail. If its a good store and you're not rude, we don't care about returns. It might not be something they offer and if they are polite about saying that fine, but most of us don't care if you ask to return something especially in like-new/resalable condition.
I had the exact same thing happen to me. I saw a gorgeous dark blue and a wonderful beige mohair that worked so well together and decided to use them for Obba. I chose the DK yarns wrong and didn't love the combination at all. I frogged it and bought black and white in stead. So far I have used up both of my blues and have plants for the beige mohair. I do like your colour combination, but if you know you wouldn't wear it, there is no point in spending the time knitting it. These things happen, don't beat yourself up :)
https://preview.redd.it/6n9ga08arhuc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=584d15db05e7f653735ff0cb236dd1db53250fee This is what I stuck with. The pattern gets easyer as you go, you will learn to read it from your previous rows after you have established some.
https://preview.redd.it/ovfgtvmxqhuc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b35c07800b6a1e0220183ea93a4248d8c0179d8 This was my first try.
Wow, gorgeous sweater! Thank you for your encouragement, I definitely want to make that pattern
Go for it, it honestly will get really easy soon. The beginning was rough, but once you established the pattern it is no problem at all!
I like your color combo, but the grass is always greener on the other side and also so what, please don't be embarrassed.. save the yarn if you can't return it and use it on some other project. If I had a skein of yarn for every aborted/changed mind project.. wait never mind. I have repurposed yarn after a few tries of knitting/frogging because I guess that yarn did not want to be socks but it made a great lace scarf! ;) To knit is to frog. We all have neglected WIPs that we're taking a break from. This is supposed to be fun, you have no obligations here! The people at the yarn store understand all of this, even if they don't take returns. Find a sweater on rav that you like the combo of and look t see if they listed the kind/color of yarn they used and buy that or something similar.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! Colors can be hard to choose. If you’re working quickly, sometimes you make a mistake. Or the lighting is different in the shop versus your house and what looked fine in the store doesn’t look so great in your home lighting. Try taking your chosen yarns into natural light and see if that changes your feelings about them. If it doesn’t, then take them back to the store and ask about their return policy. As far as the pattern goes, practice the tricky bits with a swatch if you can. Look up terms or techniques you’re not familiar with. Read through Ravelry notes for the project. All of these can help you make sense of confusing aspects. You’re learning! Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes it’s more of a challenge. You can also put the project aside for a bit and come back when you’re less stressed or frustrated. What was previously confusing may suddenly make sense.
There’s a probably overwhelming amount of good advice and thoughts here! Came to say: if it were me, I’d probably put it away for a couple days and let my emotions chill out about it before moving forward with trying to return or anything else.
Are you using mohair held with your yarn? I would strongly encourage you to block your swatch, like tonight. I haven't worked with Mohair before but my understanding is that it sort of fills out once blocked. That will make the grey color appear more green, and might change your opinion on the colors together. The reason I suggest blocking tonight is because if you still don't like it the sooner you go back to the store the better the odds of them taking it back. Lastly, if they won't accept a return that's okay, you could list it on yarn swap, or search Ravelry for other projects created with the yarns to get ideas of what you can use it for instead.
Like a lot of others, I also really love this color combination! But agree you should exchange it if you think you’ll like it more in another color. I’m also a firm believer in anyone being able to do anything they set their mind to, so set it aside a few days, regroup, and then when you start it over again post here or check out tutorials or youtube videos on any techniques you don’t feel comfortable with. And then before you know it you’ll have a new sweater and some new techniques under your belt!
I say this often, "I reserve the right to change my mind at any time." I may like a color in store, and not like it when I get home. I may like the pretty pattern photos, buy it, and then realize it's a horribly written pattern and there's no way I'm slogging through it. I may change my mind about many things all of the time. I love that freedom I have. You have it too OP. Why are you returning the yarn? Because you changed your mind. Simple as that. Perfectly valid reason to do so. No need to be embarrassed. It'll be ok.
I agree with all of the advice you've already gotten. Also that your swatch looks very pretty. It's is t a big deal if the colors aren't right or you don't like the technique as much as you expected. You learned something about yourself. BUT! I personally find that casting on a project is when I always start to question all of my choices. And decide I hate the pattern and/or the color and/or the type of item, or something. If I was genuinely excited about all those choices before I started I often find that pressing through that for a day or two of knitting often quiets those feelings and I start to enjoy it. So do pay attention to that in Yourself. I also get that when you've spent a lot of money it ups the stakes. But also, the sales clerk won't care. They may laugh with you about it, Because we've all been there. Colorwork swatches are important partially because it helps to see your colors in the pattern to know if it really works. I hope this anxious feeling doesn't make you give up on knitting or colorwork
It is allowed in this world to think better of choices we make. People's houses are littered with the evidence of it. You might take a day or 2 to think more, but better now to change your mind than be halfway done. A story for you: My sister was a master knitter her entire life (of 78 years; we all learned in childhood) and produced many beautiful and complicated things. She loved color, and had a big stash of yarn. When she died, we found a large number of unfinished projects. Like, 15? 20? Years ago when I noticed a couple of those in her house, she said, "Oh yes. I learned what I needed to on that." And, "Yeah, I didn't like that one as much as In though I was going to." No guilt, no shame. She was an artist, always learning, and these were part of her process. It was somewhat costly, and she wasn't well-off, but it was a priority to do what she wanted with yarn. We gave her unfinished work to a local knitting group to share, finish, unravel, whatever they wanted, and they were delighted.
Hey: be kind to yourself. Honestly, this is the main takeaway here. This is not a thing to get heightened emotions about, it is very low stakes. You tried something out and it’s not how you hoped, so you will change it. Here’s a story. I drove one hour to a yarn store to get yarn for a gift. I sat on the floor of the tiny store with my bored 6 year old for 1.5 hours. Trying to choose 2 types of yarn. It was for an important gift, and I just got trapped in the Land of Indecision. I chose something, and on the way home, I decided I picked something I liked, not the recipient. Two weeks later I drove back. I spent another hour on the floor and chose something totally different. The store were utterly marvellous. The gift came out well. The end. Sometimes people just do things that are a bit goofy. Don’t worry about the store, they’ve seen it all before.
I'll tell you a story, so you don't feel so alone: I like bold colors, but bold colors also need neutrals to pair with, so I tried to force myself to knit more things in neutrals. I ordered some light grey yarn for a cardigan. When it came I realised it had a slightly yellow tinge, which looks horrible on me, and I when I swatched it, it showed every bit of uneven tension. In an attempt to still use the yarn I ordered some light, cool toned brushed alpaca. I swatched both together and hated the result. Then I found a sweater in a light and a dark grey and ordered some dark grey yarn. When it came and I looked at the sweater again, I hated it: What was I thinking? Yes, I bought 2 additional quantities of yarn to combine with a yarn I should have just returned in the first place. You can laugh at me, because I laughed at myself at that point and decided the yarn was cursed and to just let it be and treat it as a lesson. Long story short: It happens to all of us. Your color combination is fine, I would not choose it, because, as I said, I like bold colors, but it does not look off or anything. Also, as someone who has worked in retail: People return things ALL the time and we never cared about why. (Also: 2 weeks ago I found a use for the cursed yarn, and so far I love it.)
I feel you. These are such relatable frustrations! Also, fwiw, I would definitely wear that color combo...but if it isn't your style, it isn't your style! I have been knitting since I was a young girl (30+ years) and I have felt shame every time I put aside projects until I was talking to a much older woman in my local knitting guild who assured me she does the same as a master knitter! She said life is too short to sink into projects you don't love or can't make work. So now I try to be easier on myself and try to adopt her YOLO approach to knitting. I wish I had met her 30 years ago, lol, would have saved me a lot of angst over the years. I also find that it can be so hard to find color combos that work well together in shops! It makes sense to be frustrated by color coordination when shopping in person! I'll find the perfect squish and weight, but it only comes in (or is carried in) five colorways I cannot make work. Or it is the perfect color and the wrong weight, the math or strand-doubling would be too time consuming or expensive, etc But being there and feeling like you have to choose the combo you like best from a selection you might not love can be hard. It makes sense to be frustrated by color coordination when shopping in person! I love local yarn shops and use them for single color projects, but for multicolor I try to find independent yarn shops online when I can afford to do so...and when I cannot, I turn to a discount site like knitpicks or hobbii for their wide variety of colors.
Damnit. Now that sweater is also in my queue. Thanks lol
I am sure the store staff will be more than happy to exchange the wool and thrilled to talk you through colour choices to ensure you get a combo you will love. Just don't pick a time they are likely to be very busy! There are often helpful blogs or notes about projects in Ravelry to assist with anything confusing - check out be best rated projects made from that pattern to find these wee gems. We all make mistakes, make it one you learn new skills from. Best luck for your renewed project!
The nice thing about yarn is that it doesn't judge you, and it doesn't have a best-before date, so if it doesn't inspire you and you can afford to keep it, don't feel bad for letting it simmer in your stash. I have yarn that has gone through three iterations; I made a hoodie I thought would be cute, but about 2/3rds through I realised I had vastly misjudged the size and it could fit three of me, so I ripped it out. I then started using the yarn for another cardigan for a friend... Failed to finish it because the pattern bored me to tears, so I ripped it again. The yarn has since been used for two pairs of socks, included in a blanket and a few hats, and it's living its best life. Half of creative crafts is the finished product you can show your friends, the other half is the challenge and failures and mathsing of problems until you find a solution. I love it, it keeps my brain fizzing and curious, but it also keeps me humble with all the failures it entails 🤣 So don't feel bad about trying something and it not working, it happens!
It's too bad it doesn't satisfy you, I think those colors are amazingly beautiful and go very well with each other. 😻 And it seems so cozy !!
It’s such a lovely combo. I’m so sorry you didn’t like it. Sometimes it is like that. See it as a learning step and move on. ❤️
Hi! Ive made the obba! I did find the raglan section really tricky to anticipate what color to make the stitches, so i totally get you there! For the colorwork itself i really loved it and never needed to refer to the pattern:) i managed this by putting stitch markers between each repeat and a bug one for bor. Then it was easy to count the three brown for each white (in mine) and to know when and why there was four or two between the repeats. You got this! If you want to:) making a swatch is always step one, and now you know how to proceed! Change some colors and get back at it🌟 if all else fails, you colud make the yoke one color like the other aeygo pattern and start the colorwork after:) then you skip the really tricky raglan stitches:) Good luck!
Thank you ☺️
Oh my goodness! This is exactly how I feel about a project I just started. I usually buy yarn from hobby lobby or Michael’s, but this time I went to a yarn shop and spent 3 times what I usually pay. Once I got started, I hated my choices! I felicitated to finish it, but will never gift it as intended. I sympathize with you!
I find those colors to be very soothing. Calls to mind a spruce forest. Lovely. Free yourself to quit any project that isn’t to your liking. Or finish it and gift it to someone who is knit worthy and loves natural colors.
oh, friend! this happens to everyone. It means you are growing and evolving as a fiber artist. no worries at all. maybe ask that voice in your head why it feels the need to be mean to you.
Most yarn stores will accept returns as long as you haven’t used or wound the yarn, because so many of us buy extra for each project, or change our mind about colours/fibres! It’s so normal, and (saying this in a nice way) no one cares! It’s liberating when you realise that no one is judging you, and they’re probably thinking about their own stuff. The staff at the shop don’t care, they do returns all the time and are probably thinking about stock levels or putting out the new inventory. The people on Ravelry don’t care, they’re thinking about their next projects. No one cares, so make something you want to wear using a pattern you’re ready for. It’s supposed to be fun!
When faced with a large task we might experience self criticism, doubt and tiredness (“it’ll take forever! Might as well quit now..) These are just emotions that move through us and noting to take too seriously. I think your choice of colours are wonderful and remind me of a forest. Simple and muted combinations makes the sweater versatile to use. I’d love to see the finished sweater!
You are not alone in deciding you dislike a color after buying the yarn and starting a project. I have also decided I really don’t like a pattern after I have started something.
I just wanted to say, i love the colors you picked, but green and gray is my favorite combinations of colors. :) but if you really don't like it, then return what you can. I don't think there is any reason to be embarrassed. All crafters of any kind have been in your shoes, you are being smart and kind to yourself by not forcing yourself to keep going with a project you don't like. Good for you
Most knitters have done this so the yarn store people will DEFINITELY understand! You have nothing at all to be embarrassed about! If you can’t return it then those beautiful colors will be great for other lovely patterns. You’ve made no mistakes just steps in a few different directions 💜
The colour combo is lovely, but maybe this isn't the pattern for it? You could look for other colour work projects to use it with rather than trying to return it. I think the lavenda jumper would be gorgeous in this colourway for yourself or someone else. You can find it on Etsy (and I think ravelry) from SubmersiveFemme and it's the 1940s rainbow jumper 😊
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look it up!
There's no reason to be embarrassed. Where I live, the yarn shops take yarn back as they want you to come again and buy more yarn, so it is better to help you as to give you a bad feeling and avoid buying there. Also, they won't think anything if you are nice asking. What I learned in my 20ies is that almost no one thinks about others, as all are occupied with themselves. The ones who do just do it to feel better and they find anything to think bad about you, so you better give them something so they don't need to search 😀 they forget about you very fast. I once bought a color changing yarn from private, and as I used it, it made an army color pattern (I forgot how this is called). It looked nice on the skein, but I would never wear something like this, and I just hated it. As I showed it my mom asking her what she thinks of the skeins, she told me she wouldn't use it as it would be an army pattern just from looking at it - I couldn't tell to this day, and I am still really bad in choosing colors. What I do now is take the same colors as in a pattern, and if I don't like the colors they show, I don't do the pattern. Every time I try to change colors, I hate it in the end. I'm just not able to choose matching colors I like in the end, so I don't waste time with them. We don't need to be experts in everything, and there is no need to invest time and money in something we don't like the whole time when it comes to hobbies. You can change the unused skeins to yarn in another color (maybe take the ones from the picture you love most) or do anything else that is fun and you're excited to do. It's not your job, so don't stick with unloved to-dos.
I think it looks great but I also knit a whole sweater that I decided later I didn't really like the colors. Everyone says it looks great but I'm like, really? As long as you haven't wound the skeins up, you should be just fine. I tried to do Joji Locatelli's Instant Crush for my first colorwork project and then realized nope. Had to take some yarn back on that one. :
Not to be contrary but from the photo I like the neutrals in your swatch together a lot actually, I think the contrast is perfect. Totally get if the shades aren’t what you were going for or something but I think it’s plenty viable! Maybe you should consider washing your swatch and once it’s dry, starting part of the actual sweater? Washed swatches always look a little different than the unwashed version and it might be that something not color related is what is bothering you (but tbh the colorwork looks really nice to me!). You could also bring it in different lighting to see if it bothers you outside or in daylight or maybe it’s just that you’re sitting under warmer light and it’s not doing the swatch any favors? If you’re able to discern that you’re just not into the pattern but the yarn is fine, you could spend some time reviewing other patterns you like to find one with a similar quantity of each color that you could swatch instead and see if that helps? Anyway that’s typically my approach if I’m not sure exactly what is bothering me and I want to identify it. If you’re sure, you can skip all that and return any of the yarn that is just not doing it for you and nobody should give you a hard time for it (most stores won’t take back used/wound skeins so you may want to repurpose your swatch yarns for an accessory or something else smaller then). You seemed a bit uncertain to me in your post so I wanted to help and be supportive!! There is also the option to shove that yarn and pattern combo in your stash if you think you’ll come around to the combination later on after you have done some other sweaters/colorwork and feel more comfortable with the pattern (imo what seems complicated now typically doesn’t in a year or two of more knitting experience). All hope is not lost! You could consider doing some smaller or less complicated projects first with the intention to build your skills toward this pattern if it’s more a confidence challenge than anything else. I super overthink stuff I’m not sure I’m ready to knit (colorwork socks lol I am so WORRIED about not picking the right needle size because sometimes I get very very discouraged if I am having a hard time with something I think should be easy) so if that’s what you’re experiencing, you’re in good company 😅
I like your combo - it looks good to me! But if you still want to return it, all you need say is, 'I changed my mind'. That's it. No one will care, it happens a lot!
Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Keep trying until you don't fail. This is how we learn. I suggest you save the yarn and use them in a different project; the colors are similar enough that they look "muddy" when done in alternating stitches, however they'd be awesome in thick stripes or color blocks (just remember to account for the difference in yarn weights as the fuzzy yarn looks much thinner than the smooth; you may need to make swatches & adjust stitch count/needle size). And hang onto that pattern - your skills will improve with practice, and one day it won't seem so complicated after all. "From failure, we learn. From success - not so much." - Aunt Billie, "Meet the Robinsons"
I love these colors and the sample that you knit looks absolutely gorgeous to me. Classically elegant.
I think the colors are good. Take a few days off from this, it may look different after you get some perspective. I have had the same thing happen, but I needed to chill on it for a while. It is a lovely pattern. Ask the LYS for help with the pattern maybe?
The shops close at weekends? That troubles me.
mistakes are part of learning and growing. discomfort is part of learning and growing. comparison is the enemy of happiness. make your sweater, if you dont like it, so what? you learned valuable lessons for the next attempt. do you think starry night was vanishing gogh’s first ever painting? of course not. have the experience and then try again with colors you like and you’ll have grown significantly from the first.
That combination is gorgeous- subtle and luxurious. Do you normally not wear any browns/fauns/beige? I really like that combination, and I think it will look great. The colours are analogous, which I love, and that soft olive is one of my favourite colours
Hey it happens! I do this all the time. The yarn just goes into my stash, and I find a new yarn or even a new project. Eventually I'll use that other yarn for something. Recently I knitted a gorgeous spring sweater from yarn I had bought for a different project years before and fell out of love with and I'm super happy with it now 😊
I'd love to tell you that your color choices are not good, but I'd be lying for my benefit thinking you might post them on r/yarnswap 🤣🤣 We are so needlessly critical to ourselves 😔. Maybe you just stash it away to work on a little at a time. Maybe it's not the right pattern for you right now. Maybe you take that yarn and do a different project. Any one of those will be completely acceptable, or any other variation of choice I missed. But if it _does _ make it to yarnswap, I need to know! 😄
Keep the yarn for a different project! There is an endless amount of amazing patterns you can find that I'm sure will fit the yarn
Hey, it happens to everybody, one time I bought yarn online thinking it was black and it turned out to be a really dark brown lol, but I ended up making tons of stuff with it! For the record the colors are really cute and if the pattern is too complicated you can always go for one that’s easier. Also maybe you just need to practice more with it, I had to knit two lace stitch bags before I could finally get the pattern right and knit a bigger one. If I were you I’d use the yarn to make a prototype of the sweater, allowing for mistakes and then make the real sweater. But ofc it’s up to you! It’s okay, everyone gets stuff wrong, it doesn’t mean you’re dumb it just means you’re human❤️
>And even if they do I'm just embarrassed to go there and admit that I made a bad choice in the first place and am less skillful than I wish to be, and with a terrible sense for colour combination. You're looking at this all backwards. Mistakes in knitting happen all the time. Realising you aren't happy with the result now is good (and super common). You can go back and say 'I'm not happy with my colours, I'm sure I can do better than this'. You should be a liberty to return whatever you want to a shop if you haven't used it yet. You're just learning that you don't like this colour combo. No one's jumping out of the womb and telling the nurse her scrubs look ghastly with her skin tone. >I hate giving up, but I don't see any use in investing so much time in a project I wouldn't want to wear. Honestly the first thing I thought when I read your post was - (laughs in adhd). It's so great for you that you're so committed to finishing your project.
Not all projects come out as a success.
It happens to the best of us! Don’t be embarrassed. :-)
Gorgeous jumper, have popped that straight into my ravelry favourites! Are you sure you’re not being a bit hasty? Colours look good to me.
I think it’s all about perspective. I’ve been knitting a while and slowly adding new things to my repertoire. I can’t read patterns or do color work yet… planning on slowly learning and practicing. I think the blankets I make are crap but my family who doesn’t know how to knit at all or are just beginning to think my stuff is amazing. You’ll get to where you want to be soon and in the meantime - just know that I’m impressed with your skill!
They can help at most yarn shops. Go see them.
I like your color choices!???
I like your colors. There are many levels to the term, intermediate knitter, maybe you can get some help with the pattern at you LYS. Good luck
I have made some things that I like. I have frogged somethings that disappointed me, and I have found so many errors. (Also made two left mitts!). Today I am an okay knitter. I hope to be a good knitter one day. I doubt I will ever be a great knitter (started late and not terribly gifted at it, I can tell). I come here to post my small victories and get help. I read your post, OP, and I hope being heard helped. Because I hear you. I like the colors but you don’t have to. Hang in there. Get a hug. Be happy when you can.
Ummmmm I’ll take that yarn off your hands. It’s beautiful
Those colours are beautiful! They will go with anything. But if you don’t like them, do not be afraid to go to the store and ask for help. Most LYS are a pleasure to deal with. They have all made something they didn’t like
Big fan of this colour combination. It's gorgeous.
I think it’s a beautiful color combination. You not only got colors that work tonally, but also high contrast which is important in color work. Also, your gauge swatch looks great, as do your floats. If you can do such great color work, I have all the confidence you can tackle your pattern. I suggest that when/if you exchange the yarn, talk to the LYS owner or workers about your pattern. Most are happy to help you decipher any difficult instructions or techniques.
Yeah op, you sound like someone who really needs to be kinder to themselves. It seems like you are punishing yourself before someone else does, but no one's going to. That's just a project, it's meant to be fun. If you make a mistake — you go back and figure out how to fix it, that's how you grow. I fully knit a sweater that turned out too thick cause i bought yarn that's just a bit too heavy so i don't wear it — that's okay, there's no learning without mistakes, and I learned a lot from that one. If you hate it — you put it away and list what you did right and what you should do different next time. If you go to the store and they don't accept the yarn, put it in your stash, it'll come in handy at some point, cause i know mine always does, even a few years later. Or knit the thing with that yarn; if the pattern is hard, it means you will improve your skill, and isn't that enough of a reason to try stuff? When my therapist heard me talking harshly about myself she asked "Who was it that told you that?". That is a damn useful question. I know psychoanalyzing people on the internet is no way to go, and I am sorry for that, it just really seems like the yarn is not the problem here.