My Failed Knitting Project

I was excited about an extremely soft bandana style scarf I was knitting last week end using James C Brett's Pure Merino Yarn. I had 1 ball in 5 different shades, plus 2 in Royal Blue. I wanted to knit the same scarf in all 6 different colours for my Etsy shop and I decided to use the blue first in case the scarf would use more than 1 ball (it did), and quickly ordered whatever I could get my hands on from the other colours I had, before this yarn would be completely gone out of stock from most places and impossible to reorder.

Yummy Soft Pure Merino from James C. Brett

I loved how soft the 100% merino wool felt and after a few trials, I was finally happy with its shape. Then I gently handwashed my royal blue scarf, my pride and joy: it felt loose and squishy in the water, and I was really careful not to stretch the fibre while washing it, squeezed the excess water in a dry towel and left it out on a flat surface in my hot press to dry yesterday.

Soft blue bandana scarf before washing and shaping

When I checked it this morning, to my shock and horror, my previously beautiful perfectly shaped triangle bandana scarf looked a bit wider than I remembered when I had been knitting it, but the length looked similar to what it was before. It was still as soft if not more than before washing, but the scarf had gone all floppy and didn't hold its shape when I tried it on.

After washing: unwearable floppy mess

This yarn really shows off imperfections: must apply myself more!

I could nearly kick myself for not knitting a sample square and washing it before going on to knit a scarf that needs a yarn that needs to be rigid, not a yarn that has drape like this beautiful merino yarn.

I think I learned my lesson: ALWAYS knit a sample and wash it before starting a knitting project! Unfortunately, a yarn you really love may not always be suitable for a knitting project that you really want to make. For some yarns it doesn't make a difference, but it's always better to be safe than sorry, so preparation might save you from disappointment.

I still want to make this bandana scarf come to life somehow, but I will have to find a more suitable yarn from my stash (I have a bulkier one with Merino but NOT 100% merino, so hopefully this one will do).

No point crying over wasted time: I have some ripping to do and a new project to think of using my Pure Merino because I have ordered so much of it (my first order arrived today:): I'm thinking cabled tube cowl, what do you think?

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