This isn't my first go-round with gauge. We go waaay back . It was the Twelve Corners Middle School 5th Grade Spelling Bee., final round. A voracious reader, I had an excellent vocabulary. There was a whole cosmos of words I knew but never heard pronounced. Hors D'oeuvres for instance. In books, people were always eating HORZ DA VORZ . Likewise, my engineer dad would talk about measuring things, and deputize us to monitor dials on the dashboard when he fixed his weird old car but the spoken word gauge never connected in my brain with that word in books, GAWJ.
So there we were on the auditorium stage. First, Richard Lee, goes down on roccoco, I am glad it wasn't my word because I wasn't clear on the CC's there.(and in truth just had to spell check it now, heh). The next two kids stayed in. And me, my word? GAYJ, to measure. Umm,so familiar, yet... G-A-G-E? Ding! Out!
Love the yarn, love the style, love the pattern, not loving the fit. If only I had arms 5 inches longer, another 6" of bust and was taller with broad shoulders. I am no waif, this is just a larger-than-me cardigan.
I am not ripping it to re-do. Just no heart for it, the yarn itself is kind of tender. I'll probably just wear it around the house, sob.
postscript: 24 hours later , leaving to spend the day with an old friend, I threw it in my bag. She has always been 5 " taller and proportioned for her height. It was a perfect fit. What might have seemed like gauge kicking my tush again was actually divine intervention.
(I'm not 100% behind selling myself on the divine intervention bit, but it takes the sting out of the whole situation, you know?).
Ok, gauge, we'll talk again. soon.
OMG, Gail! Look how much weight (and height) you've lost since you cast on!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got nothing. Blame that Susan Bates chick. Who is she anyway?
Oh, Gale, I don't know whether to laugh (not at you, but at your funny TCMS story) or cry.
ReplyDeleteIt looked lovely, too big, but lovely.
Divine intervention it is! Lovely sweater all the same. I hate that "g" word :)
ReplyDeleteGauge issues suck. I'm glad you found the sweater a suitable home. Good luck trying again.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading i was ready to offer myself as a suitable recipient. I am definitely taller than you. But it sounds like it found a good home. I did the 7th grade spelling bee and lost on lieutenant. It scarred me for life.....
ReplyDeleteOh my...well, at least the sweater found a good home!
ReplyDeleteThink about it this way, someone gets to enjoy all that hard work of yours with an unexpected surprise!
ReplyDeleteA poignant tale. Are you sure you didn't just knit the wrong size due to incorrect body image (in your mind your arms are 5 inches longer)? When I get gauge, I make the wrong size. When I make the right size, I get the wrong gauge. The way I deal with this is to not expect to wear anything myself until I've seen it sewn up.
ReplyDeleteI always seem to transpose the u and the a (or should I say the a and the u). I am glad the sweater found a good home -- I am often in denial about things myself.
ReplyDeleteYou made me snort my tea! I had all the same pronunciation issues. When you read more than you converse, it happens!
ReplyDeleteBTW, you should definitely take your Australian Shepherd herding. It isn't exactly cheap, but they love it, and it is so fun to see a dog that happy. Plus it's good exercise for the owner. M gets a workout!
xox, J
I think I'll have some things (a hat, gloves, perhaps a scarf) for the tree (the one you posted to the NH SnB group about). How should we get them to you/the tree?
ReplyDelete