Yarn Along (#10)

I really look forward to posting a Yarn Along every week.  This week, though...it just left me feeling inadequate.  I'm in between knitting projects right now and I feel a bit aimless.  I tried to crochet some squares this week that I've been admiring on Ravelry (wooleater and African flower hexagon), but that posed way more of a challenge than I was ready for.  The picture below is the first 2 rounds of the wooleater. 

So instead I've had 2 knitting disappointments this week.

The first is that I accidentally put my 4 year old daughter's hand wash only sweater (that she loved) in the washing machine.  It felted up nice and thick, erasing all of the pretty lace that made up most of the body of the sweater.  It also shrank several inches lengthwise.  I'm hopeful that it will fit my 1 year old next fall so that it's not a complete waste.

The second is that I decided to tackle sewing grosgrain ribbon onto the back of the button bands on this sweater.  Two nights ago, it took me just under 2 hours to finish one button band and I was pretty proud of myself.  The ribbon was on nice and straight, and none of the sewing showed through to the front of the sweater.  I worked on the second button band last night and when I had one side sewn on, I decided to line it up next to the other button band to make sure things were looking OK.  Well, I fiddled and shifted things around, but one button band is now almost 1" longer than the other!  And now that the ribbons are sewn on, there's no more stretching them to fit one another.  They don't stretch at all, ironically, which was the whole point of putting the ribbon on in the first place.

I know it's not a knitting mistake because I knit the button bands as I knit the sweater, so they're the same length.  I think during the washing and blocking process, my daughters picked up the sweater one too many times ("Is it dry yet?  When will this thing be dry?  When can I try it on?") and it got stretched out.  So today, I'll undo the ribbon from one side, wet it, and reblock it to the proper length.  I'm trying not to get too frustrated and to see this as a lesson learned.  Always measure first!

I'm still reading Pride and Prejudice.  While I didn't like it much when I first started, I've now really grown to enjoy reading it.  And I'm constantly thankful that I no longer live in a time when women had no property rights and marriage was a necessity given their lack of economic rights.

What are you reading and knitting this week?  I'm definitely looking for some inspiration on both fronts.