Today we mourn the loss of a beloved knitting project… the Ephemera Cardigan.

Your short-lived life in the world began on May 20th, 2010 as I so confidently and excitedly cast on for you. It was love at first stitch – you were so easy to work with! So pretty! So lightweight! You became my go-to carry-along project, leaving my poor sock projects feeling bitterly rejected as they sat in the knitting basket along with all of the other discarded projects.

But then something went horribly amiss. Something just didn’t feel right as I knit your front left and right portions. But I persevered, determined that in the end I’d love you and you’d love me and we’d have that happily ever after I dreamed of, spending cool fall evenings together as we walked arm-in-arm through the neighborhood.

But you kept breaking my heart, Ephemera. We just didn’t fit. Your gauge was 20 sts and 30 rows over 4″, mine was 24 sts and 28 rows.  I blocked and blocked and blocked you, hoping that you might surprise me and actually change. But you refused. And still yet I persisted. I cast on for your sleeves anyway, still hoping and praying we’d be okay. I even convinced myself that, should it not work out, I’d gift you to someone who would appreciate a hand-knit cardigan. If I couldn’t have you, then I at least wanted someone for you that would enjoy and appreciate you.

I tried. I gave you my all. It wasn’t you, it was me. You gave me clear directions, and I failed at understanding them. And by the time I realized it, it was too late – you were already lost to me. I tried to undo the mistakes, but you made it very obvious that you didn’t want me anymore.  Every undone row just created more friction, and before long you were felting and resistant. I finally had to do the thing I wanted the least – I had to take the scissors and end our relationship.

So goodbye, dear friend. Perhaps in another world/life we’ll meet again.

I tried to find an old post for these but apparently one is not to be found – so I guess I just didn’t post this when I got it done a year ago?

This sock is Mystery Sock #14 Going Green from Temptations in Dublin, Ohio. I took this class back in April of 2009. Finished the first sock in May of 2009 but really struggled with it. It was really an ‘ugh’ kind of project at the time. I had modified the pattern to have the leaves going down the foot on the side, whereas the original just called for the leaves to go down the side of the ankle and stop when you do the heel flap and whatnot. What really killed me was the purl sole.  I’m not a fan of purling, to be honest, and I certainly didn’t enjoy doing it in the round for the foot of the sock. So this project got tucked away with one lone sock and one lone ball of yarn waiting to be knit into the 2nd one.

And then back in June or July or so I decided it was time to pick the needles up and finish it. I cast on and immediately got stuck: I had modified the sock for the leaves to go down one side of the foot and now I had to try to remember what I did and modify it for the leaves to go down the other side for the 2nd sock.  This, of course, led to me putting the sock down even longer as I lost patience with it on multiple occasions while I tried to work it out.

Which brings us to today. It’s a very special day, you see! Not just any ordinary day… for today is the day that I finished what will now be known as the 1.33 year socks. It took me staying up later than usual to finish – I was at the toe decreases and determined to have the sock finished before I went to bed. But now there done and I can go to bed a happy knitter! And they’re done just in time for some cooler weather in our area – it’s been a nice chilly 60 degrees or so in the mornings, which means I’m wearing my warm knit socks to bed again! Hooray!