uh.

I learned an important lesson this weekend.

Basically, I blocked my sweater. I did not do anything fancy to it – it didn’t get stretched, or pinned, or anything like that. I just got it wet with a little bit of soap, squeezed out the water, and laid it flat to dry. I do not know what happened between the actual sweater and my dirty liar of a gauge swatch, but something did, and the sweater is perfect – except that I have to roll the sleeves up about four times and the neckline slips off my shoulders and the collar starts about three inches too low. It is beyond “sexy-slouchy” and into “elementary-school-aged-girl-playing-dress-up,” and I am very disappointed.

I don’t know. I mean, I am assuming the gauge difference is what did it, because there is one – but the swatch is 4.75 stitches/6.5 rows to the inch, and the sweater is 4.5 stitches/7 rows. Everything fits in terms of stitch gauge, but it’s way too long. If anyone on the internet has insight into what might have gone wrong, I’d appreciate it. Part of my issue is that I really have no idea what happened.

It is going to take me a few days before I work up the nerve to frog this sweater and start over, but I think I’m going to have to. I love this yarn, and there is no point in keeping it knit up in a sweater I’ll never wear outside the house.