Friday, March 05, 2010

A Be-Ruffled "Craft Fail" in Slip Stitches

I love the CraftFail site! It has taken oh, 5 years or so for me to get ruthless about this craft fail:

It's a shrug crocheted in somewhat loose slip stitches. The 3/4-sleeves end with unusual linked and unlinked triple trebles--a swingy ruffled fantasy. In my mind.


The big reason for the fail is that I used a large crochet hook to make stretchy slip stitches in novelty chenille yarn. I can't think of a bigger invitation for chenille yarn to "worm". Even before the worming began, the stitches stretched unevenly, also thanks to the texture of the yarn. It was especially noticeable on the shoulders (ugh!). To top it off, the angora look turned into a ratty look.
After wearing once or twice, it looked as if an animal had chewed on it 20 years ago.


I couldn't face how fast it went downhill because the ruffles were so time-consuming! As a useful design experiment for me at the time, this makes the ruffle the same as a research swatch, but should I save the whole shrug for one ruffle?


OK yes, there's that whole "turning lemons into lemonade" virtue, and the CraftFail site inspired me to try every which way to make lemonade with this lemon. I tried blocking it, adding black velvet ribbon accents (see photo at right), even going so far as to consider: might this shrug be turned into capri pants? LOL, nooo!

But I will always have my memory of Marty trying it on one night at the 2005 CGOA conference in Oakland, CA. It looked better on her than on me!

4 comments:

  1. Vashti, the picture of the shrug only makes me think of some sort of sea creature, and your post is hilarious! :D

    Ambar

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  2. I just found your blog as referenced by Craft Fail. I must say, the color you chose is quite pretty. I love the humor in your post - takes a lot of guts to laugh at yourself. If it really looks as bad as you say, (and I have a hard time believing that it is that bad) that shrug would make a good costume for that bedraggled old lady Carol Burnett used to play. You know the one I mean? The one who appeared in a neck brace for the game show skit?

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  3. You are brave. Very, very brave.

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  4. Was that the "try-on" night that started it all?

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