As I’ve mentioned before, I’m notorious for pouring hours into making things for myself because they look cool in a magazine, wearing them once, deciding I don’t like them for some reason and then giving them away.

Here are a few of those things:

Completed: February 2, 2009

Project: Cabled Jumper from the now defunct Knit 1 Magazine.

What Went Wrong: Cute in theory, but so tight you could see the hem of my shirt through it and due to my body shape it would shift up as I walked, bunching around my waistline.

Lessons learned: I learned how to make cables, which is handy. I also learned that just because something looks nice on a model in a magazine doesn’t mean it will look nice on me or be functional.

Completed: November 17, 2009

Project: Flouncy skirt from one of Interweave’s Knit Scene magazines.

What Went Wrong: I wasn’t a big fan of the stripes. Also I followed the pattern without measuring myself first and I didn’t check length along the way so it ended up being too short for me to wear comfortably.

Lessons learned: Steer clear of variegated yarns when it comes to large clothing items unless you really, really like stripes and/or surpises! Don’t bind-off on a skirt until you’re sure you’re comfortable with it’s length.

Completed: February 27, 2011

Project: A crocheted A-line skirt; yet another item from Knit 1 Magazine.

What Went Wrong: The waistband ended up being loose and saggy. I also had no idea what I was doing when I installed the zipper. Out of all of these, this got worn the most, though, (3 times) with tops that covered the waistband issue.

Lessons Learned: Always remember knits stretch and modify patterns to your body size. Also unless you want a lot of frustration and a lumpy zipper, do not attempt to install a zipper on your own if you have no idea what you’re doing! That’s what YouTube is for.