They Truly Are Cursed

Have you ever had a project that just doesn't seem to want to get made? You work on it and either the progress is so slow or the pattern doesn't work or you have to keep ripping it out. I am in the middle of a project just like that right now.

I went back and looked at my project page to see when it was actually started. December of 2013! Now, I haven't been knitting steadily on it or anything, I've put it down and in time-out several times. The reason? It refuses to get knit of course!
It's the Cursed Cable Mitts and it's a pattern I started only because a friend wanted someone to knit it along with her so she gifted me the pattern right when it came out. I'm not sure that she ever did knit it but I have been trying! They really seem to be cursed though. The yarn I chose is absolutely beautiful Malabrigo Sock yarn and I knit the first one, the right one, with little issues. Although at first I had some trouble reading the cable and easily lost my place, I managed to finish it, do the thumb, weave in the ends and call it done. The real problem came with the left one. First I knit the ribbing on the wrong size needle. Then I knit the ribbing on the correct needle but forgot to change to the next size needle. I had to rip it. Then I started again and I really busted a move. I worked on it wanting to have a finished object. I got really far.

Like I bound it off far. It looks like a lovely, long fingerless mitt right?

Beautiful yarn and once you're done knitting the cable, you decide it looks really good and it was worth it.
Until...


You put it next to the other mitt.

Does anyone see the problem?

It's not just that I did too many repeats or something, I used the wrong size needles for it. I tried to debate with myself about keeping it and not worrying about the difference but I really didn't like the fabric I had. It was too loose and I thought it wouldn't be very warm. The right one was so perfect, how could I leave the left one so not-perfect.
These pictures were actually taken last fall. I put the mitts away and thought about them occassionally and what I should do with them. Then at the beginning of the year when I dug out my UFOs (Unfinished Objects) I found these again. The right one is so lovely and wouldn't it be nice to have them finished. I asked my knitting group what they thought about them. Should I finish it or frog it? It was overwhelmingly voted to finish. So, the other day, I ripped out the left mitt and started again. So far, I've had to rip twice. Yup, it's truly cursed.
First, I was knitting with the curly yarn that had been sitting as the mitt for months, so my gauge was way off. I didn't want to take the time to wash it so I just rewound it and started from the "fresh" end of the yarn. Then, I managed to finish the thumb gusset and realized I hadn't placed the thumb right. I had to rip back. Again.
I think I'm on track for now but I'm warning everyone not to start these mitts. They truly are cursed* and the curse is you will just keep knitting them forever and ever and ever. But you never have lovely mitts.


*Disclaimer: I'm fairly sure the pattern is not actually cursed. It really is lovely and except for the thumb (which I don't care for how it is done) it is well-written and will be absolutely wonderful. Someday. If I ever finish it.