rip it, baby!

recently someone on one of the many lists i'm on, realized she made a mistake in a sweater she was knitting and was debating whether she should rip out several inches and reknit. i sent my patented 5-step program to the list, but thought i would share it here as well:

1 - put your knitting down and go get drink of your choice. my personal favorites: beer with squeeze of lime, white wine or a hot toddy (with plenty of liquor!).

2 - take a deep breath and sip or gulp as you see fit. feel free to get another drink as you deem necessary and appropriate.

3 - take more deep breaths. deep, cleasing breaths. for a while just focus on your breathing. don't even -think- about knitting. you'll feel better i promise.

4 - pick up your knitting again when you're calmer and more
clear-headed,

then...

5 - "rip it baby, rip it right ... (let it rip) ... rip it baby, rip it all night ..." make sure you dance and sing while ripping!! :-)

of course ripping may not be the best solution in every case, but if you ever -do- need to rip, don't agonize over it, and don't cry about it. follow my program and re-knit as soon as possible. you'll catch up quicker'n you think and you'll be well on your way to an FO!