A Big Fat Fail

I've been debating about whether or not I should share this post, since I'm sort of a perfectionist and a tiny part of me shrivels up and dies every time I make a mistake or something doesn't turn out the way I want. (I kid, I kid...sort of. ha.) The more I thought about it though, I realized that everyone has DIY/crafty fails. So I'm putting on my big girl pants and I'm sharing one of mine today.

Picture it: Idaho, September 2011. It was the night before we left for my friend's wedding, and I was still fretting that I hadn't been able to find a cropped navy cardigan because I'm neurotic like that. Suddenly, I recalled a post on Young House Love I had seen over the summer about dying fabric in a washing machine, and I had a brilliant plan -- to make my own navy cardigan.

At this point I'm thinking that I'm unstoppable! I'm like Laura Ingalls Wilder or something -- there's nothing I can't handle, be it wild animal or incorrectly colored cardigan.

I selected a green cardigan I already had, thinking that it was lighter than the navy so I shouldn't have any problems. Next I went to the craft store, picked up a packet of iDye for natural fibers in Navy, and got down to business.

(check out my sweet polish job.)

I admit that my plan had some flaws, the least of which was the fact that I tied up the washing machine for hours and hours the night before a trip, when I'm usually doing last minute loads of laundry because I'm a procrastinator and laundry sucks my will to live.

However.

I was shocked and dismayed to see a pure black cardigan emerge from the dryer a couple hours later. Black, people. Not navy.

(Don't let the dog's calm attitude in that photo fool you; we were all devastated by the turn of events.)

I googled, I soaked in hot water, and instead of lightening the color I was ultimately left with a streaky, dark green hot mess of a cardigan. Boo. Hiss. I'm so over dye and fabric and even cardigans in general.

So instead of trying again, I've moved on to a new crafty venture: crochet. I purchased a pattern for a hat on a whim two years ago because I figured it couldn't be too hard to learn, right? Well two years later, I'm finally goin' for it; I will have this hat, even if it kills me.

Or, you know, seriously cramps my fingers or something.

Do you have any crafty fails you want to share? Please, please do. Let's have a crafty fail party.

(Um, does anyone else besides me think that's a genuinely hilarious idea -- a crafty fail link party?)