knitting, posts by tag: technique - swatching - LiveJournal

so I'm swatching some yarn on smaller needles as the first prepatory stage to frogging and restarting the Maple Leaf Zippered Cardigan. I really don't want to but I simply don't have much choice ( Collapse )

I have a driver's test on Wednesday (break a leg, woo, try not to run any pedestrians down), and if I pass, I'm going to treat myself with enough yarn to make "Agnes" from the Rowan vintage collection book.. (and even if I don't pass, I'll buy it anyway. As consolation, you know. ;))
I can't afford to buy 4-ply Soft, and it's a bit difficult to get my hands on, so I'm subbing another merino wool. It's cheaper, and there's way more yardage (100 gr. skein/450 m. at a price of about $11 - and I'd only need a little over 2 skeins), and I can get gauge - almost. This is where my question lies.

I do know that there have been several questions on gauge and maths, but I'm not so much interested in the maths part.. See, I can get gauge stitch-wise, but where I should be getting 38 rows (9.5 sts per inch) in st. st., I'm getting about 10 sts/inch, and in moss stitch I should get 46 rows (11.5 sts per inch), and I'm getting about 13 sts/inch.
Now, I can tell that if I stretch my swatch a little (about the same amount I'd block it), I'm very, very close to getting gauge row-wise. I'm using 3 mm. aluminiums where the pattern calls for 3.25 mm, but I used my bamboo 3 mm. needles, and my stitch gauge was too big, even if I knitted tightly. So going up a needle size probably won't work.

I would very, very much like to use this yarn, for reasons mentioned above, and maybe that's clouding my judgment a little. I really think this could work if I added a row or two every now and then when making the body (and sleeves too, probably), but I wanted to ask people's opinions and advice before I spend money and time on this project. :)

Today I did a fantastic colorwork workshop with Brandon Mably (who designs with Kaffe Fassett) at Hill Country Weavers in Austin, TX (he's on tour).  It was great!  While I don't tend to shy away from patterns with complex stitches, I've always been a bit intimidated by knitting with tons of different colors.  No longer!  Anyway, I had a blast and I learned a fair share too.  Not too much about the actual mechanics of knitting, since it was just stockinette.  But... some tips and tidbits on working with color and how different colors play off each other.  Also, some tips on weaving in ends as you go. I have taken some more formal color theory classes, but I liked this approach much better.  Basically... just do it and see if you like it.  If you don't like it and you've already knit it... leave it there and keep going anyway because it's a swatch and you may be able to work it in later and look good.  If you see colors coming up that don't match, break one out and stick in something else! I think I learned more about working with color by working with yarn in this class than in the myriad of color theory classes I'd done previously.

So, yarn I bought from ebay doesn't actually have a size on it. Here is what the product says at the store website, though.

Recommended gauge is 7 st/1" on a size 3 needle.

I want to try the universal sock pattern from knitty, and was wondering if I should change sizes to make a sock. I was thinking I should probably go down to a 1, since I don't want airy socks and it was airy when I knit it up on a 3. Another question: when I'm at the store, if I bought some nylon thread to enforce the heel and toes, do I just knit as two strands together? and would elastic knit on the last part of the top be beneficial?

I have noticed a lot of questions lately regarding swatching. Do you need to do it? How to swatch properly? How to swatch on the round?

So- I thought maybe a quick guide would be a good thing.

When you read a pattern it gives you a good guide to swatching. I am working on the Eyelet Chemise for IK Summer 2006. The gauge given for the Euroflax in the pattern is 23 stitches in 33 rows= 4" in st st on size 3 needles.

I am subbing Allhemp3 sportweight for the Euroflax, with a gauge given of 28 st & 38 rows = 4 in on size 3's. Since I am a) subbing, and b) subbing a yarn that has a different gauge listed, I am swatching. Generally, I don't swatch. but since I am subbing and altering the pattern to be a bit longer, it is more important that I hit the listed gauge with this project.

For the swatch I cast on 40 stitches on size 3 needles. Why? To correctly measure my swatch, I need more stitches than the gauge suggests. Since this is a st st swatch, it will curl. Casting on more stitches means that I can have a garter border, and still have enough stitches to measure correctly.

So- I co 40 sts. Knit a few rows- I like 5- then begin the swatch. I leave a row of 5 garter sts at the beginning and end of each row to prevent curling and make measuring easier. For the st st center, I am to knit at least 5 inches, so i get a good measurement in a few places of my average st per inch. This also means that I have a few rows of leeway for measuring the row gauge.

Surprisingly, I hit gauge. I'm good to go.

For swatching in the round there are a few ways to go. The easiest is to co however many stitches on a circular or dpn, and knit the first row. When you get to the end, pull a length of yarn over, and start from the beginning, just as you would to knit in the round. Continue this, leaving a garter border- again, it prevents curling, until you can get a good measurement. Way is to knit a tube on dpns. As long as you can get a good 4 inch measurement, or are willing to do the math from one inch of a tube, you can get a good idea of you gauge in the round.

Gauge does change from flat to circular knitting, but that does not mean that your gauge will change from straight to circular needles if you are knitting flat. A good gauge swatch can really give you a good idea of how a finished product will behave when washed, showing how much shrinkage will occur, how the fiber felts, or blooms, or grows.

Having said that, I do find that the more i use a specific yarn or fiber, the better I am at knowing if I will hit gauge for a pattern with a specified needle. I don't always swatch, but for the big things, fitted things, I do.

I hope this helps. I had planned to include photos, but apprently my 6 year old camera is taking an extended break.