I won't really be able to get officially underway until I make another Tanya Cap (maybe to be renamed?) and get the pattern for that written, but once I math it out, I'll be ready to cast on hundreds of stitches!
Yarn and craft musings from a DIY-crazy stay-at-home mom.
Showing posts with label gauge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gauge. Show all posts
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Lacy...
I'm blocking a gauge swatch for a new project! Can anyone guess what it's going to be?
I won't really be able to get officially underway until I make another Tanya Cap (maybe to be renamed?) and get the pattern for that written, but once I math it out, I'll be ready to cast on hundreds of stitches!
I won't really be able to get officially underway until I make another Tanya Cap (maybe to be renamed?) and get the pattern for that written, but once I math it out, I'll be ready to cast on hundreds of stitches!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Cardigan Challenge Continued
I'm now on my fourth day working on mom's cardigan, and it's been a breeze so far!
I wound up going with size 8 needles for the main body (7's for the waffle-stitch borders). The 8's give me a gauge of 4.8 stitches and 6.5 rows per inch, which is a bit on the small side - the stated gauge is 4.5 stitches and 5.5 rows per inch - but I've had no trouble adjusting my stitch counts as necessary. The swatch I did on 9's was slightly over gauge, and I didn't like how loose the fabric was, so 8's it was. The drape and texture are perfect!
My only complaint so far is that the skein of Comfort is not a continuous strand - there's been a knot in each of the first two balls. I attempted Russian weaver's joins, but it's an 8-ply yarn and the joins were just too messy and knotted, and it's not like I can spit splice a synthetic, so I had to go with the traditional double knit-in, which means slightly lumpy areas and more ends for me to weave in later. Hoorah.
But, I've just finished decreasing for the waist, working even for a little bit, then going to increase back out for the hips. Then - on to sleeves and button bands!
I wound up going with size 8 needles for the main body (7's for the waffle-stitch borders). The 8's give me a gauge of 4.8 stitches and 6.5 rows per inch, which is a bit on the small side - the stated gauge is 4.5 stitches and 5.5 rows per inch - but I've had no trouble adjusting my stitch counts as necessary. The swatch I did on 9's was slightly over gauge, and I didn't like how loose the fabric was, so 8's it was. The drape and texture are perfect!
My only complaint so far is that the skein of Comfort is not a continuous strand - there's been a knot in each of the first two balls. I attempted Russian weaver's joins, but it's an 8-ply yarn and the joins were just too messy and knotted, and it's not like I can spit splice a synthetic, so I had to go with the traditional double knit-in, which means slightly lumpy areas and more ends for me to weave in later. Hoorah.
But, I've just finished decreasing for the waist, working even for a little bit, then going to increase back out for the hips. Then - on to sleeves and button bands!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Gauge Woes
So, the yarn I ordered for mom's cardigan came in the mail a lot sooner than I expected! I whipped out my size 5's and started gauge swatching. I was highly skeptical that *anyone* could get a gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch with dk weight yarn on size 5 needles, but hey, I figured the pattern designer knew what she was doing.
Of course, my swatch came out WAY too small.
Moved up to sixes. Still way too small.
Sevens? Too small.
Eights. Close enough that it would have been acceptable, if it weren't for the fact that using size 8 needles on a smooth dk weight yarn made the fabric so loose it was practically see through. Clearly, this wouldn't do.
So I did a little research and found that the specific yarn used by the designer may be labelled like a dk, but knitters say that it is really more of a worsted weight yarn. This makes my gauge issues a little easier to understand. So, I went back to WEBS, and ordered the same yarn, Berroco Comfort, in the same color - Beet Root - but in worsted rather than dk. I'm still wondering what needle size I'll need to get 4.5 stitches per inch though. I still just don't see that happening on size 5's!
Meanwhile, I'm using the dk Comfort to make myself Cassie Castillo's Camellia Shrug from the winter/spring 2011 Knitscene. It's coming along gorgeously so far!
Of course, my swatch came out WAY too small.
Moved up to sixes. Still way too small.
Sevens? Too small.
Eights. Close enough that it would have been acceptable, if it weren't for the fact that using size 8 needles on a smooth dk weight yarn made the fabric so loose it was practically see through. Clearly, this wouldn't do.
So I did a little research and found that the specific yarn used by the designer may be labelled like a dk, but knitters say that it is really more of a worsted weight yarn. This makes my gauge issues a little easier to understand. So, I went back to WEBS, and ordered the same yarn, Berroco Comfort, in the same color - Beet Root - but in worsted rather than dk. I'm still wondering what needle size I'll need to get 4.5 stitches per inch though. I still just don't see that happening on size 5's!
Meanwhile, I'm using the dk Comfort to make myself Cassie Castillo's Camellia Shrug from the winter/spring 2011 Knitscene. It's coming along gorgeously so far!
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