Skip to main content

Sweater Swatching

While I'm really enjoying all of these instant-gratification projects, I think it's time to start another sweater. I've had the yarn to knit the Liathite Hoody in my stash for exactly a year now, and I think it's the perfect antidote to my current sock yarn projects on the needle, since it's knit with Berroco Vintage Chunky. I find that varying my yarn weight/needle size from project to project really helps stave off hand or wrist pain. Since I don't have any FOs to share this week, I thought I would share the two swatches I finished recently for this project:
Like most people, swatching isn't my favorite thing, but I know it's a necessary evil if I want my sweater to fit. Of course, even swatching isn't always foolproof - I have been spot on for gauge for sweater projects, yet still had a too-big-or-too-small finished sweater. Think about it: you're basing everything off a small swatch of fabric, which kind of makes sense, but in the grand scheme of a larger garment, the size and weight of said garment can play a pretty big role in the final gauge. That's not to say that you should skip the swatching step entirely - it's still good to see what happens to the swatch once you wash it - did it bloom or stay the same? While you still might have variations when it's all said and done, it can get you closer in the ballpark at least! There was a pretty interesting blog post about swatching here on the Ancient Arts Yarn blog which also tackles this topic if you want to read more.

At any rate, I tried to knit larger swatches than I would normally be inclined to do, in the vain hope that this would close that swatch-to-garment gap. Will it work? I sure hope so, but there's only one way to find out for sure!

Comments

  1. Kat RiddellJanuary 29, 2016 at 9:56 AM

    Ugh, swatching. Hopefully everything will go smoothly this time! I'm loving that color and those cables :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Handmade by StefanieJanuary 31, 2016 at 8:51 AM

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Australian Superfine Merino Yarn Review & Giveaway

After more than ten years of knitting, I can still have new experiences - even with well-covered territory such as merino yarn! This recent merino experience actually took me by surprise: I've spun with it, I've dyed it, I've knit with it, and I've even crocheted with it...I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about merino! Turns out, there are four different classifications of merino fiber, sorted by micron count range . At the bottom of the spectrum is Strong Merino , which ranges from 26-22.9 microns; above that is Fine Merino , which ranges from 20.1-23 microns; next up is Extra Fine Merino, which ranges from 20-15.6 microns; and at the very top of the heap is Superfine Merino Wool , with a micron range of 18.5-15.6. If you're into numbers and wondering how these four classes stack up against other fibers you may be familiar with, here are a few for comparison's sake: BFL (Blue-Faced Leicester) has a micron range of 24-28, Cashmere goat down ...
68 comments
Read more

App Review & Giveaway: Stash 2 Go

The developers for a paid Ravelry app for iPad and iPhone called Stash 2 Go contacted me earlier this year to see if I was interested in writing a review or their app on their blog. While I don't own an iPad or iPhone, I was able to gift a download to a knitting friend who had an iPad and was willing to let me play around with it for the purposes of this review! This is the first time I've ever accessed Ravelry via an app (on my Android phone, I typically use the m.ravelry.com site), and I found most of it to be easy to use. Some of the features weren’t intuitive to me at first, but once I got the hang of the idiosyncracies, it was smooth sailing. Stash 2 Go makes the most of API functions Ravelry has opened up to developers (there are still several areas which have yet to be completed in the Ravelry programming interface, so developers can only implement what is available through www.ravelry.com/api ). Most of the app's functionality allows the user to view the ...
1 comment
Read more

A Finished Sweater, With Cat Hair

After losing Tilly and Robin within a year of each other, I sure didn't think I'd be finding cat hair in my knitting any time soon. But the universe had other ideas. Over the winter, a white feral cat adopted us. I'd noticed her when we moved into our apartment last summer - I would see her hiding in the bushes or sunning herself in the grass when she thought no one was looking. I assumed she was someone's cat until I realized how skittish she was around humans, plus she had a tipped ear, which is a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been spayed. Neighbors confirmed that she was a feral kitty (descended from several generations of feral cats, in fact), and that she has survived on her wits and whatever food various residents put out for her.  We had some bitterly cold days over the winter, and I just felt so sorry for this poor kitty! I started offering her treats and slowly gained her trust. She didn't even want to come inside our apartment at first, much le...
Post a Comment
Read more