Hourglass Sweater Started!

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First point of business, I want to qualify that you do not have to do anything for your sweater-along project that I am doing for my project. As the leader I feel obligated to set an example and do things by the book, especially for my less experienced readers.  But this 'Along' is a free one, you can do whatever you like, in whatever way you like and have fun!

Now for the main course, I cast on for my Hourglass Sweater for my sweater-along! Actually, what you see above is my second time casting on.  You know all that work I put into my swatch?  Well, it was a different tension, it's off by 3 sts. I don't know why it's off, I used the exact same needles, maybe I just naturally tighten up when knitting a hat?  Or possibly I'm self conscious about my tension when I'm watching, but zone out when knitting the project?  Or ....... I didn't use the correct needle size for the hat?  That could be it - blush. I probably forgot to change needle sizes when I moved past the bottom band.

Regardless, I have a new swatching insight to share: when making a sweater from the top-down, you might as well just cast on and use the sweater to test your tension. If it's off and you have to rip it you'll have done the same amount of work as making a separate test swatch. 

Anyway, no harm done, because the tension was actually the second reason why I ripped it back. The true reason was that I've been making my top-down raglan M1L & M1R increases incorrectly!  Well, that's not really accurate, my increases were correct, but they weren't nice looking, and there is a better way to do it. 

Let me explain - when making a M1L or M1R increase, most instructions tell you to lift the strand directly between the needles (see Interweave's Knittingdaily.com Glossary, or Knittinghelp.com).

M1L increase from Knittingdaily.com

Usually this increase works just fine and I've had no complaints until recently. But this time (sorry, no pics, I didn't have my light box at home, and honestly, I'm not THAT ambitious a tech knitter) the seam was raised, the stitches along the seam were large and elevated above the rest of the knitting. It wasn't pretty, no likey. I recalled an increase a client showed me years ago from a book (The Knitter's Handbook by Montse Stanley), and figured lets try it! Of course, I never really took in all the information at the time, and what I ended up doing isn't really what was in the book, which I think was a Raised Increase. 

What I did was lifted the 2nd strand down, and twisted the stitch an extra 180 degrees. I also added an extra stitch inside my increases to decrease the amount of pulling on the raglan stitches. Anyway, my raglan looks gooooood!

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com!

See my Sweater-Along Swatch!

Many of the links posted here are from Ravelry.com, a free website for knitters and crocheters. If you don't have your own account you can use ours: login: knitomatic2, password: knitomatic. But you should get your own account fast, 'cause you're going to LOVE it!

Finito!  I finished my Sweater-Along Swatch-Hat! You may recall, that because my sweater will be knit in the round, I had to make my swatch in the round too to get an accurate gauge. This is because people's tension while knitting flat is not always the same as when knitting in the round, either because their purl stitches are a different tension, of just because of the way they hold the needles. I know that my tension while knitting on smaller circular needles is a bit tighter than on larger ones, so I'll factor that into my math. For example, my measured tension after blocking was 22 sts & 27 rows = 4"/10cm, so I figure that the actual tension when I make the sweater will be closer to 21 sts = 4"/10cm. Also, the sweater will be heavier than the hat, and that extra weight pulls and stretches the garment in ways that the swatch/hat won't experience. If I was feeling ambitious I could hang the hat up for a few days with some weights attached to the bottom to pull it down, but I don't know how accurate a measurement that will give me, and I'd kinda like the hat to be wearable in the end. 

Anyway, I washed the hat in Eucalan, and lay it flat to dry on it's side, smoothing it out a bit. Then I measured the tension in several places on the hat to make sure that my numbers were accurate. Once I got the numbers I was after, i washed the hat again and blocked it flat with a dinner-plate, to get it's final, proper shape. I double blocked it because the beret shaping distorts the tension, especially right at the middle which is the easiest place to measure. 

As for swatch aesthetics, the yarn has worked up really nicely, it is definitely a sweater I'll want to wear! The only thing is that I'm not sure the needles are too small for a sweater. The yarn is worsted weight, but it knitted up pretty densely on a 4.5mm, and i don't know if it's too tight for a comfortable sweater. I've cast on for a little cowl/neck-warmer on 5mm-24" circular needles to get a better idea about density. If it's too loose, I'll just rip and go with the 4.5mm for the sweater, and if I like it I'll keep knitting to get a swatch. But I'll try to go fast so I can get to the sweater and won't keep you waiting!

One more suggestion, when washing add vinegar to the water and wash alone, the colour is concentrated. 

See why it's good to make a swatch before starting? You get all kinds of useful information from it, and a hat!  This might actually be a really good way to get holiday and gift knitting done. 

Oh, and as for the actual hat (poor, neglected, back-of-the-bus hat!), I'm not in love with the style, but it's not awful either. I'm not crazy about the rolled brim, wouldn't do that again, but it fits and is comfortable, and the general shape is very good. I ended up switching over to another pattern by the same designer, the free Rollin' Beret pattern, for the decrease instructions.  Basically, this is what I did:

• Cast on 88 sts. Work Rollin' Beret pattern as written for largest size.
• After increases I had 132 sts. Continue to follow pattern until decrease instructions.
• 1st decrease round: *K20, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round.
• The next round will be (*K19, K2tog), the following round will be (*K18, K2tog), the fourth will be (*K17, K2tog) .... and so on, until 6 sts are left. 
• Follow pattern for I-cord nubby on top. 

One caveat about the pattern - the size knitted up accurately, but the sizes offered are SMALL!  I'd say the largest size fits about a medium head, so if you are using Berroco Ultra Alpaca and 4mm & 4.5mm needles, and have a 21(22, 23, 24)" head, I suggest the following:

• Cast on 84(88, 92, 96) sts
• After increases, you'll have 126(132, 138,144) sts
• Work 4.25 (4.5, 5, 5.5)" from increase round
• Start decreases as [K19, K2tog] ([K20, K2tog], [K21, K2tog], [K22, K2tog])

I think the size I made is a Medium/22". It is a bit big on me, but I don't look like Mushmouth in it. 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com! 

Sweater-Along Swatching

Many of the links posted here are from Ravelry.com, a free website for knitters and crocheters. If you don't have your own account you can use ours: login: knitomatic2, password: knitomatic. But you should get your own account fast, 'cause you're going to LOVE it!

My Sweater-Along Swatch has started, and actually should be all done in a few days. I'm making Propello (available in store), a beret, as a swatch, since the sweater is knit in the round.  I don't really know how the hat will turn out or if I will even like it, but that doesn't really matter. I'm making the largest size, since the sizing for the pattern is a bit small. I'll let you know if it ends up small or large, i guess it'll depend on the drape after washing/blocking. 

Regardless, the yarn is knitting up beautifully and easily, the colour is stunning, and I think the slight fuzz factor will be agreeable. Won't really know until the sweater is finished and I'm wearing it, so I forge forward, no looking back or second guessing. 

Oh, by the way, I'm leaving off the 'propellers' from the pattern because the 'swatch' needs to have the same consistency as the finished sweater for the gauge to be accurate. 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com!

Sweater-Along ... Percolating

Many of the links posted here are from Ravelry.com, a free website for knitters and crocheters. If you don't have your own account you can use ours: login: knitomatic2, password: knitomatic. But you should get your own account fast, 'cause you're going to LOVE it!





I've settled on my sweater-along project! I'm going with Hourglass from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, but upon consideration, colour 62172 (Cobalt Mix) may not be the best idea for me.



62172 Cobalt Mix


It is a beautiful ultramarine/cobalt blue, and I'm down with bright colours, but it occurred to me that a slightly fuzzy, bright blue sweater may make me look more comical/muppet-esque than  elegant.  Muppet-esque is perfect for Lady Gaga, and I could have pulled it off when I was eighteen, but I'm too old to wear Jean-Charles de Castlebac (Gaga's Kermit Coat and Animal dress both come from his Fall 2009 collection.  Sorry Cobalt Mix, I'll have to revisit you in a smaller project if you're still around. 

6285 Ocean Mix

So I'm shifting to the colour Ocean Mix, It's a peacock blue.  I didn't have any left in the store so I had to special order it, and in the interim I'm going to be good, do what I'm always telling others to do, and check my gauge/tension before embarking on the sweater.   The sweater is knit in the round, so I am going to make my 'swatch' in the round. Actually, I'll probably just make a hat as a tension swatch, just a basic beret, maybe something like Woolly Wormhead's Propello (we have the pattern for sale at the store). 

The 411 on Swatching

• You have to swatch, even if you are using the yarn recommended by the pattern. Tension varies from person to person, and if you want your project to turn out, and more importantly fit, you need to confirm that you are on the same page as the pattern.
• Cast on enough stitches for at least 5", but 6" is preferable. 
• To figure out the number of stitches to cast on for your swatch, check the tension suggested on the ball-band. If it measures over 4 inches, take the number of stitches and multiply it by 1.5. If the ball-band offers a tension over 1 inch, multiply that number by 6.  
• Work in the stitch you need to use to ascertain your tension until the piece is square, bind off.
• If you are knitting in the round, then you need to swatch in the round. Fortunately, you can make your test swatch into a hat.
• Hand wash your swatch in Eucalan or Soak, both available in store, or clean it in whatever way you intend to clean the finished  garment.
• Block and lay flat to dry. 
• If you have time, pin your swatch to a laundry line or bulletin board and leave for a week or two. If you expect your garment to be heavy, weight the swatch with a clothespin or two. This will give you an idea of how the garment will stretch when worn, and is especially helpful with yarns that have a lot of drape, like silk, cotton, alpaca, or linen.
• Measure your tension, preferably with a ruler (measuring tapes can stretch over time), in the centre of the swatch, do not include edge stitches, they tend not to be representative of the true tension. Measure over a minimum of 4 inches, but if you have more to work with (5") that is good too. If it is hard to read your stitches because of the yarn's colour and/or texture, thread a darning needle with a contrasting colour of fine yarn or thread and weave it horizontally through the stitches, going over the first, under the second, over the third, under the fourth, etc, to the other side. 
• Do not rip out your tension swatch, but keep it. Keep your swatch on a board in your laundry room, with the washing instructions pinned to it. Also, every time you wash your sweater, wash it too, and then in the future if you need any yarn for repairs you'll have it on hand, and in a similar close condition. 

By the way, the reason I`m substituting a new yarn for this project is because, A. I like the Ultra Alpaca and want to use it, and B. several years ago I made this pattern in the recommended yarn, Noro Cash Iroha, and it did not wear well at all! Because of the silk content in the yarn, it never stopped growing, so I had to go back and perform sweater surgery (silk tends to grow unremorselesly  in EVERY direction). Also, the yarn wore very poorly, it looked really mungy, and it ended up in the charity pile.  

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com!