The best knitters are fine matchmakers. Whether through intuition, luck or skill, they introduce a lovely yarn to an eligible pattern and what happens? Magic! How can you do the same so you never have another ruined sweater come off your needles? Let’s learn some wooing tricks so we avoid another knitting mistake. [...]
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There are two ways your knitting gauge can be all wrong–the number of stitches per inch and/or the number of rows per inch. Wrong gauge spells disaster for your sweater, no matter how well you knit each stitch. What do you do to fix your gauge so your project isn’t ruined from the get go? [...] Are you a knitter who can’t knit a pattern without changing something? Me, too. Perhaps the original designer’s urge to create a new pattern rubs off on us as we knit. Lots of people have made The Little Flower Doily by Bad Cat Designs out of all kinds of yarn. Most used the original edging of big crocheted loops that block out like airy petals. Nice, but here’s what I did different. [...] It’s all Elizabeth Zimmermann’s fault. There you are, champing at the bit to knit your sweater you designed for yourself or a loved one. What on earth are you doing knitting a hat instead? [...] Did you ever design a knitting pattern using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Percentage System? Her method helps you create a sweater from scratch, one that fits you just right. If you never tried designing before, there’s no better time than now. Why? Because August 9, 2010 is 100 years since her birth. I’m designing an Aran sweater in celebration of this master knitter’s birthday. Warning: designing is a messy process. [...] There are four possibilities for what to do if you don’t get gauge. If you hate or fear knitting math, you’ve probably already made your sweater anyway even if you didn’t get gauge. And you’ve probably already cried when it didn’t fit. What other options do you have so you can dry your tears? [...] There you are, knitting a gauge swatch just like everyone says you must, only you don’t know what it’s telling you. If the pattern wants a gauge of 5 stitches per inch, but your swatch has a gauge of 6 1/4 stitches per inch, do you know what to do? If you need fewer stitches per inch, what size needle should you try next? [...] If you fear math, even knitting math, you probably have the unwearable sweaters to prove it. But if you’re a new knitter, and you can’t quite get gauge when you knit your swatch, you may think “close” is good enough. Let’s just see, shall we, how much difference one stitch per inch in gauge makes. [...] If knitting math confuses you, it’s hard to know what size your sweater will turn out. If you’re tired of knitting sweaters that don’t fit you or anyone you know, grab some loose change. A handful of coins will help clear up the confusion for you in a visual way. [...] How do you wash a sweater that’s a thing of beauty–and not wreck it? You chose a style that does you favors, in a color that makes you glow, knitted it with care so the stitches are beautiful, blocked and seamed it like a pro, your size and fit are spot on, and you love wearing it. Does it fit your lifestyle? What happens when you wash it? What kind of use and care does your sweater want so it doesn’t shrink, stretch, pill or die? [...] |
Helpful Links
Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Cast On Video Tutorial Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off Photo Tutorial TECHknitting Sweater Knitting Pattern Generator Meg Swansen explains Elizabeth's Percentage System on Math4Knitters podcast Knitmore Girls podcast on ratios #78 Knitmore Girls podcast on sizing, fit and ease Brass Needles podcast Episode 48 with Gail Carriger's segment on sweater sleeves (about 7 minutes in) Brass Needles podcast Episode 49 with Gail Carriger's segment on sweater necklines (almost 9 minutes in) Fabulous Crochet Designer Vashti Braha Start Knitting Socks for Soldiers  
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