Do You Know? Swatching 101

July 27, 2020| LindyBeir| 0 Comment | 8:00 am

Categories:

This is the first in a series of blog posts about swatching. It has taken me years to gain an appreciation for swatching and I frequently see posts in Ravelry forums about issues coming from swatches. If you are on Ravelry, you have probably seen them too. There are usually a number from new knitters/beginners that ask why the sweater they just knit according to a pattern doesn’t fit and many times, these knitters either didn’t swatch at all or didn’t knit a proper swatch. So, this set of posts is intended to share what I have learned over the years about swatching.

Take my quiz below to check your understanding of swatches.

Question 1: True or False: A swatch must be 4 inches by 4 inches (10 cm X 10 cm).

Question 2: True or False: The needle size stated in the pattern is the size needle you must use to obtain the pattern’s stitch and row gauge.

Question 3: True or False: Row Gauge is not important.

Question 4: True or False. Swatching is necessary for knitting sweaters and other fitted garments.

Question 5: True or False: You must get gauge when knitting from a pattern.

Click here to see Quiz Answers.

My next post will cover swatching to obtain gauge. If you have a question about swatching, please post it in the comments. I will try to incorporate an answer in my upcoming posts.

January and HatsJanuary and Hats

February 6, 2011| Lindy| 0 Comment| 8:56 pm

January in Nebraska is usually cold, snowy and gray. This year was no exception. We have had several 5 inch snowfalls, sometimes with freezing drizzle accompanying, temperatures well below freezing and our usual gusty winds — which makes for wind chills in the sub-zero category. So, it seemed like a good time to knit up some nice warm hats. I have knit two and am about half-way done with a third. February is continuing with the snow and cold temperatures — so I will have no trouble finishing this third hat.

First up is the “Three Color Hat ala EZ”:

This hat was knit using Patons Classic Wool yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn. This yarn is nice and soft and knits up well. The main color is Plum Heather (Colorway 77307). Color 2 was Aran (Colorway 00202) and Color 3 was Jade Heather (Colorway 77208). I used size US 6 and US 8 circular needles and my gauge was 5 spi using the larger needles.

I knit this hat according to the instructions given in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop. Her instructions are for a yarn with a gauge of 4 spi, so I adjusted the number of stitches from 72 to 90 to start. The first color pattern is one suggested in the book, the second is one I made up as I went. I knit the hat to a length of 6 inches before I started decreasing. It is probably too long, but I’m happy with the end result: A one of a kind, warm wool hat that fits nicely over my ears and keeps me warm!

Next Post: Trinity Stitch Slouchy Hat.

Reference: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop

Oh! More Yarn!Oh! More Yarn!

October 3, 2009| Lindy| 0 Comment| 10:02 am

During my recent trip to New England, I visited a couple of yarn shops in Boston, MA. And, of course, I bought yarn in each of them!

CascadeHeritage2
At Wolcott & Co. in Harvard Square, I purchased two beautiful hanks of Heritage Sock yarn (Cascade Yarns). I plan to use this soft superwash merino yarn for a scarf for my daughter’s roommate.

MindsEyeYarns1
At Mind’s Eye in Porter Square, I purchased a lovely skein of undyed handspun alpaca yarn and 3 balls of Online Linie 2 Supersocke Silk yarn. The alpaca was a stash purchase and will wait for the right project to find it. The sock yarn will be used for a scarf for my daughter (she picked it out).

BabyUll_1
I was still trying to decide what pattern and what yarn to use for the baby sweater I want to make for my new grandson due in January. After knitting the baby blanket, I decided not to use the same yarn for the sweater – so off I went to Personal Threads, one of the local yarn shops here in Omaha. There I found what I was looking for – I ended up buying Dale of Norway Baby Ull in three colors in sufficient quantity to knit a cardigan sweater and a romper to match! Oh, and I bought the pattern as well.

WIP: Socks for DSWIP: Socks for DS

January 11, 2010| Lindy| 0 Comment| 5:20 pm

My DS put “socks that won’t wear out at the heels” on his Christmas list. It was a late request – and not one that would I would likely be able to meet by Christmas – but it was an invitation to knit socks for someone I love!

MattsSocks_Foot2 So – I started a pair of socks – plain label version, cuff-down with 2 X 2 ribbing for the heel and instep. I used Knit Picks Stoll in Carbon Twist colorway. I got about 6 inches of the cuff done before Christmas and so I wrapped the “in progress” socks up along with two additional balls of yarn (Knit Picks Stoll – Merlot colorway) for another pair of socks and gave it to him as a Christmas present, with the promise that they would actually become socks.

The Carbon Twist socks are now about 75% complete – I am working on the foot and heading for the toe. I love the way this yarn knits up – it’s great for a pair of men’s socks. I knit the cuff for 6 inches on size US 1 needles (2.50 mm) and then went down to size US 0 (2.00 mm) for another 2 inches on the cuff , the heel flap and approximately half of the gusset before switching back to the larger needle. This produces a denser knit heel and should increase the wearbility of the socks. I intend to knit the toes on the smaller needles for the same reason.

For the Merlot colorway yarn, I am planning on doing the “Manly Aran” socks pattern from Antje Gillingham’s Knitting More Circles around Socks. This is a toe-up pattern and I am looking forward to trying this out using Magic Loop.