Sunday, September 07, 2008

Knitting and a dilemma...

First, the dilemma...

I want to make myself one of these sweaters: Hey Teach.

I'm using Peaches n' Cream though instead of the much more expensive cotton/acrylic blend that the pattern calls for because I'm cheap and I prefer to not use acrylic ever and I have a ton of it all in the same color and dye lot, so yeah, seems like a plan. I learned long ago the importance of making gauge swatches and washing and at least finger blocking them to determine gauge. Problem: I can't seem to get gauge. I've got one stitch short of the gauge on size 6 needles, and half a stitch too much on size 7 needles. So should I just do it on size 7 needles, and go with it? Better to be slightly too big, than slightly too small? What's the usual protocol when one has this problem?

On to the success story... I finished the fingerless mitts that I've been trying to make for my friend Zinzi for more than a year. After the disasters with the gauge (hence why I now obsessively make swatches), the endless distractions of other pressing projects, and then the final coup de grĂ¢ce when my cats destroyed the yarn, I thought I'd never get them done. But I decided earlier this week to take another crack at it, using a different pattern and yarn I spun myself. Success!!







I had to alter the pattern, and only do 40 stitches instead of the prescribed 52, but since I only needed 38 for the cables, it still worked. I also made them shorter so that they could be more practical.

2 comments:

La Duchesse said...

I agree. Better that it be slightly big than slightly small, and that way you don't have to block it quite as aggressively, either.
Those mitts are so pretty! I love the cable design and color.

RaeS said...

That's what I thought. Good, that's what I'll do then.

Thanks! :D