The weather turned warm and sunny on Tuesday so I took a break and sat out in the barn and knit for awhile. I took this picture and thought it would make a nice blog shot to go with a group of progress pictures I'd saved up as I knit through December and half of January.
This is the sweater I'm making. I thought it would look great with Jared's yarn and since I like to learn something new with each project, a zipper would be a fun (I hope) challenge. There were some other fun(ny) challenges as I got started, such as the videos accompanying the pattern being in Danish, but I managed to muddle through.
The sweater starts at the top with a fold over collar and then carries on through the yoke and divides for the sleeves and body. I checked my gauge several times over the first few inches and was spot on my gauge swatch, so I "knit on with confidence".
I knit several inches past the armholes and the set the body aside to go back and work on the sleeves for a bit. As I started the first sleeve I thought it looked too big. I measured it next to the B. Willard sweater and decided it was okay, so I kept knitting.
As I approached the midpoint on the sleeve I again tested it with B. Willard and it was a hair bigger, but within a reasonable size. I did check my gauge though and I was no longer "spot on". Did I stop and re-evaluate things? Heck no. I finished that sleeve and the second one and then back to the body...and started running out of yarn.
I always spin two pounds for a sweater so I know I'll have more than enough for whatever I'm making. I've never used the whole two pounds, not even close. Now I took the time to stop and re-evaluate things, actually pulled it off the needles and tried it on...and you know what happened next :'-(.
As I ripped back each skein, one by one, I looked for clues as to why I let this happen yet. again. Why did I ignore the gauge when it stopped being "spot on" yet. again. Why did my gauge change? Were the skeins that different? No, they all looked fine.
It took until this morning to remember that through cold December I'd tensioned my yarn around my little finger and that most of January had been so warm I used my summer tensioning and just carried it through my palm without a finger wrap and sure enough, that was about when the gauge changed.
I recalculated my pattern size after making thorough notes on my yet. again. sweater sized gauge swatch and am ready to start over and "do it right". It's never fun to rip out that much work, but it was even less fun to do it without being able to call Stella and hear her laugh about it :-/.
Knitting on, once again, with confidence.
Sigh...
10 comments:
Oh my. All that work. I guess it was just a dry run for the real thing. I'm sure Stella is close by and would have something pithy to say if you could just hear her. Explain winter vs. summer tensioning - do you feel the yarn needs more tension in winter because the air is drier? I've not heard of that before.
Dear Lord, Sara! Just the words "gauges" and "tensioning" give me anxiety.😁 And the idea of putting a zipper in to boot! Hell to the no!😂 Hope that makes you smile. K.Littrell
That does make me smile :-).
It needs the same tensioning all the way through/year round, but the condition of your hands/fingers can make things different. If I've just put on hand lotion or my hands are "sweaty", the yarn will drag through and make the stitches tighter.
When that's happening I stop wrapping the yarn around my little finger to tension it and just let the palm of my hand provide tension. This works well if I'm knitting in the summer, but this time my hands weren't really sweaty, but just felt like the yarn was dragging more than was when I started.
I'll pay a bit more attention this time :-/.
I hear you, about it all.
I do love a zipper sweater rather than a just pull it over your head type so kudos for trying this pattern!
Who knew knitting was so complicated and technical! You, apparently! I guess that's why I don't knit.... they would all be unfinished projects!
Oh my I understand, and know why you frogged it. It will be a great sweater again someday:)
I admire your precision and tenacity and determination to get it the way you want it.
I knit from the top, and keep trying it on, and then wear it anyway. :-) :-) :-)
Having knitted a lot in the past, I know how frustrating that was, and there should be a special word for undoing many hours of knitting.
Sigh! Well, you are right, it had to be restarted.
Determination, my dear... it must be right.
You've got this!
Tension :-|
And you may wonder why my Carbeth sweater is still in its project bag
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