Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Ignoring My Swatch

I'm a great one for lecturing people about the importance of knitting swatches and tension squares. I take my own advice.  I even bought more needles so that I would get the right tension. But when I started knitting yesterday with the 2.5 mm needles, it felt awkward and slow and the fabric a bit stiff. I knitted 8 rows, a pattern repeat, but wasn't happy. I left the rib intact, knitted on 2 mm needles, but started the main part again with 3 mm needles. Yes, it will be bigger than the pattern says for that size, but it zips along much more smoothly and I think the fabric looks fine. Also, there is a better difference between the needles used for rib and main part. That was one of the criticisms on a previous entry for the knitting competition, that my rib and main part were too similar.

7 comments:

  1. You can tell the difference, this is so beautiful to look are and colors are so calming. Your stitching is fantastic!

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  2. ...and that is why I knit scarves and dishcloths! ;-)

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  3. It is experience that tells you how it feels whether right or wrong. With your experience you can adjust the pattern as you go along. Now is this sweater for you? I really do love the colors.

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    1. Yes, it's for me, though I will enter it into a competition before I wear it.

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  4. Definitely looks better with the bigger needle size :).

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  5. This is a lovely pattern, go with what you think looks right!

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