Click on the pictures for detail.I rarely swatch! rarely is seldom, small quick fast swatches! I guess that is because I have knit lace for so many years. I just knit a few stitches look at it, decide if I like it or not and away I go! Not a good thing when working texture and cables!
I ran across the Beadwork cardigan a couple of months ago. It is a Jade Starmore design, published in the IW Knitters Magazine Winter 1999-2000. Fell in love, searched all over for the pattern, joined the KAL, and SWATCHED! yeap I did. All kinds of yarns, needles, colors.
I could not find anything in my stash that would work. Determined to spin the yarn I was. Until, a wonderful friend (who's name I do not disclose because I don't know if she wants the world to know how generous, loving, wonderful and caring she is) gave the YARN CALLED FOR IN THE PATTERN TO ME!!!! Same color same yarn! How lucky is that?
So I swatched again. This pattern as many of the Starmore patterns call for crazy gauges of 7 stitches to an inch. With the recommended needle size and yarn I was getting 4-5 stitches to the inch. Grumble and grumble again until I ended up with 3 FULL SIZE SWATCHES. Read: full width one complete pattern repeat (32 rows). I finally decided what I wanted and now one of the swatches is the actual piece.
It is a very tight knit, tight as in hands almost hurt! But the result is beautiful. In Spanish we would say: "El que quiere marrones aguanta tirones" a rough translation: "If you want curls in your hair, put up with someone pulling on it" rough translation, but you get the idea!
It will take me some time to complete this one. This is not a three week get it done project. The pattern has pattern rows on both the right and wrong side and the cables cross right and left, not randomly but they cross back and forth.
Pictured are the swatches and the
EQUIPMENT:
Pattern in plastic sleeve (a must so I can use painter's tape to keep track of the rows).
TWO row counters since each pattern repeat has a different number of rows 32 -10-8.
Printed out spreadsheet with calculations of increases and stitch distribution.
As the Geocachingknitter said:"it is hard for knitters to leave patterns alone". I really did not mean to modify the pattern
Junie said I might have to add to the equipment a band-aid or two with this tight gauge!
Off to hunt the stash for a portable project!
I will upload pictures of the real thing and the equipment I use later!
7 comments:
I have wanted to knit that sweater for a long time! You may have made few changes but it's going to be beautiful and uniquely yours!
I totally understand about swatching aggravations. And thanks for commenting about our day of Representing Knitters. :)
Bunny hugs,
Kimberly
=:8
It's looking really good to me! Very nice pattern.
I like your full size swatches! That's going to be a lovely sweater. I'm usually one of those non-swatchers myself. I usually just do a few rows to check. And yes, it does come back to bite me sometimes.
What gorgeous patterns. I'm not much on swatching either, but you make an excellent case for it. It will be a beautiful sweater.
Re: s-hooks for weaving. Mine are the 3 inche size. I noticed there was 2 kinds; one with a more curved s and the other with a straighter s. I got the curved kind as I didn't want anything falling off!
I don't swatch either - but I think if I was knitting something as complex as this I would! Even the swatches look good.
Beadwork is such a gorgeous sweater. I have had yarn in stash for it for over a year now. I even swatched for it and got gauge! Maybe I should just bite the bullet and join the KAL!
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