Swatching Sunday: What happened here?

It's tough to tell here, (a slightly bigger picture may help), but this Decimal swatch has some issues. I got my eyelets to line up properly, but not my purl bumps .

The pattern stitch is in multiples of ten plus three, so I cast on 33 stitches. However, I'm now noticing that the different sizes of the actual sweater all call for casting on multiples of five. I think I didn't account for the added first and last stitch in the actual sweater.

This was knit with KnitPicks Gloss in "Cosmos" and US Size 2 aluminum needles. It's unwashed and unblocked.

I'm going to try this one more time with 35 stitches before I order the yarn for the actual sweater.

Swatching Decimal

I started swatching Decimal this evening with KnitPicks Gloss and US Size 2 needles. So far, so good, although I haven't really measured the swatch yet.

I think I'm going to stick with Gloss for this sweater. I like Shine Sport, but I know it will take US Size 1 needles, and I really don't want to knit an entire sweater with such tiny needles. I have to draw the line somewhere. It just doesn't feel good with the yarn.

I'm not positive I'm going to stick with this color, "Cosmos." If I was really brave I'd use "Parsley." I think it would bring out my eyes, although I normally don't gravitate to those muted colors. It'd be a brave move to order so much yarn in that color.

Swatching Sunday: It looks like Gloss is the winner

It's been a while since I talked about my plans for Decimal. But now I've swatched all the yarns I bought and blocked them. So now it's time to review the yarn.

KnitPicks Gloss

Fingering Weight, 70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk, Color: Cosmos

Gloss is the most likely candidate for Decimal at this point, mostly because I hit gauge on the dot with a needles size that feels good. It has a bit of "fuzziness" with the underlying smoothness of the silk. It's not itchy at all. It's not too drapey, and not too stiff. It seems like a good choice overall. It will make for a good cool weather sweater.

Gauge: 2 inches=
US 3 - 10.5 stitches and 18 rows
US 2 - 12 stitches and 18 rows
US 1 - 13 stitches and 19.5 rows

KnitPicks Shine Sport

Sport Weight, 60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal, Color: Grass

Shine Sport is one of the yarns used in the original Decimal Cardigans. It's buttery soft and very drapey, yet it's not very "heavy." It seems to be holding the blocking pretty well. The only problem is that I'm having trouble making gauge with it. I may try the pattern stitches with US size 1 needles and see what happens.

Gauge: 2 inches=
US 2 - 11 stitches and 16.5 rows
US 1 - 12.25 stitches and 18 rows

KnitPicks Merino Style

DK Weight, 100% Merino Wool, Color: Hollyberry

Merino Style is definitely out for this particular project. The gauge isn't even close. It's very "fuzzy," but not in a fun fur type of way. I think it "bloomed" quite a bit when I washed it.

Gauge: 2 inches=
US 5 - 10 stitches and 14 rows
US 4 - 10.5 stitches and 15 rows
US 3 - 10.75 stitches and 15.5 rows

KnitPicks Merino Style

DK Weight, 70% Cotton, 30% Linen, Color: Key Lime

Linen has a tendency to be pretty stiff and crisp, but mixed with cotton you get some softness. CotLin is a good happy medium. It's crisp, yet soft with a hint of "fuzziness." Also, the linen prevents sagging with the cotton. (And both fibers are nice and cool.) Too bad I can't make gauge for this project. It's so soft. I'd love to make something else with this yarn, like a nice summery top.

Gauge: 2 inches=
US 4 - 10 stitches and 13 rows
US 3 - 10.75 stitches and 15.5 rows
US 2 - 11 stitches and 16.5 rows
US 1 - 11.5 stitches and 19 rows

Block Party

Cross posted at Sally Comes Unraveled and hot pads! and potholders - the swap.

With my bathroom sink recently cleaned, and some spare room on my bedroom floor, this evening was a good time to do some blocking. I blocked my swatches for Decimal (I tried several different KnitPicks yarns) along with the potholders.

The Decimal swatches took a nice long soak in Grapefruit Eucalan. I have all the info on the yarn and the needle sizes here.

I was concerned about the small amount of lanolin in the Eucalan, however. I don't know if it will make a difference as far as flammability. But everyone in the swap is being extra careful about the materials they use, so I just dipped the potholders in plain, lukewarm water. After a few seconds I gently squeezed out the excess and pinned them to the towel.

I imagine most people won't need to block their potholders. But after I added the edging, these got a little curly. Hopefully this will flatten them a bit.

Friday Bits and Pieces - a list

1. I'm approaching the halfway point on the Tapestry Cowl. However, it hasn't seen much action recently because...


2. I've been swatching my KnitPicks yarn for Decimal. The swatches above are, from left to right,CotLin, Merino Style and Shine Sport. I haven't broken into the Gloss yet. I don't have official measurements, but it doesn't look like I won't make gauge with the Merino Style. The CotLin may be hard to make gauge. Right now I'm using a US Size 1 with the CotLin, and it just doesn't feel good. Shine Sport seems more promising.

3. I have a new screen on my bedroom window, and there hasn't been any flies since last week.


4. After nearly eight years, I decided it was time to get the bunny some new stuff. Her water bottle has been leaking for years, and either her litter box is leaking, or she's hanging her butt over the side. So I put in an order to Bunny Bytes and it came in today. The litter box was bigger than I expected, but I think she needs it. I also got her a toy as a treat.


5. Bunny Foo-Foo is cute.

6. Tonight is my CPAP titration study, where they'll help me get fitted with my CPAP while I sleep. I'm excited because I'm looking forward to sleeping better. Still, I suspect it will be a long night.


7. Here's my parting shot - a little OPP (Other People's Projects.) This is Carrie, and apparently she is the Noro Queen. I loved her "fake isle" sweater. (Not to mention the Noro Clapotis she's holding.)

Swatching Sunday: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport

I've been skipping Swatching Sunday, and today's swatch is a bit anemic. I'm going to frog it anyway.

This week I'm taking Staci's Tapestry Cowl class at The Knitting Nest. This is a gauge swatch, although I'm not sure how doing colorwork and double knitting will affect the gauge. I did swatch in the round, using magic loop.

I used US Size 2 Addi Turbo needles and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport.

I actually got 6.5 stitches per inch instead of the 6 stitches per inch I need for the pattern. I'm not sure what to do next, since I'm not sure how my gauge will change on the actual project. However, Addis are made in Europe, so they are actually 3.0 mm in diameter, which is between US Size 2 and US Size 3. (Here's a chart.) That explains why I didn't get the 6 stitches to an inch gauge that I usually seem to get with US Size 2 needles.

Hmmmm. I'll have to think about this.

Swatching Sunday: Seed Stitch

This Sunday I did some more swatching with my Classic Elite Premiere. I did some seed stitch with US Size 2 needles from my Boye Needlemaster. I think this yarn may have potential for the Boobalicious tank from Big Girl Knits, which has a large seed stitch panels in the middle.

Swatching Sunday: Classic Elite Premiere Gauge Swatch

Tonight I swatched the Classic Elite Premiere that I got at the Gauge party.

It does feel really nice and buttery soft, although it is a little bit splity. I think it has potential for a summery top.

I started with US Size 4, which gave me 9.5 stitches and 14 rows per 2 inches. US Size 3 gave me 10.5 stiches and 14.5 rows per 2 inches, and US size 2 gave me 11.5 stiches and 15 rows per 2 inches. I used the aluminum needles in my Boye Needlemaster.

As of now, the swatch is unwashed and unblocked.

Swatching Sunday: a-MAIZing

Today I did a couple of small swatches in SWTC A-MAIZing, made from 100% corn fiber. I'll have a more in-depth review of the yarn later, but I did want to show that I am swatching on Sunday.

I used US size 3 needles from my Boye Needlemaster. The label recommends US size 7 needles to get six stitches to the inch. I think someone at SWTC is smoking crack.

I had to return The New Knitting Stitch Library back to the library, so I'm using Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns. The swatch on the left is "Interchanging Cables" on page 69, and the swatch on the right is the "Mirrored Triangle Stitch" on page 9.

What I did this weekend

I haven't left my apartment since I got home Friday night. I've been drinking juice and trying to save my voice. I'm a little better. Tomorrow is training all day, so hopefully by Tuesday I'll be able to get back on the phone.

Since then I've been hanging around, watching Hulu and working on the Tour de Fleece.

Here's the roving. It's a soy/wool blend I bought last February at Old Oaks Ranch. I think it's this roving from SWTC. Mom told me to label my rovings. I should have, because I don't know how many ounces I bought. I want to say six or eight.

The roving is thick. It naturally divided into three pieces.

This is about one-third of the roving.

And here's my drop spindle on the first day.

This is how much I spun when I went to bed last night. I think it was a good start.

And this is where I am right now. I used one of the three pieces of roving already, so I'm about a third of the way through the fiber. (However, I am less than one-third of the way through the process. Plying will take time.

Also, I'm still swatching on Sunday.

This is the SWTC A-MAIZing I bought at Bluebonnet. It has a very tough, cottony quality. It's hard to put it into words. I'll have more on that later.

I also finished reading Made to Stick. It's a good book. I'm going to jot down some notes to keep in mind for future writing ideas.

I'm going to try to go to bed early today. I have a long day of sitting on my butt tomorrow.

Swatching Sunday: Silky Merino Edition

How do you solve a problem like Bahia?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I've been working on some swatches of new yarns, but for "official" swatching Sunday, I've been playing with the two skeins Malabrigo Silky Merino in "Bahia" that I got at Gauge.

As I said before, one skein seems to be light than the other, despite the fact that they are officially the same dyelot. It's pretty common with hand dyed yarn.

This swatch is half in one skein and half in the other. I cropped it weird so you can't see where I switched yarns. (I know it's blurry, but you get the picture.) Can you tell the difference?

I knit this swatch while switching skeins every other way. This is the way you're "supposed to" to do it. It looks fine, but it's a pain to knit this way.

I also tried holding both skeins together and using a larger needle. (This one was knit with US size 8, the others were knit with US size 5.) I like the effect of holding the two skeins together to blend the colors. However, for the idea I have in mind for this scarf, I think I want to single strand it. I'll save this idea for another time.

So what do you think. Can you tell the difference between the two skeins in the first swatch?

I'm not dead yet!

Here's proof that I have been swatching on Sunday. On other days as well. I just haven't officially posted it. I'm waiting to block.

This is the Classic Elite Soft Linen that I bought at Gauge. I'm also working on swatching the Cascade Greenland I bought at Wildfiber.

I also haven't given up on Strangling Vine, which I have been mistakenly calling Strangling Vines. Originally I was going to wait until I blocked this scarf and my Noro Striped Scarf before moving on to the next project, but at this rate, I think I'll settle for simply rewarding myself for finally going grocery shopping.

I am kinda-sorta using the ruler blocking technique I found in this KnitPicks PDF. However, I couldn't find the right size ruler, so I'm using this one foot by one foot square from my Mom's quilting supplies. It helps, but I can't quite use the technique in the PDF.

This is how far I've gotten as of now. I've already used an entire box of T-Pins.

The ruler is helping me keep things straight, but I think it's still a little uneven. This is why I really want a blocking board like this one. I know I can use plaid sheets, but the board would also let me put it on my bed or increase the width of my table. Right now all my blocking takes place in the closet.

On that note, it's time to do some more pinning.

Which Swatch?

I haven't been doing much for Swatching Sunday recently, but I have been doing a steady stream of swatching in the last couple of weeks.

Last Wednesday I swatched for the Kiri shawl. I need your help deciding what needle size to use.

Keep in mind, I swatched two different parts of the shawl (not smart, I know. I'm not sure what I was thinking.) But it's close enough to get a sense of how the yarn knits up.

Here are the swatches pinned for blocking (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):



Here are the swatches after they have been unpinned and thrown around a little. The edges are curling some, but the blocking seems to hold up OK. (US Size 2 on top and US Size 4 on the bottom):

The yarn I'm using here is Mystic Alpaca from Peru4less. I got the yarn on eBay ages ago, and the vendor seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. There is some debate about the yarn's fiber content. After talking it over with the other knitters at Bluebonnet, we think it is a blend of alpaca and acrylic.

I think the Peru4less would be appropriate for a shawl, but I do have another option:
This is the Skacel Merino Lace that I bought at the Yarn Barn in San Antonio. I could scrap the Peru4less altogether and start fresh with this. It's true laceweight, and I'm sure of the fiber content.

I'm looking for opinions, so please vote. And vote soon. I want to cast this on to knit on my trip to California.

Swatching Sunday: Feather and Fan

It's a little late. Actually, a lot late. But here is my swatch from last Sunday.

This is my last swatch from The New Knitting Stitch Library. I had to turn it in to the library. It's a good book. I hate to see it go.

This looks like a feather and fan stitch of some sort. It's stitch 188 (again, all the stitches in the book are numbered.) At one point I think I made a mistake and got off a stitch, but it's not too noticeable.

I used cheap acrylic yarn and US size 5 needles from my Boye Needlemaster. This swatch is unwashed and unblocked.

Swatching Sunday: Catching Up

I've behind on recording my swatching. Here is what I've done in the last couple of weeks.

All the stitches below are from The New Knitting Stitch Library. I checked it out from the library, and I still have one more Sunday to swatch from it before its due.

This is stitch 225 from the book. I worked on this while the system was down at work on Monday. I wanted to try some edging. I know it's hard to see. This one didn't want to lie flat.

I used cheap acrylic yarn and US size 6 needles from my Boye Needlemaster. This swatch is unwashed and unblocked.

Here are some more swatches out of Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran. I wanted to see what it looked like in cables and knit-purl patterns.

The cable on the left is stitch 120 from the book. The swatch on the left was knit using stitch 50, the 3D blocks stitch I knit before.

Both of the Katmandu Aran swatches were knit using US size 5 needles from my Boye Needlemaster. These swatches are unwashed and unblocked as of now. I hope to change that when I get my hands on some Soak or some Eucalan.