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 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

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.

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.

Swatching Sunday: Kathmandu Aran

As promised, here is my Sunday Swatch, a day late. I knit the big swatch yesterday, but did the little one today at work.

I went to the Knitting Nest on Saturday for their Lucky 7 Sale. A roll of the dice determined my discount. I only got the minimum 15% off (not that I'm complaining about getting 15% off.)

I exercised some restraint. I bought some dpns, a lavender sachet, some roving and a single ball of Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran for swatching. It was my chance to do the "GKY" thing (get to know your yarn) they talk about in No Sheep for You.

Kathmandu is a tweedy 85% merino/10% silk/5% cashmere blend in two plies. It's a bit uneven, rustic and fuzzy. There is a little bit of vegetable matter in it. While it's not too weak, I was able to pull it apart with a little force. I bought color 158 "Petrol."

Here are the gauges I got on the long swatch:

US size 7 = about 8 stitches and 12 rows per 2 inches
US size 6 = about 8.5 stitches and 13 rows per 2 inches
US size 5 = about 9 stitches and 13.5 rows per 2 inches
US size 4 = about 9.5 stitches per 2 inches

This swatch was knit using aluminum needles from my Boye Needlemaster. This swatch is unblocked and unwashed.

The little swatch was knit with US size 5 with the same needles in the same needle. I intend to wash and block it as soon as I can track down some Soak or some Eucalan

Expect more swatches to come. I want to see how this stuff looks in knits and purls and cables.

Swatching Sunday: In 3D

This week I'm trying another stitch from The New Knitting Stitch Library.

This is stitch number 50. It may be hard to tell from this picture, but it looks like 3D blocks.

I really like this stitch. It's reversible, and doesn't seem to curl. I think this may the stitch for my precious Silk Cotton. I'll have to see how it looks in a nicer yarn with more drape. I also think I'd slip the first stitch of every row to straighten up the edges.

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

Swatching Sunday: A Variation on Basket Weave

Last Thursday I checked out The New Knitting Stitch Library from the library. Tonight I took one of the stitches for a test drive.

The stitches in the book don't have names. This one is stitch number 16. It seems to be some sort of variation on the basket weave stitch. I thought it had potential for my precious Silk Cotton. However, I wasn't real thrilled with the back. This is what the "wrong" side looks like:

I want something reversible for the Silk Cotton. Still, it has potential for other projects. It looks good with variegated yarn, and it lays flat.

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

I don't know. Maybe the reverse side looks ok. It might grow on me.

Swatching Sunday: This took more effort than you would think

This week's swatch looks unimpressive, but it took a lot of thinking, planning and unraveling to get there.

I was riffing off the ball band dishcloth stitch I worked on a couple of weeks ago. I'm not going into great detail because I have plans for this little swatch.

I will say this swatch was knit using Cascade 220 in Christmas Red 8895 and Black 8555 and US size 5 aluminum needles from my Boye Needlemaster. The swatch is unwashed and unblocked.

Swatching Sunday: Artfibers Kyoto

This week's swatching is kind of sparse, but a lot of fun.

In case you're tuning in late, yesterday I managed to get my hands on a sample of Artfibers Kyoto. Tonight I knit it up.

I used aluminum US Size 7 needles from my Boye Needlemaster set. The swatch is unwashed and unblocked.

The stitches aren't completely even, which is the nature of the yarn, so the gauge varied a little. I'd say it averages out to 9 stitches per 2 inches and 6 rows per inch.

Yesterday I was under the impression that Kyoto was 50% Silk and 50% Merino. I was wrong. I think I was thinking of Ming. Kyoto is 69% Silk, 25% Superkid Mohair and 6% "Extrafine" Wool. However, I think I was right about the plies. The silk is definitely the larger ply. The other ply seems to consist of two plies in itself - one wool and one mohair.

Normally, I think of mohair as "the devil's fiber," because it feels soft to the touch, but it's always itchy when you wear it. I may make an exception if I ever get my hands on some more Kyoto.