Mad scientist.

That's not some weird experiment from a mad scientist right there. It's how I swatch. I've been swatching like mad these days. Swatches are foreplay for knitters.

This is how I swatch: I look at the yarn label's suggested needle size. I start swatching with needles two sizes bigger than those suggested. (I am apparently a very tight knitter and always require larger needles to get the recommended gauge.) Then I cast on. I knit with those needles for awhile and take preliminary measurements. If the gauge is WAY off, I frog the swatch and try new needles. If it's close, I switch to the next size up or down. If it's spot on, I go up in needle size. Continue the swatch in those needles and repeat the process. Bind off but put a stitch holder through the last stitch to keep from unraveling, but still attached to the ball of yarn.

Then the strange bath you see up there. A little Soak in a cup, some cold water. Then the usual steps of blotting and waiting for it to dry. Then measure the gauge again.

I love this method. Sure, it looks weird in my room, all the balls of yarn hanging around the drinking glasses. It looks like I've gone mad. But overall, it's quicker for checking gauge and allows me to see how the yarn looks at different gauges, all in one swatch.

My roommate is pretty freaked out by it though.

Jenn

Still Alive

I haven't blogged in awhile. Mostly because I haven't taken pictures of my current WIPs and FOs. But here's one:



Pattern: Basic Cable Hat (from Stitch n' Bitch Nation)
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool (1.5 balls)
Needles: 9
Mods: CO 120 sts. Changed gauge to 5.5 sts per inch. Added one extra pattern repeat.

This hat was for my roommate Alyssa. I knit it for her birthday (which is today). She's got a big ol' head. So I modified it to fit a 23" head. I accidently cast on too many stitches at first and accidentally didn't change needles after the ribbing. Which turned out to be a happy mistake. The gauge from the smaller needles ended up make the cast on amount perfect. Strange how things happen. This was one quick knit too. A handful of hours at the most. I knit it in three days though, on the metro and as a break between writing for class.

All in all, I adore this hat. The Mission Falls 1824 Wool is amazingly soft too!

I'll be making myself one too.

Jenn

Gleeful

Okay, so I promised these awhile ago and didn't deliver. The holidays were a whirlwind. That's my excuse. But here you go, the finished (finally) Glee!








Pattern: Glee by Zephyr Style
Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Embers (6.5 balls)
Mods: Added waist shaping (still a little baggy), increased bust by an inch, knit extra inch of length, didn't change needles sizes for ribbing


Overall, my first sweater was a smashing success, don't you think? I'm very pleased with it. I started this in July and it took forever and a day to finish. Mostly, that was due to the sudden sock obsession and school.

On to the next sweater! I think I might start on Wicked, perhaps.

Jenn