A Lot of Wisdom About Swatching

I was wandering around on Twitter the other day when I found a link to this post from Shibaguyz Design about the importance of swatching. It’s called a tangential post because originally it was supposed to be about blocking, but it ended up being about swatching.

No matter where it started, it ended up in a really good place.

You probably know that I’m pretty passionate about swatching and I know a lot of people aren’t, but it’s really, really important if you want to knit garments that fit.

This post talks about common complaints about swatching/reasons people say they don’t swatch — they don’t have time, it’s a waste of expensive yarn, they always get gauge, etc. — and provides great arguments against them.

I particularly love the idea of knitting a swatch in your luxury yarn, not binding off, blocking it and then unraveling the swatch to use for the cast on edge or for sewing seams. Such a smart idea and no “waste.”

There’s also a really great story about how “I always get gauge” can backfire. This is a post you should definitely read if you’re in the no-swatch camp, and if you do swatch it will give you some great ammunition the next time someone tells you they don’t.

Which side of the swatch battle are you on? I’d love to hear why.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Comments

Brenda says
March 11, 2015 at 9:48 am
I think swatches are important but I can never get it right then I can never count the stitches. I wish I knew the secret. This is why I make scarves and afghans. They don’t have to be any certain size. I will have to read some more about how to do swatches.

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