If You Don’t Like Swatching, Read This

I don’t know if you know that I’m a pretty big proponent of swatching, but I am. I understand the need to get to know a yarn before you use it, enjoy the time playing with a stitch pattern or colorwork design before the finality of the full project, and I know as a designer that I just need to know what my gauge is rather than setting out with a guess of how many stitches I need.

(I will say, however, that I don’t just swatch for swatching’s sake. I’m willing to take a gamble on something like a scarf, just guessing at what needle size and number of stitches will give me the gauge and the width I want. I did this last night, in fact.)

Clara Parkes is a swatcher. I mean, it’s a big part of her job at Knitter’s Review to test yarns, and that means swatching and then trying to mess up the swatch through wear.

But she appreciates swatching for its own sake as well, as a form of meditation and a time to listen to the yarn, see what it can do and figure out what it wants to be.

She set out her feelings on swatching in what she calls the Swatcher’s Manifesto, and if you’re not a swatcher you should read it and see what the fuss is all about. If you are a swatcher you should read it, too. It’s OK to feel a little superior.

Are you a swatcher? Why or why not? I’d love to know!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?