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Knit a Dress without Knitting a Swatch

February 21, 2024 by Sarah White

You might not know this about me, but I’m a stickler for gauge when it comes to knitting garments. It’s hard for me to get gauge (I actually just did swatches for a sweater and it took me three tries to get it right!) and I know how easily a little difference in gauge can make a huge difference in whether your sweater fits.

But I also understand how appealing the prospect of not knitting a gauge swatch is for a lot of knitters, whether you’re someone who “always gets gauge” or you just hate doing it.

When it comes to garments, patterns that work for any gauge allow you to just start knitting with the yarn and needles that you want to use, but they typically involve lots of math and/or trying things on once it’s big enough so you can figure out how the rest of the pattern needs to go so it will fit you. I’ve done this with top-down sweaters before, and in the case of the Mamaki pattern by Nicola Susen you can do it with a dress.

The pattern suggests you’ll need about 1.7 times the amount of yarn you would need for a sweater in order to make a dress with the same kind of yarn, so if you have yarn you’ve used before to make a sweater that can give you a place to start for yardage requirements. Or you can make it a total stash buster and use all the leftovers of a single weight of yarn that you have.

(I did something sort of like that last year when I decided to turn the scrap yarn sweater I was knitting into a tunic. But I did start with a sweater pattern I’d knit before, and I did check my gauge and do the math for increases I needed to cover my hips.)

If you want to make your own dress or tunic on the fly (you could totally use this same pattern to make a sweater, just knit to the length you want), check it out on Ravelry. This is a fun one to look at all the different versions people have made, too. A lot of the pattern notes are in German but the pattern is available in both German and English.

[Photo: Nicola Susen]

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Have you read?

Book Review: Knitovation Stitch Dictionary

There’s always room for more stitch dictionaries on your shelf, but Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation Stitch Dictionary is unlike those stitch pattern books you might already own. That’s because this one is full of colorwork stitch patterns rather than textured stitches, lace or cables, so the designs are ripe for adding to hats, sweaters and other projects with a stockinette stitch background. 

The book starts with a quick introduction to knitting colorwork that’s also unlike what you’ve probably seen before, because it’s less about the colors themselves and more about the kinds of fibers you choose, how the yarn is prepared and the gauge you’re working at and how those things all change the look of a design. 

Most of the book is filled with motif designs and swatches. The motifs were designed and named by Andrea’s husband Sean, who is an artist and brings a bit of whimsy to the designs. 

You’ll find some classic looking leaves and flowers, mosaics and waves, but also rubber ducks, penguins, puzzle pieces, cherries and cows, snails and teapots, eyeballs and chess pieces, to name a few. Many of the designs also have funny names, like a fish named toilet bound, or cats in suits called corporate fat cat.

Of course you can use the designs in any way you want on any project you like, but there are also three patterns in the book — for a hat, a sweater and a pair of fingerless gloves — plus discussion of how the motifs were added, adjusting patterns for a different size or gauge, and adding your own motifs. 

If you like adding a bit of colorwork to otherwise plain projects that other people have designed, or you’re ready to start making your own designs with fun motifs, this book is a great place to start. The fun and funny motifs are sure to inspire you to want to pick up your needles and add a little more color to your projects. 

About the book: 160 pages, hardcover, 150+ motifs and three knitting patterns. Published 2023 by Interweave, suggested retail $28. 

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