help me rhonda, help help me rhonda….i don’t know what to do with my sweater.
This always happens to me. It happened with my beloved Peasy, it happened with my cozy Mondo Cable Cardi, and it happened with several other sweaters I started and then frogged and just never told you about. I can’t tell, in the early stages. I start to think it’s going to look dumb, or cheap, or homemade, or just wrong. I start to think I’ll do all this work and then I’ll hate it. I start to think “just frog it and do something else with the yarn.” It always happens to me.
Sure, in those early infatuation stages, where the beloved is Perfection Itself and can do no wrong, it’s all sunshine and daffodils. But then the flaws become visible, and doubt whispers in the corners….maybe not, right? Maybe not this time?
I didn’t think it was going to happen with my Eve Shrugged project. Call me naive, but I really didn’t think it was going to happen. [although it is true that I had moments of wondering if the yarn would work, since it's really very different than the recommended yarn, in every way.] I thought this combo was going to be nothing short of amazing! Marvelous! Jaw-dropping!
Now I’m not sure. I have not changed my lust for the yarn, nor for the pattern. I’m just not sure how they’re working together. So I turn to you, hoping for your sincere thoughts about it.
I've now done two pattern repeats, and it measures 3.25" - From here, I continue to 7.25" before moving on to the upper back, sleeves, and front shoulders.
pretty pretty color, no matter what!
These are the things I wonder:
the stitch definition is pretty crisp here, and I don’t know how much the yarn blooms when it’s blocked. the samples are shown in a soft yarn with a halo, and it’s the stitch pattern that is primary. will the definition diminish the beauty in this case?
the subtle variations in color are one of best parts of any madelinetosh yarn, and they’re gorgeous here. not extreme, at all — very very subtle. still, i wonder if they interfere. maybe i’m physically too close, by which i mean maybe when the whole thing is finished and i’m not holding small sections close to my face and inspecting them like this, the subtleties will just add some depth. but i don’t know.
since i’m such a newbie knitter, i don’t know how to translate very well. the recommended yarn is worsted weight 10 ply (9 wpi), and I’m using DK / 8 ply (11 wpi). i swatched, and hit gauge using different sized needles than the pattern….obviously, since my yarn is a different weight. but i have NO idea what that means in terms of whether i’ll have enough yarn to finish the project.
uncertainty, all around. if you have any thoughts or suggestions they’ll fall on welcome ears!
starting to look like a collar if you ask me!
edited in response to friendly and helpful comments: i did knit a generous swatch in the pattern stitch before i started, which i soaked and blocked. when it was dry, i measured it according to the pattern directions. i ended up using a larger-sized needle, which is to be expected given the heavier-weight yarn i’m using. so i am working at gauge. my dried swatch didn’t show that much bloom in the yarn, but i simply soaked it in plain water, rather than the soak I’d use when the garment is finished. i don’t know if that will make the yarn bloom any more; at this point, i am assuming it will look the way my dried swatch looked, which is not that much different from what you see above.
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I love the color. I think the definition is gorgeous.
Next time, you might want to block your swatch so that you can see how the yarn will change. I know that is boring, but it will help you be less uncertain.
I am assuming you went up in needle size to achieve less stitches per inch to meet gauge? What is the range given for yardage for the project?
Thank you! Julie (and the others who ask this), here’s what I did before I started. I should’ve said this above!
I knitted a large swatch using the pattern stitches; the designer wrote “Important note: expect this loosely knit rib to stretch out somewhat after washing; be sure to base all measurements on this post-wash gauge.” So i knitted a large swatch, washed it, let it dry, and then measured it. I did go up a needle size to hit gauge.
the yarn didn’t bloom that much after a good soaking and blocking, so I think it’s going to look pretty much like it does in the photos; it’s reassuring to hear that you think it’s gorgeous. i do too, but it is different from the samples, and by quite a bit. still, i like it.
using the yarn recommended by the pattern, I’d need 7 skeins of her yarn, each of which is 137 yds per 50g skein, or 959 yds. I have 5 skeins = 1125.0 yards. i think i should be ok…..?
yardage. yardage. yardage.
I too, am a new knitter so I’m going to offer you as much advice as I can.
-Your overall finished garment will not have the halo effect that the pattern sample does (obviously) but I don’t think that it will detract from the piece. The designer posted this (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/sundayknitter/eves-ribs-3) which was done in a merino/cashmere blend and while it lacks the halo business, it’s still just as beautiful.
-i think the subtle changes in the yarn will add depth. Unless you get one crazy skein that starts pooling or something wild like that, I think the overall effect of the MadTosh will be gorgeous!
-If you got gauge with the yarn I think it’s safe to assume you’ll probably use about the same about of yarn in yardage (not weight) that the pattern is calling for. I’m wondering, did you swatch in the pattern? or in stockinette? Did you block the swatch like you intend to block the garment? Did you notice that the yarn grew or changed in anyway? Maybe (if you didn’t already) consider reworking the swatch in the pattern to see if it changes the definition after blocking.
I hope this helps some. Good luck. That yarn is to gorgeous not to finish!
On her own blog, Andrea just wrote a post titled..Albers Shawl
Thank you for this help, Andrea! Your comments are very helpful; I’d seen that version of the shrug, but couldn’t enlarge the photos enough to get a good look at it. still, you’re absolutely right–it’s not as halo-ey, but it is still beautiful.
I very carefully looked at my skeins, and they look well matched. I learned my lesson the hard way with a previous sweater and madtosh yarn! So I think I’m ok on that front, my worry was just about the interference between subtle variation and this pattern. Your opinion is good to hear.
See my response to Julie above, about the swatching. My newbie-ness just leaves me confused about whether I can assume the same yardage would work, if I’ve hit the gauge. It seems like it would.
Thank you so much!
I’m not sure I have a lot to add to the wise comments you’ve already gotten. I’m guessing that you won’t get the same halo effect with this yarn, given that it didn’t bloom much after washing, but I also think that this particular stitch pattern is so lovely that it doesn’t need the halo to carry it. I’m wondering if you’ll end up with a crisper, possibly more dramatic, sweater, rather than the airbrushed ultra-feminine feel of the fuzzier one (not sure if I’m putting that clearly — I think both options are amazing). I still love the yarn/pattern combination you’ve got going there, but I also realize how much of this is a personal taste thing. You’ve got to want to wear it when it’s over!! (Or to want to send it to me to wear for you, either way.
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I also agree with earlier commenters that you’ll probably need about the same amount of yarn as called for in the pattern, given that you’re getting gauge. I will say that, me being me, I usually try to ensure that I’ve got a bit extra when I’m knitting something like this. Better safe than sorry…
On her own blog, Jocelyn just wrote a post titled..And its looking like a sweater
haha
Jocelyn, I’ll consider that you have first dibs if it turns out I’m not crazy about this one.
I am also a newbie knitter, so I can’t give you much help in that. But…I must tell you that I was having doubts this afternoon as well. I was thinking…”should this really be my first big project”…”am I going to look like a dork when I wear this”….”will I even wear it”. I was relieved actually to see that you were feeling the same way. I’ve made so many mistakes already, so I know it’s going to show when it’s blocked, but I’m going to keep trudging on.
I’m there for you!!
REALLY?! My fretful thoughts included those, too. Well, at least the dork one and the will I wear it one. As I said, this always happens to me with sweaters – like, always – and I usually end up frogging it and making a bunch of small things with the yarn. Since it’s 100% my experience, I guess (for me at least) it’s something I’ll learn to persist through. This is your first big sweater project so it must feel even scarier for you….let’s just keep going, and prop each other up.
I think it’s a great match between yarn and pattern and that the color variations will add richness to the finished product. They’re subtle enough that they won’t clash with the stitch pattern. I like the crisp stitch definition too – it’ll be a very cool incarnation of this pattern.
well, thank you Kate! You know, I started off so sure about the combo but I guess my faltering just needed a little boosting-up. It’s great to hear all these opinions, including yours!
It’s lovely. I love the color. I love the depth. I love the definition of the stitches.
In theory – because you’ve met gauge on yoiur swatch – you should have adequate yardage. However – real life says, having a little extra on hand may not be a bad idea… and if not needed, maybe you knit up a hat to match!
Again – lovely!
On her own blog, dina just wrote a post titled..Brilliance- personified!
thanks Dina! I’m glad to hear your opinions, and I’m also glad to hear that it should theoretically work. I’m not great at getting the theory stuff right the first time; if my gauge is wrong when I swatch, I inevitably change needle sizes in the wrong direction.
This seemed right to me….yardage = yardage = yardage, as long as swatch is right, but i’ve never tested it, until now.