Learning design, gauge mishaps and musings.

It seems that the more I type the less I knit, so instead of being all communicative, I picked up needles instead. Better yet, I bought Cheryl Brunette's Sweater 101 and started designing for real. Improvising and altering patterns is fun, but the pattern then lacks scalability. Eventually, that's what I'd like to do so, here's to taking the plunge.

My first project is simple enough - a drop-shoulder sweater in a gorgeous organic 8-ply merino from Treliske Farms. I used to make diaper covers out of it. Kara at Natural Resources where I sold some of them mistook the finished fabric for cotton! It's the perfect yarn, lovely, soft enough for newborns, but super-hardy. It's cream colored, but I figure she'll wear a bib over it when she eats. The second project will be a set-in sleeve sweater in the same yarn designed to be fairly close-fitting to be worn beneath whatever summer thing she demands to wear on cold, foggy San Francisco winter days. I'm also hoping to make matching leggings. I have my eye on a few simple eyelet stitches that will keep the fabric light. She hates being hot, but needs a layer of insulation generally since she hates coats and jackets.

So far, the process has been fun and illuminating. The thing that gets me is always gauge. For the life of me, I can't seem to look at a bunch of stitches and a ruler and have a sense of how much space those stitches are taking up along that four or five inches. Brunette has a great way to figure it out, too - measure at least 3 times along the swatch, preferably towards the top where you've hit your stride.

What's even more confusing is that I seem to have extremely regular stitches. I measured 4 times and each time found exactly 24 stitches in 5". On the other hand, my child could have simply had a huge growth spurt since the time I measured her. Two weeks ago I found that she was a size Child 3 and decided to make it a full 2 sizes larger at the time. Today I stretched that bit of ribbing and one pattern repeat along the top of her hips and found that it was pulled to the limit when it reached from one shirt seam to the other.

Also, Brunette suggests starting off your ribbing with a full 10% fewer stitches than the body. I'm not sure that works in all situations.

At any rate, I'm back to the drawing board.

I'll post photos when I can.

Oh, yeah...also just finished 2 of the cute Gurumi dollies from KnitPicks. I'm happy to say that Little Moo adores both and favors them above all the others so far. They're easy and cute. I'm also making some brainless and enjoyable ribbed socks out of some Cherry Tree Hill multi for Snackboy as a way to decompress after all the math and ripping. :)