Oh So Wrong

April 18th, 2009

I was so confused when I wrote that last post. When your pattern is supposed to be 40 rows to 4″ and it’s only 38 rows to 4″, your finished piece is going to be longer than the pattern intended. Not shorter. At all. Reality is still firmly rooted; it’s me that’s not.

My gauge was off so the whole garment is measuring longer than it was intended (I haven’t checked width yet) but I decided that might not be so terrible. I started seaming up the sides to try it on and things seem fine so far. It’s not going to be as closely fitted as I prefer, but I think (hope!) it will fit.

Look at that nice mess of knitting.

Moving on to the next part of this neverending Sage Cardigan, and I’ve got about 6″ of the sleeve done. The pattern makes a sleeve much too long for me. Add to that an incorrect gauge, and I need to do some calculating. For some reason math and reason elude me lately, because I haven’t been able to come to a firm decision about how many rows to remove from the  established pattern. I’ve had too much progress on this thing lately to knit something I know may be ripped out again!

I’ve got this fear. Have you ever put so much work into something, and messed up so many times that your confidence not what it used to be, so you really can’t be sure it will all work out? That’s me with this damn cardigan.

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Bending Reality

April 12th, 2009

I just don’t know what to do. I’ve finished the back of my Sage Cardigan, and I just feel like reality doesn’t apply anymore. I’ve started blocking it (and never really finished as you will see), but I just couldn’t get the measurements to add up. The pattern has this handy schematic with measurements at various points, which I’ve been using to block it to shape. This is partly because I just want to see the piece nice and flat and pretty, and partly to make it easier when seaming. Well, at every dimension it’s just too big.

I just don’t understand this, because my gauge should be spot on. I measured the row gauge and that was actually a few rows short (possibly because it was slightly scrunched to get it to fit the measurements). If that was the case it should be too short! I haven’t even been able to bring myself to measure the stitch gauge yet, because I have this feeling it’ll be right and I’m still stuck with a back that’s too big.

First, I didn’t knit the larger size. I also counted stitch repeats to be sure that I didn’t knit any extras. I knit exactly as many rows as the pattern calls for! I also did the match and according to the gauge and the number of rows, the pattern schematic is spot on as to how large this thing should be.

The only thing that I can think of is that the pattern is wrong somewhere. When I can get up the energy I’m going to remeasure (now that it’s dry), check gauge again, and see how the seams match up with the two front pieces. Maybe I’m overreacting, but when the height of the garment is supposed to be 22.6″ and I get 24″ without stretching it…well that’s just wrong. I just don’t know where it’s gone wrong.

This thing is just bending reality and my understanding of the rules of reality. Ack!

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Modified Log Cabin Blanket

April 6th, 2009

I recently decided to make a baby blanket for a friend. This was partly because I’ve always wanted an excuse to knit with Berroco Comfort, and mostly because I knew she would like it. I do what I can to stay away from man-made fibers for various reasons, and ever since that first day at work I held a skein of the Comfort we’ve had a love-hate relationship. It’s just too soft to resist!

I wanted simple, garter stitch, portability, two-colored, and I just couldn’t for the life of me decide what to do. I’d thought about giving log cabin a try again, but there are just not many flattering ways to do a log cabin blanket with only 2 colors.

After agonizing, sketching, waffling, reconsidering, I finally came up with this…

If you look at a larger version of the picture (just click on it) you might  be able to tell that each color goes in a different direction. The blue garter ridges go one way, and the purple ones go another. I loved knitting this because there is minimal casting on, and the garter stitch makes it super easy.

To knit it, you just cast on the width of one square, knit as many garter ridges as you have stitches cast-on. If you cast-on 30, you will knit 60 rows (every 2 rows makes one garter ridge). When you’re done with that square, bind-off all of the stitches. Then just pick up 30 stitches in the 30 garter ridges as you would for a log cabin blanket, and knit another 60 rows. Do the same thing for the third and fourth squares, except you won’t start picking up stitches along the bind-off edge. You’ll have to seam the first and last squares together, et voila!

I think I’ll make 9 big squares (4 small squares to each big square) to make a blanket roughly 33″ x 33″. That’s a good baby blanket size, right?

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