This is the 3.5mm Muskat. This stretched a little, it is now 24 sts x 34 rows, a growth of 2 rows.
This is the 4mm Muskat. This stayed exactly the same, 22 sts x 28 rows.
This is the Silke Tweed. I had a hunch this would grow, and I was right! It is now 24 sts x 36 rows, a growth of 4 rows. Definitely something to consider when knitting with it!
This is the Lin. While it did soften up nicely, it is still a little rough. The drape is gorgeous though. This grew both ways, both in stitch count and row count. It is now 24 sts x 36 rows, a growth of 2 sts and 2 rows.
I went stash diving to see if there was anything else I could use for this garment, to try and save some money. I discovered 10 balls of a lovely dark red rosy colour Drops Alpaca (swoony soft) that would be really nice I think, so I grabbed this leftover in a different colour and I'm going to swatch with it.
I think this has been a really interesting experiment in swatching and how it affects different fibres. The silke tweed definitely confirmed what I'd seen happen to my Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Tangled Yoke cardigan. It stretched like nobody's business.
While I was searching through the stash, hubby came up to help. I was describing what I wanted to do, when he spotted something else in my stash and proposed what I think is a super idea, too.
This is what he spied:
Absolutely faboo Cushendale DK that I have 10 skeins of. This is Irish yarn, spun in Kilkenny, that you may remember I ordered when I visited the mill last year. Delish. The colour is called Autumn, and it's a bit lighter than the photo.
He suggested a long jacket/coat thingy that sounds fab, and would be perfect for wearing during the spring. He's drawing me a picture of what's in his head and I'll do a swatch with this for it.
So now, I have a dilemma! Do I continue with my idea for the first design or do this one? Also, if I do go ahead with the first one, do I destash and use the Alpaca or buy more yarn? (I have so much yarn it's ridiculous). If I make the second project, it'd be something I could really use a lot and it's Irish yarn (yum) and it's already in my stash.
This is when I need to spontaneously grow another pair of arms, and perhaps a second brain as I don't really multitask very well. I'm reminded of Inspector Gadget, "Go Go Gadget Arms!"
Whatever decision is made, it needs to be made soon, as I need to have something on the needles quickly before I have a meltdown!
Good knitting!
6 comments:
I'd say plan/ sketch your design, so you don't forget, and then work on your OH's idea. If you know it's something you'd wear a lot and you already have the yarn.. Plus, with the speed you knit, you'd have this knit in a couple of weeks and could wear it in spring and then make the other in time for Summer!
This is really interesting. It's great to see what happens to the different yarns when they are swatched and blocked. They're all lovely and react differently. The muskat is my favourite I think. The alpaca is also lovely but would it be too warm for a spring/summer top?
I love that Cushendale DK the colour is fabulous and a coat in it would be fab!
Go with your first project and let the other marinade a little while you knit the current one. You can be thinking about your husbands design while you knit the other. :)
Why not swatch with the Drops Alpaca and then decide. It's good to have the option of knitting from stash on both projects. If you fall in love with the Alpaca that may make the decision for you. I'm working with the Drops Alpaca right now and it's divine!
Either way, you can't go wrong. There are no bad decisions here. Just the decision that you make now and a different decision that you might make later on. It's completely ok to change your mind.
After the Finance Bill, Woman, this is easy!
I'm of no help because to me apparently, the more projects, the better!
It's been cool to watch your swatching progress, though -- you were very patient and detailed.
Dude! Your husband is DESIGNING!!!! That's brilliant!
Post a Comment