« Looking ahead... | Main | Ooooh, I'm Swatching My Life Away...... »
January 11, 2006
Dare I Hope....
that I found a yarn that will work?!?!? So far, it's taken 3 yarns and several needle sizes per yarn. But I think, I think I just may have a contender here. Unblocked my gauge is 6.2 rows per inch and 6.5 stitches per inch. So close to what I want it to be--I think if I block it a little wider, it may help it to draw up that almost 1/4 inch to get me right at row gauge!! The fabric looks pretty good unwashed/unblocked. I was hoping for something a little heavier, but it may bloom after washing. We'll see. It was after 1 am when i went to bed last night, thinking that my stitch per inch was like 7.5--but I realized this morning that I had included the garter stitch borders in my stitch count, but had not measured those! So on the inside I'm doing a little happy dance, but just on the inside, as I don't want to jinx it. BUT I am very excited and hopeful!!! If this one works out I'll edit this post this afternoon with the yarn name, measurements, and link to photo at my blog when the swatch has dried.
Edited to add: I am quickly losing hope in this yarn. While it appears as though it will block to exactly the dimensions I need (of course, it would) the llama content of the yarn has certainly bloomed far beyond what I thought it would and is obscuring the beautiful cable patterns. They are visible, but not clear. I don't want that. I want those babies to pop! The yarn in question is Peruvian Collection Uros Aran from Elann. I don't even think I will try swatching with the Peruvian Collection Sierra Aran for fear it will do the same--it is a wool/alpaca blend--20% alpaca. I may go ahead and just try the Peruvian Collection HIghland Chunky just to see if it will work. I'm pretty bummed right now.....really thought I had it.
I am seriously considering holding off on this pattern until FLAK is done. Janet is teaching us what goes into designing an aran, not just providing a pattern. I'm thinking I could take what I learn from her and make these cable patterns from CIT work for me, no matter what yarn I'm using. I could change the raglan to a modified drop, modified saddle, or modified raglan. Then the sweater would be just for me--not a one size pattern that I've coerced into working for me--you know what I mean? I could use any yarn, any weight--do the measurements, the math, and have a custom fit sweater with these cables I love. That's the line of thinking all this swatching without success has led me to. I know it's a process....and I'm all into that--much more than I used to be. I'm learning tons.....I just want it to work without breaking the bank swatching.
Posted by jens at January 11, 2006 07:50 AM
Comments
Jen - I agree that the elann Peruvian Uros won't work for single-st. designs like the CIT. *However* I've swatched it for bigger cables (6sts. and up) and it looks great. Single st. designs really seem to need a very smooth, tightly plied yarn, knit at a firmer gauge than you would use with st. st.
Posted by: Judith at January 11, 2006 07:39 PM
Jen - I agree that the elann Peruvian Uros won't work for single-st. designs like the CIT. *However* I've swatched it for bigger cables (6sts. and up) and it looks great. Single st. designs really seem to need a very smooth, tightly plied yarn, knit at a firmer gauge than you would use with st. st.
Posted by: Judith at January 11, 2006 07:40 PM
Besides the FLAK which I am also doing, you might be interested in Sweater Wizard, a computer program which lets you design many different types of sweaters based on your size and your guage. I love the program and will use it to help me reconfigure this one.
Posted by: sue at January 12, 2006 04:44 PM