Reach Should Exceed Grasp, mumble, mumble

more than you can chew.....

The purple vest is not particularly hard to knit, but it is hard for me to write down exactly what I am doing in a coherent fashion, and I think that grading it for more than one size may be beyond me altogether, at least in it's current form.

I think it was a mistake to work the button bands all in one piece with the body. Firstly, because this turns a 4 row pattern repeat into a 12 row pattern repeat, at least on the buttonhole side. Secondly, because this turns a fairly easy to "read" pattern stitch into an exercise in minutely careful row counting (again on buttonhole side). Thirdly, because halfway up I decided that I would like to make a change in the buttonhole band (it really needs an extra stitch); but to fix it I couldn't just rip back the band, I would have to rip back the whole piece. I ain't going to do it. Also, if I were starting over I would definitely work it in one piece to the armholes. Just sayin'.

But having come this far, I have charged ahead and finished the right front.





I'm not convinced this couldn't be turned into a workable pattern. But it will need some tweaking.

Back on Track

Knitting wise, that is



I settled down yesterday and got most of the back finished for the purple vest. I'm actually a bit farther along than in the picture - just about ready for the neck shaping. I've never done back neck shaping on a sweater before, but think I'll give it a whirl, just to see if I like the fit better.

Purple Progress

Well, Bets, since you asked......

I've finished the last of the vest swatches (I think).



The top and bottom of the cable panel need some tweaking. I have some ideas worked out on paper, may or may not swatch them before starting the fronts, but I have enough info to start in on the back.

I've measured another vest that I like and added an inch to the circumference (because the other one tends to gap just a little bit across the chest) and about an inch to the length (because the other one falls just a bit short of the top of some of my jeans).

I've measured my gauge (though why, oh why, does my gauge always seem to change between the time I swatch and the time I start knitting on the real thing?) And I've plugged my numbers into "Knitwear Sweater Design 2.50". I like this program because it will give me a schematic with a superimposed stitch grid of the garment piece(s). This isn't exactly a stitch by stitch graph (for one thing, decrease angles are sort of averaged), but it gives me a good starting point. I'll need to make changes to allow for the fact that the gauge of the cable panel is different than that of the main patten stitch. And I'll take a red pencil to the neckline, to fit it more precisely to the panel. But I've got enough info to cast on for the back, and I'll twiddle with the graphs while I work on it.

So- How's that Purple Vest Coming?

Still swatching.

Getting to Know You

I've knit up a first swatch with the yarn I want to use for my vest (Brown Sheep Superwash). This first swatch is partly to check gauge, and partly just to get to know the yarn - how it feels and behaves.

Ruh-Roh!




"How it behaves" so far is a fair amount of bias. I'll wash and dry it (which I would want to do for accurate gauge measurement anyway) and see if that helps at all.

This kind of biasing just seems to happen with certain yarns, though I've had more trouble with singles, and this is a three ply. I think I've read somewhere that it is more common for Continental knitters, of which I am one.

I suppose I could try again with the yarn in my right hand. It would probably be good practice. I do all right with "throwing" on the knit rows, it's the purl one's that will take some getting used to.

(Time passes)

I did knit a second swatch carrying the yarn in my right hand. It felt slowly and painfully awkward. And it still went on the bias.

So I washed both swatches and have laid them out to dry. Washing seems to have straightened things out considerably, and also to have changed row gauge a bit. So now I'll start noodling around with swatching pattern stitches.

I basically want a simple cardigan vest that comes just below my waist, with some sort of fairly easy cable running up each side of the front opening. But what cable? And what stitch for the edges and button bands? And maybe a subtle texture on the body, instead of all stockinette? Hmmmm.

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It's been fun seeing what some of you probably won't knit. (Kitty Mommy, I'm pretty sure your's are ones I definitely won't knit).

I probably won't ever knit arugami (though I think some of them are really cute), but if I ever have a grandchild I may knit a nice floppy bunny toy.

I'm pretty sure I will never knit hot pants, but maybe someday a pair of "nethergarments" (a/k/a nice warm long underwear).

I don't think I'll ever knit a tote bag out of re-cycled strips of plastic grocery bags. I tried that once years and years ago and the process was so unpleasant I never finished it.

I doubt that I'll ever knit a Clapotis or a Baby Surprise or soakers - all perfectly valid items, just not on my list.