Monday, January 3, 2011

The Dutiful Knitter

I want to start a new pair of socks. I have two pairs of socks on the needles now that are a tad too tight. Most of my socks in the past have come out just right, just by chance ... not as of late. We all know that in order to have a successful knitting project, one must do a gauge swatch. I promise to myself, no matter how much I want to start the project that I will do my duty as a knitter and do a gauge swatch first. For socks, its not that hard.

Cat Bordhi has a wonderful section in New Pathways for Sock Knitters about gauge and an easy way to knit a gauge swatch in the round by using Judy's Magic Cast On.



Here's my swatch. My gauge is 7.5 stitches per inch on size 2.75mm. So now I know where I am going with this one. I'm thinking plain vanilla since its a self striping sock yarn.

Oh, by the way. I tried on a sock that was in the works .. and it really isn't tight, its quite comfortage actually and that was on size 2.25mm, but with 64 stitches ... think I might finish that pair first.

There's another pair on the needles that definitely has to be ripped out and redone on a larger needle, they are not comfortable and the yarn is stretching too much when on my foot, not a good thing.

In addition to this gauge activity, I am going to start keeping a Knitting Notebook, guess what I put in it already?!?! My gauge for this yarn and this size needle. Especially with sock yarn, I often have several colorways of the same type in my stash, now if I go to use Opal again, I know what my gauge is on 2.75mm needles!

1 comment:

Sue said...

Love the colours in the yarn. I keep writing cryptic messages in my knitting notebook. I'm sure they make sense at the time.....just not afterwards! lol