Mmmmm…. Alpaca….
Inca Alpaca waiting to be my Equinox Yoke Pullover. Mmmmmm…
Inspired by the fit of the Sunrise Circle Jacket, I’m determined to take the same care with the planning of the Equinox Yoke Pullover. I love the sweater and I want it to fit properly. To this end, I am now…(are you sitting down)…swatching. A real swatch that will be plenty big enough and that I will wash before casting on for the actual sweater. No swatches that become sleeves. No guessing at needle size and measuring the first inch of the back of the sweater and declaring it “close enough.” Nope. My knitting time is so limited now that I don’t want to waste it making another sweater that fits “well enough.” Nope, nope, nope.
I know gauge is a fickle beast and that swatches sometimes lie, but the swatch is still the best predictor of sweater outcome that we have, and I will no longer fight it.
2007. It’s the year of the swatch, my friends.
Gorgeous colors!
Good luck with the swatch…
Posted by: Marie
Ooh. I love this sweater. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out (although this will no doubt make me wildly jealous).
Posted by: Katie
Good for you! I came round to this last year, the really swatching for real thing I mean, and I now have a drawer full of sweaters that fit me! I am so envious of your alpaca… 🙂
Posted by: julia
I’ll pray for you.
😉
Posted by: claudia
Inca Alpaca… let me count the ways how I love thee!
Oh and I’ll join Claudia in vigil over there (though if I am back in Brooklyn soon… I might ask you to explain that to me so I can start another sweater and make it how I’d want it 🙂
Posted by: stinkerbell
I also love me some Inca Alpaca and have a fantastic cardigan made with it. Can’t wait to see – get some good close ups of those colors.
Posted by: melanie
Gorgeous colors!
Good luck with the swatch…
Posted by: Marie
Ooh. I love this sweater. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out (although this will no doubt make me wildly jealous).
Posted by: Katie
Good for you! I came round to this last year, the really swatching for real thing I mean, and I now have a drawer full of sweaters that fit me! I am so envious of your alpaca… 🙂
Posted by: julia
I’ll pray for you.
😉
Posted by: claudia
Inca Alpaca… let me count the ways how I love thee!
Oh and I’ll join Claudia in vigil over there (though if I am back in Brooklyn soon… I might ask you to explain that to me so I can start another sweater and make it how I’d want it 🙂
Posted by: stinkerbell
I also love me some Inca Alpaca and have a fantastic cardigan made with it. Can’t wait to see – get some good close ups of those colors.
Posted by: melanie
Them sure is some beautiful colours. But this thing about 2007 being the year of the swatch – is that an Official designation, or a DSY designation? I’m as fond of the swatch as the next knitter, but that just sounds ominous. Or maybe I just haven’t had enough coffee.
Posted by: Rachel H
2007 is The Year Of The Swatch? Damn. Guess that’s another skill I’ll have to learn.
Posted by: Alison
That is quite the eye candy! Good luck with your swatching.
Posted by: Lauren
I bought some alpaca last year …. haven’t knit anything with it yet but I get it out and pet it every so often.
Posted by: Diane
That sweater is going to look amazing on you! Love those colors.
Posted by: regina
Have you ever seen the out of print 400+ page Principles of Knitting? It’s the one that sells for hundreds on eBay. Well, this woman put the fear of God into me about swatching, but not in a good way. She introduced the (totally valid) point that the swatch isn’t a true indication of how the yarn will behave en masse–meaning that the weight of the sweater in its entirety is much different than that light little swatch. SO SHE RECOMMENDS WEIGHTING YOUR SWATCH. She shows how to do this and it’s ridiculous. You have to rig it up and also estimate the weight of the fully finished sweater, then find an appropriate stand-in for that.
But that said, I support your effort. I am through making sweaters I don’t wear. To that end, I’m bolding recalculating all my patterns to add sleeve and torso length and waist shaping and on and on. We have to whip these garments into submission!
Posted by: Cirilia
Them sure is some beautiful colours. But this thing about 2007 being the year of the swatch – is that an Official designation, or a DSY designation? I’m as fond of the swatch as the next knitter, but that just sounds ominous. Or maybe I just haven’t had enough coffee.
Posted by: Rachel H
2007 is The Year Of The Swatch? Damn. Guess that’s another skill I’ll have to learn.
Posted by: Alison
That is quite the eye candy! Good luck with your swatching.
Posted by: Lauren
I bought some alpaca last year …. haven’t knit anything with it yet but I get it out and pet it every so often.
Posted by: Diane
That sweater is going to look amazing on you! Love those colors.
Posted by: regina
Have you ever seen the out of print 400+ page Principles of Knitting? It’s the one that sells for hundreds on eBay. Well, this woman put the fear of God into me about swatching, but not in a good way. She introduced the (totally valid) point that the swatch isn’t a true indication of how the yarn will behave en masse–meaning that the weight of the sweater in its entirety is much different than that light little swatch. SO SHE RECOMMENDS WEIGHTING YOUR SWATCH. She shows how to do this and it’s ridiculous. You have to rig it up and also estimate the weight of the fully finished sweater, then find an appropriate stand-in for that.
But that said, I support your effort. I am through making sweaters I don’t wear. To that end, I’m bolding recalculating all my patterns to add sleeve and torso length and waist shaping and on and on. We have to whip these garments into submission!
Posted by: Cirilia
You inspire me. Swatch on!
Posted by: Teri S.
Oh god, that yarn is delicious. I have been lusting for that sweater since I saw the cover of the magazine. Perhaps that will be my reward for knitting up some of my stash this spring.
In the meantime, I will live vicariously through you!
Posted by: Heather G.
The year of the swatch. I admire that 🙂 It is not fun to knit something that doesn’t fit or looks odd when you are done.
Posted by: Knittripps
I love the colors, they remind me of a nice, crisp fall evening.
Posted by: Stephanie
I’ve been lurking for a few months, I may have posted before but I had to post because when I saw all the alpaca my first thought was ‘that looks like the Equinox Yoke pullover’ and then you are knitting it! But with the correct yarn and the correct pattern. I fell in love with that sweater when I first saw the cover but I don’t have excess to the yarn (Northern BC) so I changed the yarn and the pattern so I’m not really knitting that sweater anymore. I’m very envious and excited for you and will be watching with delight!
Posted by: Leone
You inspire me. Swatch on!
Posted by: Teri S.
Oh god, that yarn is delicious. I have been lusting for that sweater since I saw the cover of the magazine. Perhaps that will be my reward for knitting up some of my stash this spring.
In the meantime, I will live vicariously through you!
Posted by: Heather G.
The year of the swatch. I admire that 🙂 It is not fun to knit something that doesn’t fit or looks odd when you are done.
Posted by: Knittripps
I love the colors, they remind me of a nice, crisp fall evening.
Posted by: Stephanie
I’ve been lurking for a few months, I may have posted before but I had to post because when I saw all the alpaca my first thought was ‘that looks like the Equinox Yoke pullover’ and then you are knitting it! But with the correct yarn and the correct pattern. I fell in love with that sweater when I first saw the cover but I don’t have excess to the yarn (Northern BC) so I changed the yarn and the pattern so I’m not really knitting that sweater anymore. I’m very envious and excited for you and will be watching with delight!
Posted by: Leone
Yep. Looks like you got your blogging juice back. Must be all the nursing… 🙂
Glad you’re back (even if it is for a couple of days).
Posted by: TheSteph
Ooh very pretty. Year of the swatch huh? Hmm, I must have missed that one on my Chinese lunar calendar.
Posted by: Sil
And yet? Still follow the path of virtue — but do a sleeve first. As EZ points out, you relax, the gauge may relax, but by the armpit you have a useable reality check, and slightly wonky gauge doesn’t matter much in a sleeve.
Go with our blessings.
Posted by: rams
This is nothing to do with knitting.
I come to your blog for the knitting (and the cute baby) but I enjoy reading what you have to say about the writing process so when I read this article in the paper at the weekend I thought of some of the stuff you talked about before. I don’t know if you would have heard about it already or if you are even interested in what other writers think about the writing process but here is the link anyway!
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1988887,00.html
Love the Equinox colours. Happy knitting
Posted by: Victoria
Yummy yarn. ~x~
Posted by: Jane in London
Oh, how I love that sweater. So glad I’ll get to see it!
Here’s to a year of sweaters that fit!
Posted by: Amy
Yep. Looks like you got your blogging juice back. Must be all the nursing… 🙂
Glad you’re back (even if it is for a couple of days).
Posted by: TheSteph
Ooh very pretty. Year of the swatch huh? Hmm, I must have missed that one on my Chinese lunar calendar.
Posted by: Sil
And yet? Still follow the path of virtue — but do a sleeve first. As EZ points out, you relax, the gauge may relax, but by the armpit you have a useable reality check, and slightly wonky gauge doesn’t matter much in a sleeve.
Go with our blessings.
Posted by: rams
This is nothing to do with knitting.
I come to your blog for the knitting (and the cute baby) but I enjoy reading what you have to say about the writing process so when I read this article in the paper at the weekend I thought of some of the stuff you talked about before. I don’t know if you would have heard about it already or if you are even interested in what other writers think about the writing process but here is the link anyway!
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,1988887,00.html
Love the Equinox colours. Happy knitting
Posted by: Victoria
Yummy yarn. ~x~
Posted by: Jane in London
Oh, how I love that sweater. So glad I’ll get to see it!
Here’s to a year of sweaters that fit!
Posted by: Amy
The year of the swatch? (sigh) Oh, well. It’s probably good for me.
Posted by: Jennie
Mmmm, love the color palette. Including the chair they are photographed on. These will look wonderful on you!
Posted by: Laurie
watched the ‘Hold Steady’ – fun to hear something new – I just can’t make it up late for David L like I used to. I enjoy your blog – don’t even subscribe – just come by couple times a week to see what’s going on. I’m holding out for your agent to put that first line back in your novel before the final draft gets approved.
Posted by: robin
alpaca. it will be very warm, no?
so i could wear it outside, but never in my apartment. oh the problems of having an oven for an apartment!
Posted by: carolyn
I would consider two things. One Alpaca stretches–a lot. Secondly it has no memory. Proceed with caution. Measure frequently and knit tightly and even consider either a thin wool at the waistband and cuffs…just saying….
Patty
Posted by: Patty Bolgiano
The year of the swatch? (sigh) Oh, well. It’s probably good for me.
Posted by: Jennie
Mmmm, love the color palette. Including the chair they are photographed on. These will look wonderful on you!
Posted by: Laurie
watched the ‘Hold Steady’ – fun to hear something new – I just can’t make it up late for David L like I used to. I enjoy your blog – don’t even subscribe – just come by couple times a week to see what’s going on. I’m holding out for your agent to put that first line back in your novel before the final draft gets approved.
Posted by: robin
alpaca. it will be very warm, no?
so i could wear it outside, but never in my apartment. oh the problems of having an oven for an apartment!
Posted by: carolyn
I would consider two things. One Alpaca stretches–a lot. Secondly it has no memory. Proceed with caution. Measure frequently and knit tightly and even consider either a thin wool at the waistband and cuffs…just saying….
Patty
Posted by: Patty Bolgiano