Ok, I admit it. I don't swatch.
Ever.
Granted, I mostly knit socks, and sometimes the foot is too loose, but I have solved that problem lately my starting out one size bigger for my large calves and then after the heel turn going down to the next size for the rest because of my little feet.
I have made lots and lots of sweaters in my life. And they all fit. I don't swatch.
Isn't that what sleeves are for?
Yes, I knit the sleeves first, and then use that as my gauge to adjust for the body.
I only have ever frogged one sweater. I had gauge, but I was getting smaller so I had to re-knit a totally different size.
It is not that I don't believe in swatching. In fact I admire my knitting friends who swatch and then wash and block said swatch.
I do.
I really admire them.
But after fifty years of knitting I don't think I will be changing my stripes any time soon. To be fair I knit to gauge if I use the correct needles and yarn, and I am not adventurous enough to stray too far from any pattern.
Once I pick out a pattern and yarn I just want to start knitting the project. Right now.
So that makes me a non-swatcher and impatient, or perhaps impetuous.
Either way, it is not an excuse, just a reality.
Of course now I am learning to spin I probably will knit 'samples' from the yarn I have spun. But a sample is not a swatch.
That's my story and I am sticking with it.
Do you have any knitting confessions? If so head over to Stitched Up in Toronto and share it.
Come on, you know you want to.
They say confession is good for the soul. I don't know who 'they' is, but still it is fun to play along.
If you are not a knitter, just comment and confess something. Anything. I promise not to judge.
And I promise to reply.
I don't swatch either. I never had. Was knitting a couple years before I realized people actually did that. I don't mind loose and roomy. And knitting for babies, if it comes out larger, I just label it with a bigger size. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's the spirit! Sisters in non-swatchdom. I love it!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of following patterns. I freestyle when ever possible. Even if it means restarting a project a few times.
ReplyDeleteI admire you doing that....I rarely stray from a pattern...too scary!
DeleteI usually do a half-hearted swatch. I make it too small and never wash/block. It is rarely accurate I might as well not swatch at all... I love your idea of doing the sleeves first on sweaters! Brilliant! (It sounds like it involves some math.... but I could handle it!)
ReplyDeleteYes it is actually quite easy. I did that on a fairisle sweater I decided to make after years away from knitting. I was using one pattern for the shape and another for the fairisle pattern. I also like doing the sleeves first because I hate finishing the long haul on the body of the sweater and then realizing there are still two sleeves to make. It is much worse than second sock syndrome. Although on the occasional sweater wear I can't do the sleeves first I knit them two at a time. Much faster and more rewarding.
DeleteI'm not a knitter, my Nana tried to teach me when I was younger but I didn't practice enough to get any good at it. Hopefully someday, looks very relaxing!
ReplyDeleteI have tons to confess, none of it very interesting. We've been getting outside every minute we can lately b/c of the gorgeous Fall weather, so today I packed a roadie of vodka & juice and sipped as we hiked along. See? Not very exciting. I'm looking forward to winter, when the pace slows a little and I can hopefully spend more time at my laptop catching up with my fave bloggers again!
Sounds exciting to me. If I packed a roadie like that I would just want to curl up in a bed of moss and snooze away!
ReplyDeleteI can't knit. I loathe knitting, not patience for it at all. My mom knit, however, and I loved watching her and I treasure the beautiful things she made.
ReplyDeleteI confess I can't just throw out old sweaters. Even those that didn't work out well like the one made of beautiful yarn that ends up at my knees within half an hour. It's sort of a wearable afghan. I can't wear it but I can't throw it away.
oh yes, I have shawls and scarves like that - I never wear them, but can't part with them....But hey, a wearable afghan sounds great on these cold rainy days.
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