Lyn and Kelly guessed correctly - I am indeed knitting Carol Feller‘s Corcovado from the last Twist Collective. It’s a nice break to knit someone else’s pattern!

While I do appreciate the freedom of following a pattern, I pretty much never knit any pattern as written. First of all, I can’t – as I discussed the other day, most patterns are written for someone measuring about 5’6″ to 5’7″. I am not exceedingly short (5’3″ *and* 3/4″), but clothing is generally just a little too long. The first thing I do is study the schematic.

Doing so, I first saw that the body length for Corcovado is 22″ for all sizes. Adding the armhole depth and shoulder shaping results in over 30″ overall length – which means the hem would hit mid-thigh. A good 4″ would have to come off. But here’s where the style preference comes in – I’d rather have a nice, deep ribbing at the bottom. 3″ sounds about right – a total of 7″ would have to be lopped off.

It was a piece of cake applying that change to the front – I merely multiplied 7 by the sts-per-inch number and cast on that many fewer stitches (using a provisional method; you can’t see it here but I’ve grafted the cast-on edge to the back’s side seams. It’s nice and flat). The back required a few more calculations, but nothing too tricky – I’ve talked about it before and I can assure you that it gets easier each and every time. I intend on picking up stitches for the bottom band and knitting down, so cast-on the back with a provisional method as well.

One more thing worth noting – see how all the ends are on the bottom? I’d rather keep my shoulder edges nice and clean so began the left front with a wrong side row, thereby executing colour changes at the hem. It meant that my slip rows would also occur on the wrong side, but only entails working ‘sl1 wyib, p1′ instead of ‘k1, sl1 wyif’.

Oh, and Laura asked – the colours I used are softspun in black, and regal in ‘fir green’ and dark grey’.

I’ve cast on for a purely me project – can you guess what it is? The pattern calls for Softspun – which I chose as my MC – but I’m using Regal instead for CC1 and CC2. I might jabber on about the changes I’m making if anybody’s interested (for both fit and personal taste).

Contest Update:

As much as it saddens me, I had to give up on 559 – perhaps somebody threw away their ticket, not realizing how close they were to baby alpaca joy.

So, I picked a new number (1214), which ended up being Christina in Montana – one of the customers and newsletter subscribers. Her response: ‘are you serious?’…

Patternfish began rolling out its November newsletter this morning and you may have noticed I have a little something in there – it’s a sweater I made especially for my sister-in-law, Monique. You heard about Mo before – I showed her first project a few entries back (a bit of an overachiever, isn’t she?) – but this is the first time I’ve showed a picture of her on this blog. Isn’t she gorgeous?

Her sweater was initially to be named ‘Blue MOon Pullover’ – get it? Mo? But we feared it would just look like one giant screaming typo. Blue Moon it is, then.

Anyhow: I’m not sure how long voting will last, but you can see all the finalists right here. And, if you feel so inclined, vote for Mo!

Oh! And I’m still waiting for number 559 to get in touch with me – check your tickets, everyone! If I don’t hear by the 18th, I’ll pick a new number.

Oona’s birthday has come and gone, and the time has come to pick a winner (with the help of www.random.org). If you hold number 559 in your hands, let me know! Reach me at infoATstdenisyarnsDOTcom.

*this photograph has nothing to do with this post – I just can’t bring myself to post without any images…

Ever since I taught a class about custom fitting your knits in Iceland, I’ve been mulling over discussing the issue on this blog. Before I begin, I think it would be best to talk about where we are (usually) starting from in order to best illustrate the concepts used to alter garments for one’s figure.

To start with, one needs to know which size most knitting patterns are calibrated for. Whether we are talking about knitting patterns, sewing patterns or even ready to wear, a garment is designed in what is called a sample size before being graded to fit other sizes. This varies, but only slightly, from one maker to the next – the measurements used are typically about 34.5″ around the fullest part of the bust, while the waist and hip respectively measure 26.5″ and 37.5″. Furthermore, this sample size measures 5’7″ and wears a B cup.

In ready to wear, this size is often designated as a 4. In sewing patterns, these measurements would be a little larger than a 12 through the bust and hips. Coincidently, have any of you ever heard that Marilyn Monroe wore a 16? Many like to use this fact in order to make a point about today’s women being held up to slimness standards not seen in Marilyn’s day. The problem with this assertion is that clothing sizes have changed since Marilyn’s day – I just grabbed one of my vintage patterns, and a 16 is marked as being 34-28-37. In other words, quite close to today’s size 4 (I have to admit that the fact that the waist size was larger when women wore girdles makes me pause for a moment).

I’ve asserted before that sample sizes vary from one manufacturer or make to another, and it does. It isn’t really as foolish as it seems, though – in ready to wear (RTW) , manufacturers need to address their customer base as best they can and different age groups have different fit concerns. So this may explain why one store’s size 4 fits one woman better than another’s. If this a subject you find yourself particularly interested in, I would suggest reading Fashion-Incubator, Kathleen Fasanella‘s blog. She posted a very thorough discussion on vanity sizing a while back which I have found fascinating.

I hope that all this discussion about sizes versus measurements have made one point amply clear – it isn’t enough to look for one’s size and one should rather look at the finished measurements of the desired garment. This is very, very important when regarding knitting patterns as the alpha sizing has absolutely nothing to do with RTW but rather uses letters in addition to measurements in order to avoid long strings of numbers in the pattern when directions are given for only a few of the sizes. It can be confusing to someone who expects a knitting pattern to match their RTW size  - a pattern containing 8 sizes separated by a grading increment of 2″ would likely result in a  large with a finished measurement of 38″ whereas a RTW large often designates an actual bust measurement closer to 40″. In this case, a string of finished measurements like these:

32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 48)”

And would result in a string of alpha sizes such as these:

XS (XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3Xl, 4XL)

I can also assure you that an off the peg 4XL will not have a finished circumference of 48″, unless said garment contains lycra in its fabric.

Note that I’ve talked about actual body measurements and finished measurements – knitting patterns differ from sewing patterns and RTW in that they present the knitter with finished measurements whereas the latter present sizes. Sewers (sewists? seamstresses?) pick a pattern and must consult the paper pattern or measure it in order to determine its finished measurements (they also often sew a mock garment called a ‘muslin’ out of inexpensive fabric to test the fit, but I doubt I’ll be convincing knitters to do the same anytime soon). So, Knitters not only need to know what their actual body measurements are but also need to know how much ease is needed in order to choose the appropriate size to knit from in a pattern. We’re told that ease is a matter of preference, but that is only true to a certain point – if a garment’s silhouette is supposed to be close fitting, a knitter should not attempt to knit a version with 6″ or more of ease as the fit would be poor throughout as a result.

The terms used in this table will be familiar to those who sew – sewing patterns include written description which detail the fit as well as any feature of the pattern, such as pockets. Unfortunately, knitting patterns don’t indicate in the description what kind of silhouette the garment is designed. Some indicate how much ease, but knitters must often use their own judgement to determine how much ease to add to their actual body measurements.

Which wouldn’t be so hard if we were all 5’7″ and wore a B cup… we’d just add however much ease we need to our actual bust measurement and choose the appropriate finished measurement.

That’s enough for now – one day, I’ll explain how grading is done when it comes to knitting patterns. In the meantime, please ask any questions you may have in the comment section- I’ll check in and answer to the best of my abilities.

We’ve been quite the traveling pair this year, Marcel and I – he went to Connecticut, then I went to Iceland, then he went to  Newfoundland, then I went to New Brunswick, then he went to Stratford and now I’m going to Rhinebeck. Which is why he ended up scribbling ‘vero leaves again’ on the kitchen calendar. But we’ll be staying put once I return… I think.

As I’ve already mentioned, I’m off to Rhinebeck this Friday with Tara and blogless Kate-the-Enabler. I skipped it last year and while it really couldn’t be helped (it happened too soon after  the infernal renos), I really missed it – so I decided to celebrate with a  contest. It actually started a little while back when I started distributing these at KnitEast:

As you can see, each has an unique number – I’ll be announcing the winner here on Oona’s birthday this upcoming November 2nd, so you’ll all have to check your numbers then if you aren’t a customer or a newsletter subscriber. Customers and newsletter subscribers may have more than one chance to win, as numbers will be assigned to each single purchase as well as to all subscribers. And of course, if one of you bumps into me in Rhinebeck and is already  entered via the newsletter, a ticket would provide an additonal chance to win.

So, what is the prize? Why, 16 skeins of the beautiful sommet in the colour or colours of your choice. Would you like 16 different colours? Done! What about 4 skeins each of 4 different colours? No problem!

Oh, and speaking of newsletter – I was recently asked how one signs up. There are two ways: you can either create an account and check the box to subscribe to the newsletter, or you can visit this page and add your email to the list. Either will work fine.

And with that, I’m off – I still have a few rows to add to my Rhinebeck cardigan and a bit of packing to do. Don’t forget to say hi if you see me!

Sometime last year, prompted by a dear friend’s pregnancy, Monique asked if I’d guide her in knitting her very first project. She’d only knit before, and had never cast on, bound off or done any kind of decrease. I immediately accepted and visited Patternfish on my ipad so that she could choose what to knit for Kate (also known as the boss of our hair). Imagine my surprise when she chose my bear claw blanket, without even knowing that I had designed and knit for IK back in 2003*.

I warned her that this entails a fair bit of knitting, but she was undaunted. We agreed to substitute yarn, as I have a bit on hand, and selected a palette for baby-to-be Ella by playing around in Illustrator.

Because Nordique is heavier than the original yarn, Mo decided to knit only 4 squares but decided to knit a wider border. It didn’t end up being ready for Ella’s birth – a couple months would have been a bit of an optimistic timeline for a woman with two boys under the age of 6, don’t you think? – but it was ready and blocked with time to spare for her first birthday.

Mittens are next – as soon as I come back from Knit East, she’ll come over and select her colours for a pair of Jared‘s Northlight Mittens. Perhaps she’ll catch the blogging bug and will tell you all about it herself (she’s now on ravelry, btw).

And, speaking of Knit East, I’ve decided to run another little contest. Anyone I meet in New Brunswick and Rhinebeck will receive an entry coupon. Those who can’t make it to either can enter by subscribing the the newsletter. I’ll share a few more details in a couple days.

*It took me 6 weeks to knit the original, and I must have knit literally during every waking moment. Since then, we refer to seemingly insurmountable endeavors simply as ‘bear claw’. Ironically, IK decided not to run the pattern until 2005!

Those who don’t subscribe to the newsletter probably don’t know that we recently added something new to our collection:

This is Sommet - it’s a pure baby alpaca which knits up at the same gauge as Nordique. Trust me… I’ve tested it every which way to Sunday!

First, I swatched by its lonesome using Laura Grutzeck‘s Hunter Jacket pattern as its basis:

Next came a portion of the border from the Green Mountain Shawl. I went up a couple of needle sizes, as I did when I knit the original.

I was having fun, can you tell? So, I tried to see how the halo would stand out against Nordique. Jared used Boreale in his Northlight Mittens pattern (scroll down a bit – it’s on the fourth row), but Nordique and Sommet will also work – it’ll just be a warmer pair of mittens.

I then tested out a strand each of Nordique and Sommet… perhaps I’ll add a big collar to Gamine at some point in the future.

For a lighter weight garment, a strand each of Boreale and Sommet. This is the border from Robin‘s Woodward Cardigan from the last issue.

Finally, I swatched Sommet double stranded. Oona’s Hoodie is a good choice for a heavier, pure alpaca garment as it is fitted and seamed. Alpaca does not share wool’s elasticity so care has to be taken when selecting a pattern for it. I am planning a yoked cardigan knit in the round, but it will be fitted and knit using a single strand – I don’t imagine I’ll have any problems since it is a sport weight.

Now, it’s your turn! Enjoy swatching…

I’ve been back from Iceland for a few days, but the simple cold I had when leaving Reykjavik had its volume turned up to 11 thanks to air travel. I’m hacking away still but hey! I make sense now.

As you can well imagine, a knitter cannot visit Iceland without stopping by Istex and, luckily for us, Ragga wasted no time taking us there. I knew I wanted some unspun, if only because I had never worked with it before. Seeing garments made with two strands held together at the Alafoss store only reinforced my aim and I selected enough to knit Védís Jónsdóttir’s Ranga from the new book ‘Knitting with Icelandic Wool’.

Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. Ranga’s sleeves are unshaped, and my arms are simply not long enough to allow me to get away with that. I also decided that I’d nip the body in slightly around the ribcage while I was at it. Oh, and yeah – I’d also be doing away with the zipper. But doing the pattern as written apart from that.

Except that after swatching, I found that the fabric I liked was at a different gauge than called for in the pattern. This was entirely my fault, by the way – the pattern called for Lett Lopi, not Plötulopi.

We were to be in and out of the bus for a few days, taking in sights and visiting yarn  and grocery stores (don’t laugh: the latter sell yarn). And we we’d be socializing amongst ourselves, so math was out for the time being. In order to move forward as simply as possible, I selected the size which would fit me best after accounting for the tension change and cast on… for the yoke!

Which worked really well. I had a provisional cast on to pick stitches up from for the body and sleeves, was able to try it on on the fly and there was no reverse engineering to be done. All I had to do was locate the number of stitches after the body and sleeves were brought together and go on from there. Danielle and Anne decided to give it a try as well – you can see some of Danielle’s progress here but she was much farther along when we said goodbye last week.

When I fist saw Elizabeth Zimmermann’s green sweater in  Twist Collective, I knew I had to make it. Took a bit of celestial alignment – I picked up the pattern in Wisconsin and knew I needed something warm for Iceland* – but here it is.

It really is hard for me to knit anything as written. But I didn’t make many changes on this one; decided on ribbing as a hem treatment instead of a facing and narrowed the sleeves slightly by removing an inch for the armhole depth. I alternated decreases every 2nd round then every 3rd round for a longer sleeve, since the length of the sleeve is dictated by the number of stitches picked around the armhole and I had picked up fewer.

The pic above is a little fuzzy, but shows something I always, always do when working armhole steeks – work a three needle bind off before finishing my steeks with crochet and cutting them open. The resulting steek flows over the shoulder.

For giggles, I tried something new this time and picked up stitches for the sleeves through a column of stitches. It worked – the little facing created by the steek selvedge is forced to the wrong side and lies flat without any steaming or blocking whatsoever. I love it when things work as anticipated.

I also experimented with picking up both the right side and wrong side of the faced neckband using two circulars – most of my finishing is done at night and visibility with such a dark colour can be an issue. Instead of sewing down the live stitches, doing it this way allowed me to close the neckband using kitchener stitch.

Only buttons and loops are left to sew on! Which is excellent because I am leaving for Iceland tomorrow morning! I will be posting often, because I promised my family I would – my favourite cousin might even make an appearance in the comments!

*yes, I have other sweaters. I just needed a NEW one!