The Secret Of The Swatch

A swatch is a great thing.

I know most of us hate knitting swatches, but honestly, they really are quite amazing. They tell you so much about a yarn without you having to find out the hard way! And, I can tell you, over the years I've had my fair share of knitting disasters. For the most part, these happen because we don't swatch (or we don't wash the swatch after we've made it!)

The only way you really get to understand how a yarn knits up is by working a swatch. It's really quite incredible. For all the finger walking we do with yarn, caressing it's softness in the store and giving it a tentative touch every so often once we've got it home (just to stay connected, you understand), we really don't know how it will feel until it's worked. This is where the swatch comes into its own. For better or worse, that small square of knitted fabric can feel totally different to the skein we've loved from afar.

A swatch is also a memento, particularly if you give away a lot of projects, not to mention a 'living' reference card. You can work different needle sizes, different patterns and different colours all into one swatch. If a sweater comes unravelled or develops a hole sometime down the road, you also have matching yarn on hand to make a repair with instantly. To be honest, a swatch is a work of art all by itself.

The funny thing is that I've only just realised this myself. Normally I HATE swatching. When I start a new project, I'm always so excited about it that I can't wait to get going. Everything else in my life comes to a grinding halt as I eagerly cast on and get going. Slowing down long enough to knit the perfect swatch always seems just a tad too restrictive for me. Until recently that is.....................................

It all started last weekend when I took DD2 to the LYS to select some yarn in an effort to stop her coveting the Harmony by Jojoland. I sat down at the work table to avoid the temptation all around me, only to be confronted by a wonderful ribbed lace top pattern in July's edition of "Creative Knitting." A top-down construction by Kristin Omdahl, it looked like a simple knit that would be a wonderful summer addition to my wardrobe.

I left the building.

Last week I went back. It was just the pattern after all, not yarn, and being a classic it could just sit in my pattern file until I needed it. "Let's face it, my knitting queue is so long that I'll be a classic by the time I get round to making it," I thought to myself. "One little pattern won't do any harm."

I thought about the pattern for the rest of the week. It hovered there at the back of my mind, drifting to the front whenever I got fed up with my other projects. Two rounds on my forgotten wooly purse project while I waited to pick up the girls from school led to thoughts of cool cotton tencel. Then it hit me!

I HAD PIMA SILK IN MY STASH!!

When I got home, I tore the house apart looking for the delectable cotton/silk combination that I'd bought for half price in the middle of winter. There was probably enough for a cotton classic....... but I didn't need to actually knit the top. I am bound to the lace bathroom curtain right now after all and really don't need a distraction. But...........................................I could just swatch.

Yes, dear readers, guess what I did on Saturday? No, not 25 rows on the lace curtain resulting in a half finished product. I did that other hateful thing, I swatched.....................and I loved every glorious, unadulterated moment of it! You see, the secret to swatching is to do it when it's forbidden; when you're supposed to be working on something else. Suddenly a swatch becomes the best thing since superwash merino. The delicious feeling of doing something ever so slightly 'naughty' makes swatching a breeze. I may just have to swatch a few more projects while I'm knitting that curtain this summer.

Anyone want an afghan?

Project Progress And A Friday Funny

Well, I thought I'd give you a little update on the projects going on here at Wilde Thyme this week. The main thing is that I've finished the neck trim on the Sample Sweater from "The Tailored Sweater" workshop. I decided to go for a picot edging, but then loved the openwork too much to actually hem it. As the yarn is Cascade Sierra Quatro, a cotton/wool blend, the openwork seemed to add that Spring-like feel to the piece so I've stuck with it. Just got to sew in the ends and block it now.

The Two-At-A-Time, Toe-Up socks in Broadripple pattern are coming along wonderfully. I even took them with me to the DOL on Wednesday when I had to renew my Driver's licence (yes, I've been here long enough to warrant a second visit to the Department Of Licencing!) I knew the queue would be bad so I went prepared. I came out with a new licence and several rounds of the sock gussets completed.

Out in the garden, the peas in pots are beginning to snake their way up the garden canes that I added for support and P.A has industriously built me my first raised bed. After last years successful container crops, we've gone for a bigger option this year. We did decide not to get too carried away though and have only built one 4'x8' bed. Coupled with the containers, this should be more than enough to manage (baby steps and all that.) Mind you, as I used up yet another jar of homemade tomato sauce this week in a pasta dish, the temptation to grow as many plants as possible was quite overwhelming!

Finally, I came across this book in a thrift store and just had to pick it up. Anything Norwegian is always a temptation, but the prospect of Ole and Lena jokes whenever we need them was irresistable. Last night P.A. and I kept dipping into it and sharing a good laugh. It is just what we need right now.

So here's a Friday Funny for you, courtesy of Ole and Lena:-

Ole had the misfortune of having his car stolen from right in front of his house. He chased the escaping car thief for three blocks until he ran out of breath. Upon reporting the theft to the police, the officer asked Ole if he could identify the thief.

"No," said Ole, "but I got the license number."

Sample Sweater

Well, Spring break is over.........and, ofcourse the sun has now arrived! Isn't that always the way. We have gone from woolly sock syndrome to open-toed shoes in a matter of days up here, but I don't expect it to last (pessimist that I am - or rather I should say, 'realist'.) We're just making the most of any warm rays of sunlight we can get before a return to the more normal rain.

Back to the start of the vacation though, and my workshop on "The Tailored Sweater" with Tuulia Salmela. Wow! What an amazing time I had. I learned so much that it was well worth every penny. I'd never been to any kind of knitting class before so I wasn't totally sure of what to expect. I knew I'd be knitting top-down for the first time, but aside from that my mind was totally open. As it was, the fact that I'd never knit top-down before was something of an advantage I think, because I didn't have any preconceived ideas of how things 'should' be. I just did as I was told and........I'm thrilled with the results!

I also learned how to do a crochet cast on (which is handy as DD2 had just asked me that exact question and now I can wow her with my superior knowledge - if I can remember how to do it ofcourse!) The other expert tip I picked up was how to hide your wrap-and-turns when you're doing short rows. This is invaluable. I didn't quite get it right the first time so I can see the stitches that I did wrong on my sample sweater, but hey, that's the point of making a sample. It's there as a permanent reminder of what not to do. The second time, I cracked it and boy is it wonderful to look at a piece of shaped knitted fabric without a hole or a twisted stitch in it. I'm quite proud of myself.

Tuulia herself is endlessly patient, lively, fun and a fellow European to boot. The subject of washing swatches led to a meeting of the minds as we discussed the differences between US and European washing machines. Not that either of us recommend washing your handknits in a machine (which ever country you're living in), but we know people who do. Just be aware - that agitater in a US top-loader packs a mean punch, so if you must put your superwash in a machine, make sure it's a front loader that bounces the fabric gently from side to side. It may take twice as long, but the gentler ride will give your hours of work a better chance of survival.

"The Tailored Sweater" tutorial is now available as a download over at Knitlob's Lair or on Ravelry.