I finished the back of my ribby cardi (what a fast knit!) yesterday and promptly started on the left front. While I’m knitting this said front, I’m thinking to myself, this looks really, really small.
I wear about a size 8 in real life. Sometimes a 10, depending on the brand. But I’m nicely endowed on top. Not Anna Nicole Smith or anything, but you know, not small by any means. So I tend to wear baggy clothes on top. I go for the large usually. I’m not trying to hide anything, I just want to be comfortable.
When I measured for the ribby cardi I took out a sweater I already have (not one I made) and measured against that. The sweater’s a little on the baggy side, but going by the gague I decided on the 38/39 version of the sweater. (Bonne Marie has been very generous in her pattern by giving us about a million sizes to choose from!)
Of course, I was using the exact yarn the pattern called for and I’m a “normal” knitter (not too tight, not too loose – or at least I thought) so I didn’t bother to check for gague. WRONG! When will I learn?!? I just measured the back. The pattern says the gague should be 19 stitches for 4 inches in stockinette. I just measured my sweater. I’m getting 21 stitches for 4 inches. I think I’m going to rip it out and go two sizes bigger. That way I know it won’t be too tight. Kind of a bummer, but it really did knit up amazingly quickly. I’ll rip it all out today.
Because I was bummed about ribby cardi, I started on a swatch for my Manos vest. I’m thinking I want to get it finished by January 13th – the first day of class. I’m teaching this term and want to look snazzy for my first day. This will be my first “design.” I’m doing a simple v-neck vest with a cable down the middle.
Thanks everyone for your interest in the knitblogging reading group! I’m thrilled to get it off the ground. I’ve purchased the url www.knitonereadtoo.com and hopefully by the end of the week you’ll be receiving invitations in your email. Thanks – I think it’s going to be great. I’ve already read about fifty pages of the book and it’s really good. Very interesting! (I was kind of bummed yesterday – you know, end of year, winter’s here, birthday kind of blahs – so it’s nice to have a new project!)
PS – If you want in on the reading group, please leave a comment on “>the knitblogging entry. That way I can keep it all together! Thanks!
Darn, darn, darn on not getting gauge! But you know what? Better to rip than to not have a garment that fits properly. If my pieces aren’t measuring up while knitting, I’ll rip out too.
gauge is a bugger isn’t it. I have fears about my own current project but Becky is right, better to rip and have it fit. Better to rip after one piece than five….