Swatching

We always recommend making a swatch before starting every project. Most of the time our customers say they hate swatching, they don't swatch, they've never swatched, they can't imagine swatching... etc, etc. So we know there's a lot of anti-swatching out there! But we're going to keep recommending it, and here's just one reason why...

We just rearranged the entire worsted room last week. (Locals... come on in and check it out. It looks great!) And while we were rearranging the yarns, we had to opportunity to touch EACH AND EVERY ball. Sure, we each have our favorites, but by being forced to fondle each ball, we got reacquainted with some long lost loves!

One yarn that I've always loved is Berroco Remix. Remix is a super soft worsted weight yarn that's made of 100% recycled fibers. It's machine washable (another plus for me!) and has a nice tweedy effect. While moving the Remix to it's new location in the shop, I really started itching to knit with it. 

I started looking through the sweater patterns in the shop, and settled on the Chic Knits Ariann sweater. I really wanted a cardigan and I like the look of this pattern stitch. I'm going to make the long sleeves (instead of 3/4), but I'll pass on the belt! The collar doesn't thrill me... I really wanted a v-neck, but I'm going to see what I can do with it. By the time I knit up to the neck, maybe I'll have come up with a way to modify it to suit my tastes.

This sweater pattern calls for a stitch gauge (in stockinette) of 4.75 stitches to the inch. Remix is 4.25 stitches to the inch on an 8 US needle. I started my swatching on a 6 US Addi Lace needle. 

[I went down 1 size from what the ball band said, because I needed to cram an extra 1/2 stitch into every inch, and then another size since I knit a little loose, and normally go down 1 size needle.]

I ended up getting almost 5 stitches to the inch which is pretty close to 4.75. But I felt like I was really trying to knit tight... and it was making my hands cramp up. That wasn't going to be enjoyable for me, and I like to ENJOY my knitting time.

So I threw a purl row into my swatch and tried a size 7 US Addi Lace. And I relaxed to my normal knitting tension. And the swatch... was too loose. It measured in at 4.25 stitches to the inch.

After another purl row, I went back to the 6 US Addi Lace and knit with a normal relaxed tension. The result? 4.5 stitches to the inch.

My final attempt was on a Denise size 6 US with a normal relaxed tension. And it was perfect. I ended up getting exactly 4.75 stitches to the inch.

Why did I keep trying different needle sizes and types, you ask? Isn't 4.5 close enough to 4.25? And isn't 5 close enough? 

Well, yes. However, in an adult sweater, that 1/4 stitch per inch difference can really throw off the sizing of your final product! I am making a sweater with a finished chest measurement of 38". If I used the Addi Lace size 6 (with a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement of this sweater would have been 40.2" That's more than 2" TOO BIG. 

And if I had used the same Addi Lace needles (size 6) and concentrated on just knitting a little tighter (with a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement would have been 36.2"... almost 2" TOO SMALL.

Moral of the story? We're always going to recommend you swatch. And if you can't get the gauge on a certain type of needle, you may need to try another type!

Don't miss this preview of FALL 2012!

It's here! The most anticipated day of the year - when we announce that the new Berroco Fall and Winter yarns and pattern booklets are available for pre-order on our website!

Word is we'll be receiving these items to ship to you in just a couple of weeks, so now is the time to check them out and start planning your upcoming knitting and crochet projects. 

SEVEN incredible new pattern booklets!

There are 7 new pattern booklets, and 4 new yarns for this season, and we're digging each one! Last year you loved Boboli, a soft and shimmering wool blend with beautifully shifting colors. Well it's gotten at least THREE times better! Boboli Quick is three strands of Boboli that are plied together for fast and satisfying projects!

Here are a few fun projects in Boboli Quick:

Keeler Scarf, Ruble Hat and Hillside Sweater from Book #324

Next up, one of my personal favorites! Berroco Cirrus has a really cool construction. It's a nylon core that holds the merino and super kid mohair fibers. In just 25 grams you've got an amazing 114 yards. Garments made in Cirrus will be so lightweight and airy!

A few items on my MUST MAKE list are:

Vergoose Sweater, Denslow Shawl, Samber Fingerless Gloves from Book #323

and of course I can't leave out this vest which I know I will be living in come fall:

Germane Vest from Norah Gaughan Collection, Volume #11

Berroco Lodge has beautiful color transitions and vibrant tweed flecks. It's perfect for chunky blankets, sweaters and accessories.

I think our knitters will love these quick projects:

Hinge Hat, Acey Sweater and Peel Hat from Book #322

and there are two beautiful projects for our crocheters too!

Dosado Sweater and Sashay Scarf from Book #322 - both crocheted!

The final new yarn from Berroco for fall is Berroco Elements. I can't even describe this one - you've just GOT to check it out for yourself. Wool fibers are blown into a shimmering nylon mesh. It's just gorgeous and so are the designs for it!

I love all of the designs in this yarn. Narrowing it down to just 6 to share here was torture!

Capricia Sweater from Book #321, Twin and Likewise Sweaters from Norah Gaughan Vol #11

Aquari Sweater, Tauri Shawl and Pegasi Sweater from Book #321

Want to sample these yarns? Just pre-order any 3 of the 7 new Berroco pattern booklets, we'll give you a swatch pack for free.

Suzie swatches sample swatches down by the seashore

Suzie and I met up yesterday at the library for our kids' knitting group. We're working on strips that will be pieced together into a small throw that we'll give to a youngster at FAHC this May. We are hoping to make 2 throws, which would mean that each kid needs to knit at least 2 strips. They are only 25 stitches wide by 30 inches long, so it's definitely do-able.

I was really glad to point out to them yesterday that they had all finally mastered the talking AND knitting part. Until recently, they'd put their knitting down when they were talking, and we'd remind them that they COULD try to do both. Now it's become second nature.

Anyway, Suzie is making a sweater for her son Ben and is in the process of yarn selection and swatching. She really likes the Spud & Chloe Sweater (below, left), but a couple of weeks ago I told her about the Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool that we'd just gotten in. She picked up a ball, swatched it (below, right) and loves it.

She's also recently made a Celebration Baby Hat (Knitting at Knoon Polar Baby Caps pattern) out of the madelinetosh Tosh Sock. We have this hat knit up in the shop out of Koigu. It's so easy, so fun, and so cute. Really the perfect baby gift.

Camp prep

Back from TNNA! What a great trip. I'll be posting about that soon! The weather in Columbus was just gorgeous. It's usually really hot and humid with thunderstorms and major downpours. This year was a treat with temps in the 70s, sun and a lovely breeze.

Back in Vermont, however, the weather forecast isn't looking quite as nice. Today is a bit damp and chilly so I'm thankful for our new Half-Crepe Triangular Shawl sample, knit with Mountain Colors Wool Crepe Halves. It keeps my shoulders warm and I can see it's going to be my go-to piece when the chill of the A/C starts to bother me this summer. (You should make one! Easy, quick, and the weight is perfect!)

So we've got our first ever Kyarns kids' knitting camp coming up in less than a month (still a few spots left!) We're putting together the daily schedule and buttoning up all the details for the week. We are so excited! It's really going to be a lot of fun for those lucky kids! (Why didn't they have this when I was a kid!?)

I'm putting together the master swatch notebook, and I'm about halfway through. I'm using the Berroco Vintage Wool because you know I love it! I picked some super bright colors - remember, we're dealing with kids, and these colors are WAY more appealing than they might be to you and I!We have kids of all different abilities coming to the camp, and as I've learned from the rec department after school knitting program I did with Suzie this past year, it's good to have lots of options for all the kids. We're focused on teaching them skills that they can use once they've left the camp, so the knitting time will really be swatching time. They'll learn how to read charts and how to read their knitting. (I know some grown ups who would benefit from this exercise!!) Kids who are beginner knitters can start at the beginning of the swatch book, and kids with experience can start in the middle, or beyond!

If you think about it, making a swatch 10 stitches wide by 10-12 rows high seems very basic. But pair it up with chart reading, and lots of casting on, binding off & weaving in ends, comparing it to other swatches to learn about gauge, and these kids will be really skilled at many techniques at the end of the week.

There are hands on non-knitting (but fiber related - of course!) activities each day. And here's an example of a felted flower that they will be making: Gorgeous! Shawn made this one, and now I want to do it!

A tale of two tweeds

This weekend I managed to knit another 10 swatches for the swatch jar at the shop. These swatches are actually proving to be very valuable selling tools. If a customer is choosing between two yarns, he/she can see sample garments knit up in each one. But if one sample garment is in stockinette, and the other is in cables... well that's not really comparing apples to apples. So in addition to seeing each yarn knit up in a sample garment, now you can also see each yarn in a basic stockinette swatch. This has already helped a number of wavering people make up their minds.

I've always loved tweeds. I started knitting when I was 15, and I knit some of my first few sweaters with tweedy yarns. We have two worsted weight tweeds in the shop now that I just love. One is Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed and the other is Plymouth Tweed. They are both great - in different ways.
Comparison:
Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed
147 yds for $9 (6.12 cents per yard)
5 on a US 6
85% wool 10% silk 5% cashmere

Pymouth Tweed
109 yds for $7 (6.42 cents per yard)
5 on US 8
100% virgin lambswool
Most people think the Silkroad DK is more expensive. It's Jo Sharp (sounds expensive, right?), it's $9 per ball, and it has cashmere and silk in it. Plymouth also has a reputation for lower priced yarns. But if you calculate the price per yard, the Jo Sharp is actually LESS... 6.12 cents per yard compared to 6.42 cents for the Plymouth. A lot of people don't do that price per yard calcuation, but in this case it shows that it can prove just how wrong a perception really is.

The Silkroad DK was heaven to knit with. The finished swatch is very soft and light. The overall color palette of this yarn is much softer. My dry hands were definitely "sticking" to this yarn, which was kind of annoying. (It would have been easier has I put on some No Crack cream before I started knitting, but I was too lazy to get up and get some.) I would love to make a sweater or vest out of this yarn, but I would need to make sure my hands were lubed properly!

I also really liked the Plymouth Tweed - it was surprisingly soft! It is squishy soft in the ball, but as I ran it through my hands I didn't really think it would be that great to work with. I stand corrected. It did not catch on my dry, scaly hands at all, and I think the color palette is vibrant and fun. My eyes are now opened up to the many possibilities for this yarn!

I'll take a skein of each, please

I thought Barb's post yesterday on the Sierra yarn was interesting. I think it's really important for knitters to understand that buying a skein of yarn, just to swatch, is a critical part of the whole knitting process. Just because you see a new yarn on the shelves, and you think it feels good when you fondle it, and you like how our swatch or sample looks, doesn't always mean you will like it when you work with it yourself. I know how hard it is to leave the shop with just one skein. Especially when you really want to start a project. It can be really difficult to get excited about swatching. Believe me, I know.

This past weekend, I was off on Saturday... which meant, I had two days off in a row. And with the rain/ice/freezing rain we had on Friday, I knew I was not heading up to Stowe to do any skiing. When I have two days off in a row, I usually pick a new project to take home with me. But this time I showed some restraint. I decided that I HAD to finish my Babyboo "I Love You Baby" sweater (which I did!)...

...and then I would do some mindless swatching of our Tilli Tomas yarns. We sell a TON of Tilli Tomas. And we do have several samples knit up. But we sell ALL of the Tilli yarns, and we don't actually stock all of them in the shop. Tracy had just sent me some Plie, which is comparable in weight to the Pure & Simple, but it's plied, which means less pilling. Just holding the skein, I wasn't convinced that I liked it as much. So I swatched.

I am now convinced. It's gorgeous! I went on to the Beaded Plie, the Pure & Simple, the Disco Lights, the Rockstar and finally the Flurries. I learned a lot about each of these yarns in the process, and now we have them all here for you to see and touch.

Suzie came in the other day to look at all of our new spring yarns. She is trying to select a new spring project, and she couldn't decide which yarn she wanted to use. She's always excited when we get new spring yarns... because she doesn't like wools! She ended up buying 4 skeins: a Love It Colors, a Cotton Rich DK, a Purelife Organic Cotton, and a Natural Silk Aran. If any of you know Suzie, you know she is a swatcher. She doesn't always end up using all of the yarns she buys in sweaters, but she certainly gets to know each yarn VERY well while swatching. She emailed me and told me how much fun she had knitting during our mini ice storm on Friday. She said knitting with the Love It Colors was speedy - the color change kept her interest, and before she knew it, she had knit the entire ball!

She also really enjoyed the Cascade Cotton Rich DK - she said she only had one split stitch... and that's because she looked up for a moment and was startled to see a deer looking right back at her through her window. "Up close and personal with mother nature I guess. I love the little bit of color variation (the different way cotton vs nylon takes the dyes maybe?) The swatch turned out incredibly soft and drapey! So, now I'm thinking summer sweater out of that..."

Swatch #3 was the Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton. She had to drop down to a 4 (she knits a tad loose!) but she got really even stitches in both stockinette and seed stitch. She said, "It is so soft to knit with that I have a hard time remembering that it is indeed 100% cotton. Also, it doesn't fuzz and absolutely hasn't split on me -- even when the 6 large wild turkeys went wandering through the woods behind my house! (Like I'm running a wildlife show here or what?)"

Her final swatch was the Rowan Natural Silk Aran. She fell in love with this yarn a few years ago, when she made the sleeveless funnel neck striped top from Sally Melville's Color Experience book 3. She picked up a ball of the light pink the other day, and is thinking about making another one of those tops. "a repeat as that was a really great top - just dressy enough if it had to be, but still comfy and cool! So, here's my conundrum... which yarn to use for a spring/summer/fall stitch work sweater? Nice problem to have! Thank you for adding those awesome cotton and cotton blend yarns!"

Raise those windshield wipers

Today we are getting a nasty, wintry mix. We are closing the shop at 2pm, and will not be shipping any outgoing packages, since UPS doesn't come until later in the afternoon. The girls had a half day at school so I just picked them up and they're coloring in the classroom. Our Knitting on 2 Circulars workshop, that was scheduled today at 1pm, has been rescheduled to next Friday at 1pm. We called it yesterday, as we knew the weather was going to be iffy. It turned out to be a good call. And two people couldn't make next week, so we now have some openings. Give us a call to sign up.

So big Superbowl day on Sunday! I am excited to get some knitting done! I am currently swatching some Tilli Tomas yarns. Last night I swatched the Plie and it is really gorgeous. Same gauge as the Pure & Simple, but plied, so it is not going to pill. It would be wonderful in a sweater! I used Jade - one of my favorite colors. I photographed 27 colors of Plie yesterday, so they are now online.
Then I started swatching the Beaded Plie, which is the same yarn, strung with gorgeous beads. I'm not quite finished this swatch - but I used Ruby Wine, another one of my favorite colors. These colors are SO rich. The beads make it a little more difficult to keep an even tension, but with blocking it will be fine.
Tonight I will swatch the regular Pure & Simple, in Leaf Peepers. This is a custom color that Tracy made for our shop. It's really beautiful.

Last weekend after skiing at Stowe, I stopped in the ski shop at the base lodge to check out the offerings. In my early years, I worked in Stowe as a manager and buyer for one of their top shops, so I'm always interested to see the latest products. I picked up this hat, because I thought it was really cute. It has a nice fleece liner, since the wool is a bit scratchy. I wore it on the ride home, and unfortunately, by Waterbury Center, I had to take it off because it was still itching me. Bummer - I really liked the hat. No worries! On Monday I grabbed a skein of Malabrigo Chunky, and whipped up my own version of the hat.
I made it about 1/2 inch taller so it fits better. And white, so I could have fun with embellishing. Now it just needs a little artwork... I'm thinking of using the Cherry Tree Hill Powderpuffs and doing some funky needle felting. So stay tuned!
This morning was mandatory computer time for Michele, Barb and Kalen. We always come in and do a mini show and tell each morning. We bring in our latest projects, and show our progress. Well, now you're going to get to see what they are doing, too. I told each one to grab a computer and write for 15 minutes. I'll be posting their entries on the blog over the next few days.