The first step in designing or knitting your first sweater is always the same - make a swatch! If you're making it from a pattern you have to make a swatch to make sure you are going to have a garment the size you want. If you're designing a sweater you need a swatch to make all the calculations necessary for the instructions you are going to write so someone else can make a garment the size they want. I know some people don't really like math, but I assure its not that difficult - it just takes a little time and concentration.
But before we get to the math, let's talk about the swatch. At this point, you have picked out the yarn you are going to use and have a very good if not definite idea of the texture or color pattern as well. The next step is to start making swatches. Yes, I did say swatcheS. If you're designing a sweater, you'll want to make at least two swatches to see how the yarn looks on different size needles. Its probably a good idea to start with the recommended needle size for the yarn you've chosen. After making a swatch with the recommended needles, you can decide whether to go bigger or smaller with your next one. When making your swatch(es), make sure you use all the textures in your pattern. This is again to ensure that your garment is the right size as six stitches over a cable pattern will not be the same as six stitches in stockinette stitch with the same needle.
Once you've decided on the needle size and you have your swatch made ,you'll need to block it. You'll be amazed how a yarn will change once its been blocked. To block it , I like to stretch it to the size and shape that looks good to me without measuring it. If I'm knitting from a pattern I will stretch and pin it to the size and shape required from the gauge provided. Once it's where I like it, I will pin it down with t-pins on my blocking board (currently a large piece of craft foam). You can't have too many pins, but it is very easy to have too few. You don't want the swatch stretched too tightly or to be too loose. Once it's pinned down, I spritz it with water until it is lightly damp. Then I cover it with a towel and let it dry. Take out the pins and you should have a very co-operative swatch ready for you to measure!
a)
b)
c)
The above three images show a swatch in progress ...
a) The unblocked swatch with four different textures - a 5x3 rib, a 3x2 rib, a 6x2 rib with alternating cable, and a 4x2 rib with alternating cable
b) the swatch pinned down ready for blocking
c) the swatch after being blocked
You can notice the difference between swatch a and c after it is blocked. While the unblocked swatch has a tendency to roll and be a little unruly, the blocked swatch lies flat and is easy to work with. This will help in giving accurate measurements. Also, since there are four different textures on the one swatch, I can design a variety of sweaters or incorporate a variety of textures in the one sweater - all from the one large swatch. Next week we will get into what measurements are needed and how to take those measurements accurately. See you then!
JAS
A few weeks back we chatted briefly about blocking and that certain types of fibers took to it better than others. Can you refresh my memory on this and does this apply to our sweater swatches?
ReplyDeleteEmiko, natural fibers can be blocked. That would be anything like pure wool, cotton, silk, mohair, bamboo, etc. If you are making a sweater in a natural fiber then you should block it to give yourself a better idea of how it will behave and to make your measurements more accurate.
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