its a gauge thing

I had the brief, although not surprising momentary "realization" this weekend that there's a good reason why I rarely knit garments. Gauge is not my friend (or as Claudia often says, gauge is evil).

I've been dreaming about knitting the cover tank (Lotus Blossom tank) from the last issue of Interweave Knits for a while. I know that this style would look good on me, I got a gorgeous color of bamboo yarn to knit it in, and knowing me and the sleeve issue, I figured that something so relatively sleeveless would be a good choice. (I might point out that, thankfully, IK also posted a charted version of the lace pattern, which you can download from HERE. Having just found this I'll refrain from b*tching about the lack of charts for lace in most magazine patterns.)

For once, I swatched. However, swatches as we all know, lie. Over and over again. I find it impossible to swatch in stockinette to succesfully predict what my gauge will be over a lace pattern. I knit lace in the round differently than stockinette in a flat swatch. But this time, I at least gave it a go.

Mistake #1:

I swatched on wooden needles, assuming that with a slippery feeling yarn like Southwest Trading Bamboo, I'd have to compensate for the slippery yarn. Well, no. I needed slippery needles to compensate for the lack of spring in a plant fiber yarn (this, so far as I can tell, is the only downside to rarely knitting with anything other than wool - I didn't know this ahead of time). So I had to switch to metal needles almost immediately.

Mistake #2:
I assumed that the stated needle size in the pattern was at least moderately accurate. Now, I tend to be a medium to tight knitter, in general. Very tight for socks, moderate for lace. But when starting this pattern, I was knitting very tightly, on Addis. So tightly in fact, that I had trouble moving the stitches around on the needle.

Mistake #3:
I ignored the fact, for several rows, that the lace fabric looked almost nothing like the picture of the finished tank. It was too loose and floppy on the needles to bear any resemblance to the tight, orderly lace stitches shown in the finished garment. Do not, I repeat, do NOT ignore those types of inklings.

Now, I rarely take pictures of my stupid mistakes, and this is no exception. But when I finally got to the point (9 rows x 200 sts in) that I should have been changing to a different needle size, I realized my errors. The embryonic tank was a whopping 4" bigger than it should have been.

I will say one thing, with no disrespect whatsoever intended to the designer and knitter of this pattern, which I adore. If anyone is able to get the stated gauge on the recommended needle size, I'm going to have to assume that they have bionic hands. Because at my tightest knitting gauge, I was way, way off on the recommended needles. Some of this may have to do with the slippery nature of 100% bamboo yarn. Other than that, it is truly inconceivable.

So, I ripped. Viciously and heartlessly, and restarted on needles .5mm smaller than those I had started with originally. And now.... I'm praying. That it works. Because I love the yarn color, love the drape of the yarn, and love the pattern. But I'm not sure I'm willing to go below a 3mm needle to get gauge on a pattern that was supposed to be knit on a 4mm (US6) needle.

Here's the second gestational period of the embryonic tank:

A measly 8 rows in, although I've knitted that +9 rows by now. I still have very little to no idea if the gauge is on yet or not. Obviously my row gauge is going to be off, but I can deal with that. I think.

And in another blow to fiber ennui, I also did a bit of spinning this weekend. I plied up the extrafine merino/silk I had spun a while ago. (This is from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio/Lori Lawson - no website, bought at The Yarn Tree here in Brooklyn.) Although I often fizzle on the plying, I did okay this time around. Especially when I stopped watching what I was doing and started watching the movie that was on TV. I guess I spin better intuitively than I do when the logical portion of my brain is engaged. The yarn seems well balance, and looked even better after washing and drying:

The color is off, totally. Its more of a burgundy/deepforest-purple color overall. I was too lazy/hot to take a picture in natural sunlight, when I could show off both the true colors as well as the silky shine.[Please note, I shamelessly arranged the yarn for the photo so that the badly spun portions are not visible - full disclosure and all of that.] Tragically, the colors in this yarn look better on my daughter than they do on me. I guess I know what that means - college-bound scarf, I'm afraid.

Comments

[Manise]

Gauge is truly evil. Am keeping my fingers crossed for you on the embryonic tank. I love the red color of your yarn.

[Laurie]

I think we all do the shameless poised shot.

Inklings appear all over your blog.

[Ginny]

I've made the Lotus Blossom tank, and it's lovely. I think my guage was a bit off, but I just did a different size (a slightly smaller size than I might otyherwise have been comfortable with!) Also, like many others, I did a couple of extra lace repeats. Many people also lengthen the stockinette part, but I didn't think of that, and it's fine. It's the same colour of yours, and though-I-say-it-myself-as-shouldn't (is that just an english phrase?) - it's fab!

[Rachel]

I'm working on that tank right now, and I had to go up a needle size to get gauge. I always knit very tightly, and for this pattern I'm using the bamboo yarn with Addis. Did you swatch with the 4.0mm needles, or 3.75mm? I think the swatch is supposed to be done in stockinette on the size 5 (3.75mm needles). Only the first 8 rows are knit on the larger (4.0mm) needles to keep the hem from pulling in. I don't have the pattern in front of me, but that's what I can remember. I really hope you don't have to rip it out again. I had trouble at the beginning, too, and ripping hundreds (or thousands) of stitches and casting on again gets really old. Good luck with your progress.

[Kim]

Thank you for this review of the lotus tank pattern. I plan to make one for my daughter for Christmas this year.

[lanea]

I really want to make that tank. But it will require me to buy a magazine. And, well, part of my particular form of crazy makes me feel insanely guilty.

[Marcy, Blogless]

I feel your pain, TMW. But it sure will be purty. Do you know how to swatch in the round flat?

[Juno]

Gauge is not evil, gauge is just part of our Test as Knitters.

If it was easy we wouldn't like it.

[Juno]

Also - what Marcy said 'bout round swatching. I'll hold your hand.

[trek]

Oh, wow, very sorry about the gauge issue!

[mamacate]

I find that my knitting behaves differently with different fibers. I always *think* I want to knit with inelastic cellulose fibers....

Anyway, that sweater was a strong candidate to bump me out of my ennui too. Haven't quite decided yet, but I'm trying to plug away at some of what I've already started. Typepad wouldn't let me post pics last night, so updates soon.

[Kellee]

I will admit to having bailed on this tank after the swatch. Not because I couldn't get gauge (though I did not, but was prepared for trying to work out the knitting maths), but because I was ambivalent on the texture of the 'inside' of the knitted fabric. So even though I think it's super cute, think the construction is fun, and generally love it, I decided that if I was going to knit something that would hurt my wrists it had better feel DAMNED good in the wearing.

But it's still in the basket next to the couch because I can't quite let it go....

[Cheryl]

Well plied! I remember back when first started spinning I thought plying was the easy part. How little I knew.

[Kendra]

I will be watching your progress as I have the yarn and the pattern in my queue. Good Luck!

[Sara]

That is a lovely tank-to-be. There's a way to facsimilate knitting in the round on a swatch - it "wastes" yarn in that you can't frog it and reuse, but it works. Basically - do it on DPNs or circs - you knit across, then move the stitches from the end of the needle they're on to the other end, float the yarn from the left side to the right, and start knitting again. You'll have long floats across the back of your swatch - and the swatch will be "curved" in like a pringle chip while you're knitting. Once you're done, cast off, snip up the center of the floats (like a steek!), and your swatch will lie down flat - knit as you would knit it circularly (knitting every row for stockinetter - same tension etc.). I forget where I first saw this - somewhere in blogland.

But swatches are still evil ;)

[margene]

My the bamboo behave so you end up with that fabulous top.
Your daughter will love the scarf and have something lovely to keep her warm, something from her mother. That's pretty cool.

[Norma]

Scarves make awesome care packages. Good luck with the gauge monster.

[martha in mobile]

I feel your pain. I, too, am making that tank. Actually, I am doing what a former husband called "double-knitting" in that I have knit, ripped, and am knitting again. I am using Elisabeth Lavold's Wooly Silk (or is it Silky Wool?) which is inelastic, but enjoyable. I have had to modify the pattern to have only 16 repeats of the lace pattern in each row. Heaven help me when I get to the bodice shaping...

[Trish B.]

I hate,hate, hate gauge. When I get stitch gauge, the row gauge isn't even close. So...I love shawls, throws and baby stuff (after all-it'll eventually fit them sometime). I'm a really loose knitter, so it's hard to go down needle sizes when it's something like socks. It took me an extra ball to finish Birch (thankfully Kaleidescope Yarns still had the same dyelot in stock.). I have some bamboo fiber to spin-I'll be interested to see if it presents the same challenges as knitting.

[claudia]

And that is the true pain in the ass about in-the-round projects. The rip-fest is ugly.

Good luck. That style would look very cute on you.

[Silvia]

Oh, so potentially cute! What a great color for you. Fingers crossed on the gauge accuracy.

[Cordelia]

Is it perhaps in school colors? or one of them?
Besides, we all know how you feel about purple.
Good luck on the tank.

[erin]

gauge is why I gave up on this tank. Maybe I'll revisit it later. especially since i now know of the lace chart.

[Jamie in So Cal]

AMEN SISTER!!!! I just started the Lotus Blossom tank, and I ended up having to use SIZE ONE needles to almost get gauge! And I even ended up casting on less stitches than the pattern called for. But it does look lovely, and I'm even adding beads. I'll keep at it, but the hand-cramps kind of take away from the whole experience, ya know?

[Beth S.]

Your daughter will need lots of purple stuff where she's going, so that's okay. :-)

I would never have guessed that you find plying troublesome. Your yarns always look wonderful to me! I absolutely suck at plying, so I don't know whether I should be encouraged or discouraged by that.

You'll look stunning in that tank if you can work out your gauge issues. What a great color!