I’ve just signed on for a new sweater project, Julie Hoover’s Layton, and was really hoping that perhaps the Dottie yarn I’d spun up earlier this winter might fit the bill.
But now that I’m swatching, I’m not sure if it’s going to work.
Pattern gauge is 23 st/ 4 inches, 36 rows / 4 inches.
My swatching results were kind of interesting.
I tried size 5 needles first, and got 20 st/ 4 inches. Then switched to size three to try again, and got 22 st/ 4 inches. The looser fabric felt like it would have a better drape, so I was inclined to do the math necessary to adjust the pattern. But then I checked the row gauge.
Both needle sizes yielded the same row gauge. 28 rows /4 inches.
And both substantially different from the sweater specs.
I think it’s just a function of Dotties wool being very different in texture than the original pattern yarn (silk/merino/cashmere). So I’m not sure there’s much I can do about that.
Except perhaps going back to the drawing board.
In other news, I have made significant progress spinning up Teo’s roving for The Shepherd. Two full bobbins of singles, ready to ply!
That’s going to have to do it for this week, fiber -wise.
The sheeps and chigs say hello- I’ll try to work some critter pics into the blog next week, weather permitting 🙂