Gauging worth
So I thought I’d have a nice little update this week on the Ogee Tunic, which I had begun before summer, and then abandoned. I’ve been furiously working on since I got back. The back is done to the armholes, and the front done a few inches. The front has the big motif, so I wanted to get it done so the stockinette back could match. All was well, or so I thought.
I hadn’t accounted for change in gauge, that too between two needles of the same size! The gauge changes quite significantly, from 21 to 20 per 4 inches, and from 31 to almost 29 rows per 4 inches. I suspected it as I was knitting along, but of course I put it down to the fact that I was picking it up after a while. I pinned and measured it after getting to the armhole, and realised that the width has grown half an inch above the pin.
All along, the nagging feeling was that I had forgotten the needle size I began with. I am *fairly sure* it was size 4; I remember knitting with the 60" addis I had in that size, even if I didn’t write it down somewhere. But the really long addi circular is annoying to knit with, so I switched to Susan Bates size 4. 3.5 mm both; where’s the problem? I don’t know, you look at the difference in gauge and tell me. I knit the front all on Susan Bates, and here it is vis-a-vis the back:
Nearly two inches wider! I can’t figure it out. It’s the same size needle, but the gauge fluctuates so wildly. To think I wasted nearly two DVDs worth of Law & Order to knit all this! I was so excited about having it done this month, too. I love this pattern. But now my options are:
1) Frog back to pre-summer length, re-swatch with size 3s, recheck gauge and continue. Cut losses and order more L&O DVDs.
2) Let the back be; frog the front, ditch the Bates, stick with the addis, all will be well.
3) Accept the fact that this project is not meant to be in this Creskeld guernsey yarn; it’s too bright anyway. Find new yarn to make it with, maybe a merino wool blend, and think of shortening the sleeves into a lighter tunic. Retain sanity. Problem is, this yarn is perfect for a heavily cabled project.
4) Forget Ogee for a while. Give in to temptation, and splurge for yarn and cast on for either the Provincial Waistcoat or the Tangled Yoke cardigan, both in recent issues of Interweave.
Opinions? (Will it help if I indicate that I’m leaning heavily towards # 3 & 4?)
One lesson I am learning, and thank heavens for Ravelry and its WIP section – remember to record the gauge with the needle size before hibernating a project!
hmmmm – I really have to say I’d probably go with #4. When I get too frustrated, I tend to abandon all….
Wow, that is a mystery! My vote is that your post-summer-vacation gauge is just radically more relaxed than your end-of-school-year gauge. If the color seems too bright to you anyway, you may as well start something new. It is a bummer, though.
I say combine #s 3 and 4, in which you frog the Ogee (since you aren’t 100% happy with the color) and plan to knit it in a different yarn and use the frogged red for a heavily cabled project (since that’s what it seems to be suited for). Then, to give yourself a break from Ogee (and thus retain sanity for having to frog nearly half a sweater), and start on the Tangled Yoke cardigan (or the Prov Waistcoat, if you prefer). And Ogee will go back into the Future Knits rotation!
#4. So I can live vicariously through you–I can’t do it myself because I’ve got a new-prep advanced class this semester. Hurray! But it’s very time-consuming, and I don’t have the brains for anything more complicated than socks.
It’s a sad fact that needles lie. They lie to your face and behind your back. Especially the ones that say they’re the same size but are made by different manufacturers. Evil, aren’t they?
Seriously though — I’m knitting a pair of socks — two at the same time — on identical sets of needles — and one sock is more than a 1/4 inch bigger than the other. It stuns and amazes me how much gauge can change from weekday to weekend, much less at different times of the school year.
p.s. I really like your orange ogee.
what Megan said.
Ugh, I’ve heard that can happen (gauge changing with two different needles of the same size).
I vote to start the Tangled Yoke cardi, cuz I want to make one too but can’t right now!
Sometimes you mess up (believe me, I’ve done it many a time:-). Apparently, I’m in the minority, but if you really like the sweater (and it is very pretty), then just take out what’s wonky and redo. Yes, it’s a pain, but part of knitting, in my opinion. Of course, I’m sort of partial to Norah Gaughan designs.
i was hoping this was going to be a posting about economic history. boy was i wrong.
I can’t wait to make the Tangled Yoke cardi! Jane