Swatching

Swatching: Little Coastal Pullover by Hannah Fettig

Part of the fun of these Swatching posts (you can see previous ones here and here) are that they keep me honest in terms of my knitting and are a nice reminder of my WIP basket and what should get finished before something new begins.

That said, I couldn’t bear to wait a minute longer before casting on a Little Coastal Pullover for Charlie in The Fibre Co. Cumbria.

SPECIFICATIONS
Pattern: Little Coastal Pullover by Hannah Fettig
Recommended Needles: US 6 (4 mm) and US 8 (5 mm)
Gauges: 19 sts + 26 rows = 4 inches in Cable Stitch pattern on larger needles.

SWATCH
Yarn: The Fibre Co. Cumbria in Cowberry
Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)
Gauge After Blocking: 20 sts + 24 rows = 4″ (10 cm) in St st on US 7 needles

NOTES
My swatch on US 7 needles was a little dense for the specified gauge, but I liked the fabric so I thought it would be fine for a garment of this size. It became clear this was most certainly not the case only after casting on using the US 7 and ending up with a too-small yoke. Happily, the pattern moves quickly, so re-starting using a US 8 was no trouble at all.

On both 7s and 8s, I have a looser row gauge than specified in the pattern, but this will just mean that the yoke will be a bit longer than the given measurements. This isn’t something that I worry about with a sweater for a child. For an adult, though, I would most definitely pay attention to the yoke depth on the schematic, the number of rows worked, and my row gauge to avoid ending up with crazy saggy underarms or a too-tight yoke depth.

I’m well into the body on V 2.0 – in Purple Moor Grass this time, as Charlie is going through a major purple phase – and am confident the sleeves will go quickly. One good thing about a garment for a growing child is the pressure to finish in time. This might just be my first Swatching related F.O. We’ll see!

{Little Coastal images by Carrie Bostick Hoge}

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