Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A little predicament?

So I started this sweater four years ago ... I may have weighed slightly less back then ... like 8-10 lbs. Literally, like, I'm over 30 now and no longer 22 years old - so some body parts are slightly more bulky nowadays. I've got an extra inch here and there - and for being a stick figure my whole life, some places having extra uummph and curve I'm just fine with :) Its nothing significant.


I'm knitting a size 35" with the correct gauge (I checked it - honestly - a few times now), my body is somewhere between a 32" and 34" bust ... so this still shouldn't be an issue. But I'm feeling like this sweater might just be a touch too small to be comfortable in the end.


Measured out flat, its more like 28" - now I know I haven't blocked it yet - but how do you go from 28" to 35"?!?! If I block it that severely, it'll be WAY too short.  Maybe it won't, the body is primarily lace.   I've knit lace shawls before, I understand how much lace grows when blocked.


Hhmmm - yeah 28" unblocked + 6" does in fact result in 34".  Maybe it is the blocking, my actual waist measurement is 28", yet this still scrunches out so far over the waist area even though this should technically be 28" right now.  

Have you had this issue with a sweater before?  This is the first cardigan I have knit, I usually knit a pullover in the round, so maybe this is just fine and will be after blocking, but I'm hesitant to start the sleeves right now.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMGosh ...this is why I am so afraid to knit a sweater. Sorry I can't give any advice, but I sure do like what you have done so far. It is very pretty!

Beadknitter said...

"Measured out flat, its more like 28" - now I know I haven't blocked it yet - but how do you go from 28" to 35"?!?!"

You don't. This looks like the February Lady sweater, am I right? You don't hard block this, so something is off. I've made it twice now with great success. Your measurement should be way closer if not right on 35" before blocking. Did you make your garter stitch test swatch in the round? Gauge between in-the-round knitting and flat knitting can be quite different.

Wanderingcatstudio said...

I haven't knit that sweater before, but I have knit that lace stitch and I can tell you - throw that puppy in a bucket of water, take it out and that thing is going to stretch like the bejeezers... even unblocked, you've probably noticed how stretchy it is.