Niece's birthday is a little over a month away. I asked her what she wanted. She texted me photos of three tank tops to knit (or crochet).
The first one, a crocheted top, I could not locate.
The second one was cute. I read through the description. That's when I decided I wouldn't be knitting that top. Why? Because of this:
Yarn: I've used an aran which I DK, (image of white and black tanks) and a cotton chunky Blue and silver tanks, you can use any yarn, you will not need a gauge, the pattern works on any yarn,
The highlighted portion stopped me. "You will not need a gauge"? ???
No. Just no.
Gauge is the thing that tells a knitter if they're going to make the right size or not. If the pattern says I should get five stitches per inch and I'm knitting six, then if I follow the pattern exactly, my finished garment is going to be way too small.
Having a set gauge lets me know if I have to adjust things to get the correct size. I have made gauge errors in the past. Those are on me.
If I don't know how big something is going to end up, I have a better than average shot of knitting something that'll be unwearable.
Which is why I ended up choosing to make my niece the third top she selected. Because this designer knows what she's talking about when she mentions gauge:
designed with you in mind. this pattern will walk you through the math (i swear it’s easy, don’t freak out) to make a tank top in your favorite yarn, in a style that suits you and that will fit you perfectly. seriously. it works in any size yarn for any size person.
And the pattern does just that.
Swatching is important for other reasons, too. I started off using the needle size indicated on the yarn. It looked like this:
Which in the picture doesn't look too bad. But it felt wrong. It was way too loose. I knew before I got this far that I'd have to go down a needle size, but I knit a few rows just to make sure.
In the end, I went down three needle sizes, and I'm happy with how the fabric is turning out:
And the whole thing is a big as it should be, via the pattern. So things are going well so far.
Fingers crossed that the knit continues to go smoothly.
The third top looks nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteYeah, it can take a bit of brain work. This is why I like to start things while I have other things on the needles, so I have some mindless work to do while getting a new project started.
ReplyDeleteKnowing how big to make it is important.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of the point, really.
DeleteBeautiful beginning, and it looks the right size 😉
ReplyDeleteYeah, you don't want to trust someone who basically says, "don't worry about it, it'll be easy no matter what".
ReplyDeleteThat tank is so cute. You niece is going to love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteDirections are important. Anyone who has told you differently doesn't really love.
ReplyDeleteIt just amazes me that a designer would put out a pattern like that.
DeleteSize matters
ReplyDeleteIt really does, at least in knitwear.
DeleteWhat a beautiful color! Your niece is one fortunate young lady. Looking forward to seeing the finished top.
ReplyDeleteHopefully sooner rather than later.
DeleteI looked at the one not needing gauge. I can only imagine how loose it would be (I mean stitches apart loose and showing a bit more skin than intended!), if you used thicker yarn. In fact, in some of the darker colors shown, it is a bit see through!
ReplyDeleteExactly. Yarn weight changes would totally change how the top looks.
DeleteA good call, Liz!
ReplyDeleteI can see why gauge is important.
ReplyDeleteI can’t imagine not having a gauge...it seems so basic. I’m glad you decided on what you are creating and I love the colour
ReplyDeleteI can't either. I don't know how anyone was able to make a decent top from that pattern, but I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day.
DeleteI only crochet, but I also can't imagine a pattern for an item of clothing (or most other things) without a gauge. I was surprised to see only one of the first 8 or so reviewers on the pattern to complain about no gauge. And I'm not sure I would (if I was a designer) describe any top as "easy beginners" although maybe that's just me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wonder about those other reviews. They must knit like the designer to get the top to come out. Or they were too new to knit patterns to realize that no gauge is a huge red flag.
Delete