Archive of Thread: Stitch patterns and swatching Back

4 years ago
I have decided to knit a sweater using just one colour but using various stitch patterns to add interest and funkiness as in the picture of a sampler that I have practiced with..  Here I have used a tuck stitch and a variation of double eyelet lace.  The big question is how to swatch or how do I acheive uniformity. My plan is to do various stitches maybe half way up as I dont feel confident enough yet to shape armholes and neck while doing patterns.
Thanks and good wishes to all knitters!

4 years ago
This is so much fun! From my experience with hand knitting, all of these stitch patterns never have the same width. Personally, I would swatch each pattern separately, or in a long strip separated by stockinette blocks, to really get the different gauges. I think mostly you can just change tension, but in some cases you might need to increase or decrease stitches as well.

4 years ago
Hi Josephine,
This sounds like a fun project.  Yes, you need to swatch for all stitch patterns. 

1. you might be able to match the gauge between patterns with a tension change.
2. more than likely you'll need to adjust the stitch count when changing pattern.

We talked about this in a Live show (it starts at about the 2:58 mark)

https://www.knititnow.com/LiveEvent/119/mix-n-match-stitch-patterns-08-27-2019

4 years ago
Thanks for those tips...I will let you know how it turns out.
J

4 years ago
Thanks for all the help and suggestions.I knit a 'Petunia' sweater see below. It is not perfect but I did manage to practice set in sleeves, a v neck and a tuck stitch pattern. All turned out quite well....it looks a bit like a school sweater ...the yarn was cheap and cheerful..so I can wear it gardening! Oh, and most important of all my seams are much improved.   
Onto bigger and better things now.
Again, thank you for all the advice and encouragement.
Josephine

4 years ago
It looks great!  Thanks for sharing!

Sue

4 years ago
Another swatching question and I just want to check that I have the right idea.
I am swatching some medium heavy cotton yarn and it really only works when I just put every second needle in work on my KH 820 machine;  when I am counting stitches, I have 20 in work so in calculating gauge it is 20 sts to 5 inches (not 40)..is that correct?
Also, I find the cotton quite stiff to use, I have to use lots of weights and even pull down on the work a little after every row to ensure that all stitiches have pulled through...any tips?
Apologies for all these questions but I am getting quite enthusiastic about this machine knitting now that I have mastered a few basics!!
The videos and tutorials are great...thanks

4 years ago
Hi Josephine!
I'm so glad you are having success with your machine

RE: Swatching over every other needle ....Yes, that's correct.   Think of it this way ... when you take the knitting off the machine, you don't know how many needles were in work, you only know how many stitches you are measuring.

If the cotton is stiff....and you have to do a lot to get it to knit, it may not be suitable for machine knitting.

Sue

4 years ago
Thanks...thats very helpful. I think that I will let someone handknit the cotton.  Not me. I hate hand knitting!!!
Josephine