brainylady

Swatch-oo talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Oh, dear. I do apologize for that title.

Instead of finishing the zinnia socks yesterday, I knit swatches -- oh yes, I did -- for the Sunrise Circle Jacket. Putting all of those skeins of wool into my new drawers (ooh, itchy!) motivated me to start this project. I know, I know, I said something recently about not knitting any more sweaters. Luckily this is a jacket. Heh heh heh.

I thought it might be fun in bright pink Peace Fleece. Here, my lovely assistant Bill will hold the swatch for your perusal:



On 4.5 mm needles, too few stitches per inch: I'm getting 17 stitches over 4 inches, and I need 18.5. Feeling quite sure that knitting Peace Fleece any tighter than this would really not be a lot of fun, I switched to the Briggs & Little wool that was originally intended for Mariah, and was last seen flirting briefly with Kepler:



Also on 4.5 mm needles, a perfect 18.5 stitches over 4 inches -- but my row gauge is off. The pattern calls for 28 rows over 4 inches, and I'm getting only 24. And it seems to me that row gauge will be more important in this pattern than usual, and that I'll end up with a jacket that is longer than it should be. I think I'm going to take my chances, though. (Maybe I should knit a size smaller than what I want to end up with, based on the jacket's construction?) In any case, I'll start with the front pieces, as designer Kate has recommended here.

One question remains, and for this I need your advice. This jacket is hemmed, and I want to knit the inside facings in a contrasting colour. I have more B&L wool in a medium pink and in red (you can scroll down to see them, actually); which colour should I use?