Knitting Pattern Design

Design-a-long - Swatching (yes you have to!)

Small variances in gauge can add up to large inaccuracies in sizing. The rule to remember is that less is more and more is less. In other words less (stitches per inch) is more (knitted width) and more is less. As an example, if you are working at 5 stitches per inch and want a measurement of 20 inches, 5 x 20 = 100 stitches. If your swatch shows that you are getting 4 stitches per inch instead (less), 4 x 20 = 80 stitches. If your gauge was measured inaccurately, you cast on 100 stitches, and your gauge is 4 not 5 stitches per inch the knitting will be 25 inches wide (more).

Alternatively, if you are working at 5 stitches per inch and want a measurement of 20 inches, 5 x 20 = 100 stitches. If your swatch shows that you are getting 6 stitches per inch instead (more), 6 x 20 = 120 stitches. If your gauge was measured inaccurately, you cast on 100 stitches, and your gauge is 6 not 5 stitches per inch the knitting will be 16.5 inches wide (less). So more (stitches) equals less (knitting).

A standard 4 inch swatch may give you enough information to choose your needle size but it doesn`t really tell you how the garment fabric will behave in terms of stretch and drape. These qualities of the fabric are critical to the final results that the knitter achieves and are difficult to quantify in advance. My experience has also been that my gauge is more likely to vary from the swatch once I start working on a larger piece of knitting. Pattern makers have the benefit of being able to adjust the pattern from the finished garment to match the actual gauge. Once an item comes back from test knitting, pattern numbers can be adjusted to match even though the tester got the right gauge on their swatch. As well gauge is normally stated in whole and half stitches but rarely in smaller increments than that. We all know on a large swatch you can calculate gauge to a smaller fractional number. Be prepared to rip back and change your cast on numbers once you see what is happening with the first piece you knit. It`s better to rip back 6 inches of knitting in the beginning than have a completed garment you will never wear.

Hanging gauge is rarely considered by knitters. If you are using a nice springy wool yarn it probably won`t be a factor necessary to consider. If you are using a fiber that lacks elasticity it could have a big impact of the length of the garment pieces once they have to live vertically on the body instead of laying flat on a table while you measure. The simplest way to assess this is to take flat measurements and then hang the swatch for a day or two. Re-measure and note the percentage increase in the length to apply this info back to your garment. Small areas with seams are not as likely to stretch. The armhole is likely to be stable in a set in sleeve silhouette however the sleeves and torso will need to be adjusted to maintain the desired hems. In a dropped shoulder design the simpler seaming and shaping does not give the garment the same support so you will have to adjust the entire garment for hanging gauge.

Proper blocking of the swatch can also reveal potential problems with stretching and shrinking that you should be aware of.

Row gauge is frequently ignored and this leads to all sorts of fitting issues as the proportions of intersecting knitting don`t align in the way the designer intended. Bands are too short or too long. Necklines don`t sit correctly or raglans have odd little puffy underarms. All of this can be corrected even if you can`t get both stitch and row gauge by recalculating angles and curves of the original pattern.

I'll start working on detailed posts describing the drafting of your customized pattern in the coming weeks.

An Interview with...Me

I recently got an email from a student asking to interview me. Ryan wrote to me and said that he will be "participating on a project where I get to learn about anything that interests me. I have chosen to learn how to knit because I get to challenge myself and learn a skill that I have always been interested in. In my independent learning project I will learn the basic skills of knitting a scarf and slippers and keep a weekly journal on my progress".

I've found that answering someone else's questions has the benefit of clarifying my own thinking. I was also interested in hearing what would a non-knitter ask me. Ryan is going to provide me with a copy of his final project and I'm intrigued to hear about the learning process from the very beginning, perhaps I will get some insights that will improve my teaching. I'll let you know the outcome when I see the final project. Ryan's questions and my answers follow:

1. How long have you been knitting?

I've been knitting steadily since my teens, so over 35 years. I have absolutely no recollection of learning how to knit. My mother and both of my grandmothers knit so I assume that one or all of them taught me. I do however remember the first sweater I knit and I still have the pattern.

2. Why do you knit?

I find knitting to be amazing in both it's simplicity and it's complexity.There are really only 2 stitches, knit and purl. However, we could argue that there is really only 1 stitch since they are the reverse of one another. Combine them in different ways with different yarns and the possible variety of outcomes seems to be mathematically impossible and in an odd way, mysterious and mystical.

It is an artistic pursuit and a technical challenge for me. I love to make beautiful things and to work with the wonderful colours. As well there is a feeling of comfort when the yarn moves over over my fingers and I enjoy the fabric being created. Knitting fulfills an inner need for self expression.

Knitting makes me happy!

3. Does knitting help you relieve stress? If so, how?

Ask any knitter and they will confirm that knitting reduces stress. It is a form of meditation. Recent scientific studies have found that knitters can actually lower their heart rate by about 11 beats per minute when knitting, brain waves are slowed at the same time. As well, research shows that knitting, similar to rhythmic breathing, yoga and other meditative movements, calm an individual. The trick is to choose projects that have a rhythm for calming periods and attack the challenging bits at appropriate times.

4. How has knitting changed your life?

Knitting has provided a rich, full, beautiful life for me. I have many friends that I met at knitting events. I regularly attend a small knitting group, a large knitting guild, http://www.downtownknitcollective.ca/ and a professional knitters networking group. Now knitting is also my career as a designer, blogger and teacher.

5. What does a career in knitting involve?

I've been interviewing professional knitters on my blog knittingrobin.blogspot.com for 2 years. The careers vary widely. There are technical editors, hand dyers, wholesalers, distributors, yarn shop owners, teachers and designers. The work varies widely from one individual to another. I spend most of my time writing, either patterns or on my blog and developing course materials for when I teach. I knit everyday but most of that is in the evening in front of the TV or at the knitting events I attend. I also have days dedicated to photography and I'm starting to work on instructional knitting videos.

6. How have you made an impact in the knitting community?

I've been teaching knitting classes for the past 25 years in various venues in my hometown Toronto, Canada. I'm passionate about teaching and the face to face contact lets me know that I'm passing the skills of my craft onto others. I have a very strong background in sewing, tailoring and millinery. That impacts my approach to knitting. I'm also very interested in mainstream fashion which influences my design aesthetic. The professional knitters group I mentioned earlier is a group that I started a little over a year ago and we continue to add new members. I've done several presentations at my local guild on topics including body image as it relates to knitting. Recently the numbers reading my blog have really started to grow and I get a lot of emails from readers telling me how much they enjoy the posts.

7. What is your favorite thing to knit?

I work mainly on women's wear, both garments and accessories. I like to experiment with lots of techniques. I especially like to take knitting classics and add a new twist with a unique detail.

8. What lessons can knitting teach you?

Knitting can teach you very basic things like manual technical skills, mathematical relationships, garment construction, three dimensional spatial relationships, logistical thinking and technical writing. More importantly it reflects your character back to you as you learn and grow as a knitter. It teaches persistence, and how very small seemingly insignificant actions (a single knit stitch) can add up in a big way. It also teaches us a lot about our societies perception of time and it's value.

9. Why is knitting a good skill?

It's a way to be productive in unproductive situations, while commuting to work or waiting for appointments. It's a stress reducer in a hectic world. It teaches us many things beyond the actual knitting skills, bringing an unexpected abundance to our lives that surprises knitters as they move from novice to experienced knitters.

10. What is your favorite type of yarn to use?

I tend to prefer natural fibers in a wide variety of weights and textures. Yarn is a medium, just like paint for a artist or wood for a cabinet maker. It's hard to express the feeling I have for fiber. It is something like a cross between love, admiration and awe at it's infinitesimal beauty.

Problem Solving in Knitting Patterns

Don't name the problem!

I know it sounds counter intuitive, but really, don't label a problem that you are trying to solve.

I spent a lot of time helping knitters with problems when knitting from patterns when I worked in my LYS. I quickly learned not to listen to them when they told me what the problem was. Whenever I did it slowed down the process of resolution because often they were wrong! That's why they couldn't figure it out for themselves. Naming the problem stopped them from looking at other details, and that was often where the error in the work was. I had a number of situations where the knitter said the problem was in a specific section of the instructions. Often when I went back to the beginning of the pattern and checked the work I found the error earlier on. By naming the problem the knitter stopped looking in the right place so they were completely unable to determine what was really going wrong. BTW, these were accomplished, smart knitters that just focused on the wrong thing for too long and that is why they needed assistance.

Knitting Pattern Design

Design-a-long - Swatching (yes you have to!)

An Interview with...Me

Problem Solving in Knitting Patterns

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