And: The importance of a gauge swatch
I've had a string of either hitting gauge or hitting close-enough gauge on most of the things I've made recently, so on my most recent charity hat (I hate the word and connotations of "charity", but I don't know what else to call it) I blithely cast on and started knitting, even though it was with a yarn I had never, ever used before. I knit a few rows and realized that what I was making was ludicrously large, but figured I could felt it down to size. Less than halfway through, I ran out of yarn and took up again with yet another yarn I had never, ever used before. I wound up with an immense hat, that I really wish I had taken a picture of, because it was hysterically large. I carried it about in my knitting bag (which it was almost as big as) and used it as an object lesson to my knitting group on the importance of gauge. Then I felted it, feeling confident it would shrink down into a usable garment.
Uh, no.
It shrank CONSIDERABLY height-wise, and virtually not at all width-wise. Plus the 2 yarns did not shrink consistently. So I wound up with an odd broad, flat, puckery thing. It could have served maybe as half of a beret....
Being undaunted I tugged it and pulled it and tried to fool myself into believing it could be blocked into a functional hat.
But it refused.
So I did the only thing I really could to salvage it, and blocked the bottom flat and turned it into a felt bowl (in the bathroom because that is where the best lighting is right now, as it is overcast outside, although stubbornly refusing to rain):
It is a very cute felt bowl and will be very useful for keeping small items in, but it is a total waste as a hat. In case you do not believe me, here is a requisite silly picture of it on my head (my face is not really that shiney, I just smeared shea butter on it because it is in fact quite dry):
(yes, I am going to cut that silly tail off).
So that is a bummer because I really had very good intentions for this thing (http://warmwoolies.org/ in case you didn't see the previous post). But I will keep it at my craft area where it can hold glue sticks and pincushions and so forth, and remind me of the importance of TAKING TIME TO CHECK GAUGE like every single knitting pattern in the universe always reminds you to do.
Uh, no.
It shrank CONSIDERABLY height-wise, and virtually not at all width-wise. Plus the 2 yarns did not shrink consistently. So I wound up with an odd broad, flat, puckery thing. It could have served maybe as half of a beret....
Being undaunted I tugged it and pulled it and tried to fool myself into believing it could be blocked into a functional hat.
But it refused.
So I did the only thing I really could to salvage it, and blocked the bottom flat and turned it into a felt bowl (in the bathroom because that is where the best lighting is right now, as it is overcast outside, although stubbornly refusing to rain):
It is a very cute felt bowl and will be very useful for keeping small items in, but it is a total waste as a hat. In case you do not believe me, here is a requisite silly picture of it on my head (my face is not really that shiney, I just smeared shea butter on it because it is in fact quite dry):
(yes, I am going to cut that silly tail off).
So that is a bummer because I really had very good intentions for this thing (http://warmwoolies.org/ in case you didn't see the previous post). But I will keep it at my craft area where it can hold glue sticks and pincushions and so forth, and remind me of the importance of TAKING TIME TO CHECK GAUGE like every single knitting pattern in the universe always reminds you to do.