Swatches DO Lie!

So now I'm re-knitting the body of the Trillium sweater. My numerous swatches, washed and dried (first time ever I've done that), told me to use size 6 needles for the ribbing and size 7 needles for the body of the sweater. That is what I had intended to do, but when I frogged the body and double-checked the needle size, I discovered that I had forgotten to switch to size 7s when I started the stockinette section. I must have been working on it at knit night and gotten distracted. No wonder the density of the fabric was off.

However, I am now knitting the body with size 8s, which several other knitters are using for this yarn, and I AM GETTING GAUGE.  (Yes, I know. What does their gauge have to do with mine?)

But WTH? 

Of course I haven't washed and dried my current knitting, and I'm not going to. I'm relying on luck and blocking to make this sweater the right size.  

Because apparently, my previous swatches, multiple swatches with this yarn, made on three different sizes of needles, washed and dried, lied. No more swatches for me, no sir.   

Luck and blocking. That's the ticket.  

Frogged

Except for the twisted broken rib ribbing which was a pain to knit and I don't want to do it twice.

Remember this sweater?

No?  That's OK. I barely do. I am making it from BT's Shelter yarn, which I love, but I had a horrible time swatching for it and after I saw another knitter's sweater, made from the same brand and weight yarn, I realized that my gauge, no matter what the swatch said, was too tight, and that the fabric I was creating was too dense. It almost seemed to be a felted fabric, which is not what the pattern designer and I were going for.

So it's frogged and now complete with lifelines. I'd like to report that I was being organized and had put the lifelines in as I knit, but I can't because I didn't. And it is such an easy thing to do with interchangeable needles that it's just plain crazy not to put them in.  

Next time. Remind me, OK?

I Got Nuthin'

Hedgehogs

OK, so this baby hedgehog is kind of cute.

But I don't get having hedgehogs as pets, and I know whereof I speak since my daughter has a hedgehog.

I have seen it do......absolutely nothing.  For a half an hour at a time. And doing nothing probably lasted many, many hours, but I got bored and stopped watching.

However, if she wants a hedgehog, she sure doesn't need my permission.

But if she ever does this, I will have to stage an intervention.

H, you have been warned.




And people think knitters are weird old ladies.  Pffftt.

Best Recipe Ever???

Brownie in a mug.

I will make this tomorrow and eat it all by myself.

(Yes, I am sometimes selfish.)