So the pattern wants me to get 20 stitches per 4 inches on size 8 needles. Bunny already knows that she's a loose knitter ("loose" -- snerk), so she started her gauge swatch on size 7 needles and got 19 stitches. Sez Bunny, Hey! I bet size 6 will work! So she pulls out her size 6 needles and gets 22 stitches. And then she notices that her size 6 needles are really size 5 needles in the size 6 case, and that the actual size 6 needles are in the size 5 case, which means she has 19 stitches on size 7 and 22 stitches on size 5. This leaves room for the possibility of actually achieving the target gauge if I knit on actual size 6 needles, so I give it a try: 21 stitches. Here are my three gauge swatches:
See, I really want this sweater to turn out, and I'm taking gauge seriously. My choice is now between 7s, which will get me a sweater about 5% bigger than the target measurements, or 6s, which will give me a sweater about 5% smaller than the target measurements. Bunny chooses the larger. And so I cast on my 22 stitches with the long-tail cast-on method I taught myself from a diagram after I saw Megan do it at knitting circle and decided I should figure it out. And I knit three repeats of the cable-lace-cable pattern that makes up the band, the intent being to pick up selvage stitches from the band later to knit the body of the sweater. Only my selvage stitches look like ass, so I rip it all out and start over, only I manage only to get 21 stitches on the needles this time, so I rip it out again. That was yesterday. At this point, I have 14 repeats of the 4-row pattern done. It looks great. I love it. Only 120 repeats to go before I can actually start on the sweater itself.
I finished the birdseye hat from ye olde yarne:
I'm making good progress on the stripey socks:
and I finished the pair of tofu mini-socks. I still have enough tofu yarn left to make two more pairs.
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