Thanks for the info, Sandi. I always wondered how patterns were double-checked. I imagine it's a lot of work with complex patterns. I just downloaded my digital copy of Farm & Fiber Knits. It's gorgeous. I can't wait to get the print issue. I have a question about swatches. I often hesitate to knit a swatch and then wash it because I don't know if it will take up too much of the yarn I need for the pattern. When you decide on a pattern to knit, do you order an extra skein so you can knit and wash a swatch? I usually order kits these days, and sometimes I'll have a bit of yarn left over but not as much as I'd want to fully check my gauge.
Knit that swatch and wash it! You want to know how the yarn is going to behave in the finished garment before you put in the time to knit it, not after. You don't really know what your gauge is going to be until you've washed the swatch the same way you'll wash the finished project. If you run out of yarn and need to rip out the swatch to get those few extra yards, go right ahead. Washing hasn't "spoiled" the yarn, and any little crinkles will even out when you wash the finished project.
And no, I don't buy an extra skein of yarn. In modern-day knitting patterns, it is common for the designer or publisher to add a 10% cushion to the yarn requirements. This isn't done to make you buy yarn you don't need, but to allow for swatching and ward off complaints from customers who lost the game of yarn chicken.
I hear you, Sandi. I know how important it is to knit a swatch and wash it. When I choose not to do that, I only have myself to blame if the garment doesn't come out right. And I have ripped out swatches when I've needed to, but that's why I was asking. I didn't know that the designer or publisher would allow for a swatch to be knitted as well as the garment. One time I did run out of yarn. Even ripping out the swatch wasn't enough to finish the garment. It might have been a fluke or maybe I didn't measure the gauge right, but for a long time after that, I added an extra skein to my purchases. (That didn't last long though. Too expensive!)
Thanks for the info, Sandi. I always wondered how patterns were double-checked. I imagine it's a lot of work with complex patterns. I just downloaded my digital copy of Farm & Fiber Knits. It's gorgeous. I can't wait to get the print issue. I have a question about swatches. I often hesitate to knit a swatch and then wash it because I don't know if it will take up too much of the yarn I need for the pattern. When you decide on a pattern to knit, do you order an extra skein so you can knit and wash a swatch? I usually order kits these days, and sometimes I'll have a bit of yarn left over but not as much as I'd want to fully check my gauge.
Knit that swatch and wash it! You want to know how the yarn is going to behave in the finished garment before you put in the time to knit it, not after. You don't really know what your gauge is going to be until you've washed the swatch the same way you'll wash the finished project. If you run out of yarn and need to rip out the swatch to get those few extra yards, go right ahead. Washing hasn't "spoiled" the yarn, and any little crinkles will even out when you wash the finished project.
And no, I don't buy an extra skein of yarn. In modern-day knitting patterns, it is common for the designer or publisher to add a 10% cushion to the yarn requirements. This isn't done to make you buy yarn you don't need, but to allow for swatching and ward off complaints from customers who lost the game of yarn chicken.
I hear you, Sandi. I know how important it is to knit a swatch and wash it. When I choose not to do that, I only have myself to blame if the garment doesn't come out right. And I have ripped out swatches when I've needed to, but that's why I was asking. I didn't know that the designer or publisher would allow for a swatch to be knitted as well as the garment. One time I did run out of yarn. Even ripping out the swatch wasn't enough to finish the garment. It might have been a fluke or maybe I didn't measure the gauge right, but for a long time after that, I added an extra skein to my purchases. (That didn't last long though. Too expensive!)
Thank you for sharing details of the pattern publication process. That tip about marking back and front of knits is a valuable one !
You're welcome!