Saturday, February 9, 2008

SWATCHES!!

So many new people tell me they don't see why we need to do swatches -- after all, it uses up precious yarn!! Oookay, so I use probably 1/4 of a cone doing multiple swatches. I'd much rather 'waste' that than complete a sweater or something for one of the grandkids and find it doesn't fit at all!! So. I'm a firm believer in swatching but there are numerous things you can do with that swatch after you've done your pattern testing.

What are some of the things you do with swatches?

  • Afghans
  • Pillow Tops
  • Doubled-Up & lined for Pot Holders or hotpads
  • Doll Cloths / Doll Blankets
  • Cut 'n' Sew Quilt Pieces
  • Scarves
  • Hats
  • Doll Hair (kill & ravel out for great krinkle doll hair!)
  • Pet Blankets / Bedding / Sweater Pieces
  • Placemats
  • Casserole Carriers (great with knitweave swatches)
  • Ravel out the knitting, wind it firmly into a ball, then use it for creating I-Cord.

Those are only a very few of the wonderful things you can do with your swatches. You'll notice that many of the items require certain sizing. Well, if your gauge is not going to be compromised by making that swatch wider or narrower or longer, then pre-plan to use that swatch in something else from our list above.

I very often end up doing 2-3 swatches if I'm trying to get a new pattern *exactly* right. So taking the time to pre-plan the size of the swatch is not a problem. I have a clipboard above my knitting machine that has a list of general sizes of swatches that I can use for something else after I'm done with the gauge testing.

~Marge~

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