Fresh Ground Knits

Thanks to Vanessa and Blogless Kate, I think I’ve gathered together enough Mission Falls 1824 Cotton in Merlot to cast on for the Green Tea Raglan from the Spring 2007 (or is it Summer?) Interweave. At least I hope I have enough because I’ve already did done it.

Let’s see how things are going.

First I knit two swatches:

Swatch #1: size 7 needles
26 rows=4.25″ (6.1 rows/1″)
25 sts=7″ (3.5 sts/1″)

Swatch #2: size 6 needles
27 rows=4.25″ (6.4 rows/1″)
25 sts=7″ (3.5 sts/1″)

Wait, what?

That’s right! They’re practically identical.

Swatches: 1
Amy: 0

I decide to cast on using the size 7 needles, giving myself that extra row of wiggle room. I redo the calculations of the sweater for knitting in the round and my gauge since it’s pretty off from what the pattern calls for.

See my pretty little diagram and all the math? Let’s assume I did all my calculations correctly.
Amy: 1
Math: 0
Swatches: 1

I’m knitting merrily along doing my decreases every 8th row and just enjoying the seed stitch when I notice something odd on my needle cable. It’s the #6, um, what’s a 6 doing on my size 7 needle? Shit.
Amy:1
Everything else: 2

I decide that it should all be okay, since you know, the gauge swatches were practically identical and decide to double check the swatches and the gauge of the sweater and then write this post. I decide to be more detailed and draw little squares to visually represent the swatches and put the numbers on them.

Then I do the math again and I get this:
5.88 sts/in.
Wait, what? How can I be getting almost 6 stitches to the inch? I can’t believe this? What’s going on? I KNEW that it wasn’t right that I was 1424 with Mission Falls 1824 Cotton! What an idiot!?!

Oh, woops! I suppose I should divide the number of rows by the height of the swatch and the number of stitches by the width.
Amy: 1
Everything else: 3

After I recovered from my minor panic attack and feeling like an idiot I did the math for the gauge on the sweater. 14.5 sts=4″ or 6.11 sts/in, like on the size 7 needles. Okay, whatever I give up!
Amy: 1
Everything else: 4