Fair Isle Sweater Update

I've already shared with a few friends that the road to blue Fair Isle* nirvana has not been without a few bumps, potholes, and reversed directions. [*The link to Fair Isle knitting is provided for my non-knitting audience. I love that audience -- they often have the most astute questions about technique, and want further technical explanation than I often give in my posts, so there ya go, a little historical info on Fair Isle knitting. Tickles me pink that it said it became trendy when the Prince of Wales started wearing tank tops of Fair Isle. Really?  Charles? That Prince of Wales? And tank tops? Seriously? Oh! They mean "vest," which of course in British means "undershirt," which .... oh, never mind. Two countries separated by a common language. Heehee.]

I had nine full inches' worth of the back completed -- which might as well have been 100 miles across a scorching desert -- when I realized that the 6-6.5 stitches/inch that I was achieving with my size US 4 needles was, alas, not close enough, even for government work. It was producing a nice fabric, but fairly loose, and the sweater was probably going to be way too big for my mom. Shee-it. That's a whole lot of teeny stitches and lots of knitting time (which is at a premium these days) wasted.

But I saw that it was Not Good. 

So I ripped it all the way back to the ribbing and started up again on size US3 needles. 

Now I'm getting the requisite 7 stitches to the horizontal inch:

 

And isn't that fabric nice?  

For the curious, the row (vertical) gauge is:

 

....9 rows to the inch

I'm working on a finished measurement of 40 inches around (so this piece is 20 inches wide). 

Do the math. 

And I could have SWORN that when I measured it last night, it was 12 inches. However, today it's only

 

Sigh. At least it's progress.

 

Comments

[Sarah]

The rip was sure to have been a bit painful, but not so much as carrying on and having the wrong sweater. The new fabric is looking great!

Knitting and tape measures mess get together at night and conspire.

[Margaret in Ontario]

Beautiful knitting, Norma! That last shot is breathtaking.

[Margaret in Ontario]

Beautiful knitting, Norma! That last shot is breathtaking.

[Geri]

Beautiful blue! Why do tape measures lie to us in the evening? Geezh! Don't they know we're tired and need all the encouragement we can get at that time!

[AnnaMarie]

I just ripped out a pi shawl on row 37 of the 48 row section. Took me two hours to rip it all out. Sometimes you just gotta!

[Mary Fran]

Oh, no - are you at least back to the point where you ripped back yet? Using "virgin" yarn again. It is beautiful knitting. I ordered some Euroflax sport for the napkins. Should be good car knitting for Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to do it on the diagonal so I don't have to deal with gauge or measuring.

[gayle]

Knitting has a wicked sense of humor, and loves to mess with our brains in the evening. The only thing worse than waking up to shorter knitting, is waking up to longer knitting and realizing some critical shaping should have taken place 3 inches ago...

[margene]

And the process. It's the journey...you'll get there.

[Paula]

Oh how we can delude ourselves, eh? Well, you did the right thing of course. Isn't it surprising what a difference 0.5 - 1 stitch per inch can make to the hand of the fabric?

[Marilyn]

Row gauge is a very curious thing. It usually jumps around a lot for me and so I quickly quit knitting when I finally get it to measure the length I want....and then I don't measure it again!

[Carole]

What a shame that you had knit so much before realizing your gauge was off! It happens to all of us, though. Glad you're on track now.

[Gretch]

Yikes that's a lot of plain ol' knitting. My hats off to you for ripping and getting that far back in the same, what, week? I would have needed some serious time away before I forged that valley again. Looks wonderful - mom will looooooooove it.

[Jean]

Just think how gorgeous it's going to be!

[mary lou]

That is a lot of tiny stockinette to redo. BTW, as a hard working government worker, I'd like to remind you that 'close enough for government work' was coined to mean meeting the rigorous standards of weights and measures. Not just good enough. Myself, I'm a 'good enough' kind of knitter!

[marianne]

Wow... you had no other choice, really. Such a gorgeous blue and yes, beautiful fabric. 280 stitches, eh? IF that's the case.. then 99 rows equaling 11 inches = 27,720 stitches.. yes, I'm the dork who will stop and do the crazy crunch with numbers occasionally. :^)

[Joannah]

When it's done, and it's right, you will be glad that you took the time to rip and re-knit. In the meantime, don't think about it too much. Maybe take a nice bubble bath and have a stiff drink, for courage (warning: don't mix these suggestions with knitting!)

[Cookie]

That really is a lovely blue.

I'm sorry you had to rip it back, but I'm glad you're going to give your mom a sweater that will actually fit her when you're all done.

[Birdsong]

I too have trouble getting dense gauges and have to resort to far tinier needles that I can to think about... you definitely have my sympathy. I love the new fabric though, looks good!

[Another Joan]

Re: Fair Isle: not Prince Charlie but his great-uncle Eddy VII, I think. He could set a fashion; Charles, on the other hand, could not! Can't wait to see this project done and on your mum.

[elizabeth a airhart]

the knitting elves mess up ones knitting

when laid aside they need a wee cup of

brandy laid side of the knitting at night

i have to use one size needle for knit
another size for the purl

say good night gracie good night george

[Erika]

I just swooned a little in terror at the thought of a sweater knit at sock gauge. You are hard core!

[Emma]

Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales. He wore a Fairisle slip over to play golf in.

[Ruth]

Another Joan and Emma beat me to it ... it was Edward VII, much more of a swank and fashion setter than his great-nephew.

The sweater is really beautiful, the ripping painful but worth it to make things Right. That blue is to die for.

[Emma]

Oops ! I meant Edward VIII ! The one that abdicated. ;0)