Swatchy time!

I’ve been working on swatches to try to figure out a solution to the collar problems I had with this sweater so I can knit a new version.

ver10

This was the main problem I had with the original sweater. I knew that garter stitch next to stockinette would curl towards the rev. stockinette side like on the above swatch and I thought that would work perfectly. Unfortunately, the stockinette curls too aggressively and the collar doesn’t end up with a nice fold.

ver7

Here we have swatch #1. It didn’t quite fold the way I wanted to before I blocked it, but the little hinge I made seems to sort of work after I blocked it. The stockinette does still sort of curl upwards. That was a big problem I had with the original sweater. It was always sort of coming open because the fronts curled out slightly.

ver8

I liked the way that the cable stood out when the body was rev. stockinette, but I might have to give that up.

ver9

This is swatch #2 with stockinette on the RS. I didn’t block this swatch and it actually doesn’t fold badly and it doesn’t curl outwardly if I shape it with my hands. The garter stitch does sort of stand up, but I think the sweater’s construction might prevent that.

ver11

The only problem with this guy is that the above picture shows what it really wants to do. I think it might just be the result of the stockinette curl up and blocking + being on a body might fix that problem, but I’m not sure.

In conclusion, I really don’t know what to do with this sweater. Neither of these swatches have made me feel particularly confident and I’m not sure what else to try. Maybe this idea doesn’t work unless you sew things down and fudge them like I did with the first version. I’m sort of thinking of just putting this yarn away until I can think of something better to do with it. I’m going to block the second swatch and see if it lays better, but I have mixed feelings about this being a stockinette sweater. Maybe I’ve just lost my knitting mojo.


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5 responses to “Swatchy time!”

  1. I don’t have any advice about the swatch, but it might be helpful to put it away for a while. I often find this works and I know what to do when I go back and look at something, after I’ve had some time to think about it 🙂 The yarn is very pretty and I’m sure it will look great, whatever you decide to do with it!

  2. Hmmm… can’t help you there. If there is a way, I’m confident that you’ll find it. And sometimes, even if you had all the mojo in the world, you can’t find anything, because it isn’t there. Chin up!

  3. I don’t think you’ve lost your mojo. You may just be too close to the problem to be able to clearly see the solution. Put it away, put it out of your mind and the answer will come to you.

  4. Good luck with all that swatching! While I don’t mind one swatch, more than one can definitely drive me batty!

  5. OOOH! I love that cardigan and hope you will release the pattern soon. I love how it fits you, and the color is beautiful. As for your swatching dilemma, have you put a link to this post on the Techniques board on Ravelry? There are a few ultimate knitters who lurk there and post wonderful, helpful solutions. Good luck.

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