Ugh.......maybe I'm trying to achieve the impossible but w/ my lovely silk yarn I can't seem to get a gauge that I like. My stockinette stitch looks too open. I went down from a 4.25mm (I think it was a 4.25mm or a 4.50mm) to a 3.50mm and it basically looks the same. Is this the way it is supposed to look? This is my first time using lace weight yarn and maybe I can't achieve a tight stockinette as one would with wool. With an open stockinette, will the pattern still show. I'm afraid it will be difficult to see pattern. Please respond with your thoughts and pictures (close-ups) if possible of your stockinette portion. I have a blurry picture of mine that I posted the other day if you want to see what I'm talking about.
Thanks. :)
ETA: How are you supposed to check your swatch measurement? Stretch or unstretched? Unstretched, my swatch isn't wide enough (3.5"), stretched it just makes 4".
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5 comments:
I don't think you want a tight stocking stitch. You want the yarnovers to be obvious and the whole fabric to drape. I am using 3.5 mm needles with laceweight and I really like the fabric I'm making. If your gauge is too tight, it won't float on your shoulders in that come hither way.
I agree with j. Looking at your photo, your tension is too tight for my taste. Lace needs to be knitted fairly loosely so it will drape and flow.
I like my stockinette to be loose but you should still be able to tell what the stitch is. Also you will want to block your swatch to make sure the fabric is what you want in the end. The difference between blocked and not is HUGE.
If you're asking stretched or not stretched, I'm thinking you haven't wet your swatch. Please don't forget that your yarn - even silk - will bloom a little when you wash out the sizing. The blooming is going to fill out your stockinette more than you think it is.
I'd recommend light washing, a good soak for at least 30 minutes, and then a blocked, stretched-but-not-a-trampoline measurement. Block it, pin it, let it dry . . . unpin it and let it relax, and then-and-only-then measure it. Should make a huge difference, as cayli said -
Thanks ladies. I'll be sure to wash/dry/measure.
I appreciate all the feedback. :)
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