Hi there, As one of the test knitters I am hoping you can help me. I made a lovely big swatch for the botanical shawl. After blocking I am at 18 stitches for 4 inches rather than the 22 the pattern calls for. I am already on size 5 needles and the fabric actually looks nice but over the size of the pattern the stitch gauge being this far off will be a problem. I am more than happy to knit another swatch and then we’ll no doubt need to get another scan or 2 of Atlas but I’m wondering what your thoughts are about this. Are number 3 or 4 needles going to work with Atlas yarn? This is my first experience with it and I know you’ve knit a lot with it and looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks Nancy from Salt Lake City
Have you watched your swatch? That may make a bit of a difference. If you’re still not there (or close enough to feel comfortable), then go down to a four. I’ve played with Atlas a lot and it does respond well to gauge shifting.
Hi Nancy,
My apologies for my delay in responding, I’ve been away from the laptop.
My first question is are you using a wooden needle? If not please try, they tend to grip the yarn a little more than metal.
I’m a loose knitter and used (wooden) US4s for the sample. Even though Atlas can be knit beautifully at a looser gauge, your wrap will take more yarn and be much larger at 18 stitches to 4".
Do not hesitate to email me directly
nellknits at gmail dot com
FLORA ARM WARMERS
Atlas yarn. Peat, Natural, Barn Red, and Whisper. Good first project for strand knitting. I love Atlas.
Julie, this is a fantastic use of Dee’s beautiful colorwork charts!
Which shades of Atlas did you choose?
Thank you! It is shale, pear, and leek.
Here they are - Climbing Vine Mitts! Made with Atlas Mallard, Seaglass, and Natural. Took them out for a test run and they kept my hands nice and toasty! Even got a compliment on them!
Holy moly! That’s amazing!
I have my first mitt finished. It is only my second color-work project, and I can see I need to even out the tension. Any suggestions? I read about turning the work inside out and wondered if anyone has done that or can suggest something else to try.
I generally do inside out with the floats going around the outside. That helps a lot for me so worth a try, I’m sure there are a ton of other helpful hints, like spreading out the stitches on the right needle before locking the float. Blocking will also help a lot.
Thanks. I was thinking blocking would help, but will also experiment with inside out. I saw a tutorial on YouTube that was helpful.
it almost always looks better after blocking!!!
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