April 16, 2004Pia: A Swatch Tutorial First of all, I'm aware that Pia is not on my list of summer projects, which is already way too long. However, I saw two finished Pia's that were just irresistibly cute: Jen's adorable version in Misty (you'll have to clisck on Pia in Jen's Finished Objects section), and then more recently Sharlyn's Pia in a lovely Cafe Au Lait Color. I was tempted and the yarn was there - just four balls of all seasons cotton - my color is Fern - a lovely green. And then, to top it off, there was a post on Knitty asking for a little help, with what looked superficially like a pretty easy pattern. So, out came the needles and I began to swatch. Here's my tutorial on the Pia swatch for those who are interested. It starts with the very good questions that were asked on the knitty board: 1. In the pattern they use the abbreviation "yrn" which is not on the information page. Is it safe to assume they mean "yon" - yarn over needle? "yrn" is an abbreviation for a yarnover in which the yarn is taken over the needle between stitches without knitting from front to back. It increases the work by one stitch and is used, as here, between two purl stitches. 2. The gauge says 17 sts and 24rows over 4" using the pattern. The pattern rows stretch over 4", so which part of the pattern repeat do I use? When you look at a pattern like this try to think about what you're going to achieve with the stitches - in this case two sides which are the mirror image of one another. To do this with yarnovers that are slanted, you have two slightly different complementary stitch patterns. In this case, (P2tog, yrn, P6) for the left side of the work, and (P6, yrn, P2tog tbl) for the right side. There are also a varying number of purl stitches on each side of the knitting, and a "bridge" section across the center connecting the left and right sides. So, to do a guage, you actually have several options. The one I chose is one left side repeat followed by the bridge, follwed by a right side repeat, with a few purl stitches at each end. To do it: CO 24 sts. But, because the sides are mirror images, and therefore the same guage, you can just knit several repeats of either the left or right side pattern. 3. Once I've finished the gauge, how do I count the stitches with the yarn overs? First of all, you need to know how many stitches to cast on in the first place with a pattern like this. The trick is to write out the pattern that you need to knit for the swatch and then count the P2tog's as 2 sts and the yrn's as 0 stitches - the rest of the stitches count for one each. So, in the pattern row above: P3 (P2tog, yrn, P6) yrn, P2tog tbl (P6, yrn, P2tog tbl) P3 3+2+0+6+0+2+6+0+2+3=24 Cast on 24! So, when you measure your guage, just pretend that you always have 24 (plus however many extra sts you might put on as a buffer) - think of the yrn's as a place holder - the stitch may not be there, but the space for the stitch is. Alright, enough of all that. Hopefully those of you making Pia will be a little less confused, and the rest of you won't be asleep. Oh, yeah, I've also added a great skirt to my list (the yarn was there...) from the Rowan Linen Print Collection:
There are no pictures, but the skirt is the only one in the book. It's called Lana, and its gorgeous. If you know the book, you'll know it. And you'll be seeing me wearing it soon...
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Me, too! I don't know WHAT is up with the shaping at the top! I'm going to work on a fix for it and I'll let you know what I come up with. I'm not a perfectionist, so if I don't come up with anything good, I'm going to weave in some yarn to cover the holes - it does work in an emergency. It will be a few days before I post about this, since I have a lot to do at work and since its going to require frogging an inch or two of Pia! Posted by: Julia at April 22, 2004 06:50 AMI've just begun the armhole shaping on my Pia, much to my chagrine. You'll see what I mean because at about the 3rd or 4th row of shaping, which are the 1st and 2nd rows of decreasing, there's a big hole that looks terrible. I've done it twice and wondered if anyone else has had this issue. I'm going to have to rewrite that part because the only holes I want in my Pia should be in the yrns. By the way, I used Artful Yarns Fable (85% cotton and 15% silk) and it's working out beautifully. Posted by: jennie at April 21, 2004 10:25 AMYes, that helps! Even seems obvious, but I haven't done anything close-fitting before. Posted by: Julie M. at April 19, 2004 06:29 AMHooray Pia rocks! So are you going to make Pia now you've swatched? Go on, it's really quick :) Yes, it is wonderful to knit again; I’m much more cut out for it now than I ever used to be when I first learned (my mother showed me how when I was 10 or so), when I was younger I did not have the patience, now I know that the wait is worth it and so many beautiful things out their to knit. I must admit though I sometimes find knitting unnerving…when it comes to some math or when I don’t understand the pattern. Do whichever size is is closest to 32.5 inches - this is 100% cotton - you'll want a close fit. 30 inches is too small, 33 is optimal, 32 will work. Does that help? It's really cute - let me know how it goes! Posted by: Julia at April 17, 2004 02:16 PMThanks for any advice. It's Dot from Rowan's spring/summer book 33. And I'm 32.5 (also sad!) but usually pick size S or M for things with shoulders and sleeves. I love your Knitty cami--it's a great design. I'm thinking size 32 would work for me. Posted by: Julie M. at April 17, 2004 01:54 PMNow you're making we want to knit Pia, too, but I'll resist since there's no ASC in the stash and I just lost out on some via eBay (of course there's plenty of Cotton-Ease, but I have plans for that already). Thanks for adding me to the Charlotte list. Would you mind linking that to my blog, too? Thanks. I'm calling Threadbear tonight if I don't hear from them today about my colors~ Posted by: Maggi at April 17, 2004 11:41 AMThat's a tough one. Which pattern? I have most of the Rowan books, so maybe I can help. I'd like to be able to look at it! Oh yeah, and what bust size are you? Measure right across the largest part of your bust and tell me - mine's 30.5 (sad, eh?) - don't use your bra size. That will help me give you a better answer. Posted by: Julia at April 17, 2004 10:27 AMSince we're all talking about summer projects, I have a question for you about tanks & things. What size should one knit for a cami or tank when the finished measurements given are smaller than your measurements? Example--For one of my Rowan summer projects, in size S (34"), the actual finished measurement of the back/front is 15"! Granted, a lot of these things are stretchy, but 30" around? And you'd basically have to finish the thing before knowing whether it worked or whether it's a knitting disaster! So, as a general rule, would you stick with the [Rowan] size that usually works for you? Posted by: Julie M. at April 17, 2004 08:44 AMAngela, thanks! I really hope it helps, and since I'll be knitting it too (though probably slowly) let me know if you need help - I've been knitting seriously for about a decade and a half now, so I've made enough mistakes to learn a little. I thought that your questions were really insightful, and that the pattern, though great, was not particularly helpful. Let me know if you have any insights or comments along the way and I'll share them. (Or you can always just drop by and comment on a Pia post!) Becky, Sharlyn used a substitute yarn and hers looks great - it's a quick knit to take along on vacation if you have a little extra time. Orli, if you need help on honeymoon (I think the shaping gets tough at the top, which is why I rated it "piquant"), let me know and I'll assist. Isn't it great to knit again?!? Becky brought me into the fold on the internet and I love it! Posted by: Julia at April 17, 2004 07:16 AMI'm rather new to your blog...just started reading it a few days ago after I saved that wonderful pattern you submitted to Knitty which I would love to try. I've been reading Becky's blog for over a month now...I must say...PIA looks really neat and thanks for all the info. Since I'm a "return" knitter, I'm effictivly a new knitter and those tips really help. I know I'd like to knit your honeymoon grace for myself, but as for pia, I like it but I'm not sure I'll get wear out of it...as I don't get many opportunites to wear tanks since I'm always cold at the office due to the a/c...but I'll keep it in mind if I ever have enough time to make something perhaps for a friend of mine. Posted by: Orli at April 17, 2004 12:59 AMYou always do the coolest projects! I'm aching to do Pia, and I could easily substitute the ASC with Aviso... Let's see how much I advance with summer projects. I always go on vacation for summer and I might be able to make this one my vacation knitting. Posted by: Becky at April 17, 2004 12:02 AMHey Julia, It's angera from the knitty board. Thank you SOOO much for putting this up on your blog! I will definitely send you pictures of my progress. But they will probably come all at once, since I broke my digital camera a few months ago. But anyways, THANKS AGAIN! Posted by: angela at April 16, 2004 11:37 PM |
