My Magnolia Sweater: Cruise Control (with a little bit of math)

My Magnolia Sweater, by Camilla Vad, is really coming along now. I have recovered from last week’s mohair tangle debacle and separated for the sleeves. I’m in the cruise control part of the project that is just miles and miles of stockinette in the round as I knit down the body.

The pattern says to knit until the body measures 16 cm from the underarm, and then start the lace pattern. I am a big fan of Patty Lyons, resident knitting guru. If you don’t read her blog, you should because it is a bonanza of helpful knitting information. Patty always says “the tape measure touches your knitting twice, once when you measure your gauge and once when you block. Otherwise it’s locked in a drawer.” In order to figure out how long to knit, you have to calculate how many rows it would take to knit that length given the pattern gauge, and then adjust if your gauge is different.

I love a good bit of math, especially if it’s in the service of delicious sweaters. So, using the pattern row gauge of 30 rows / 10 cm, you would have to knit 48 rows to get 16 cm. My gauge was a little off, and I got 32 rows / 10 cm. I’m going to have to knit 51 rounds of stockinette to get the right length. Let’s face it, I’m going to check with a tape measure as well, because I’ll probably lose my place and forget what row I’m on. At least I have something to go on.

I’m not going to lie, I’m really excited and nervous about trying my hand at the lace pattern. I am going to have to figure out how to use a lifeline before I get there, because the chances I’ll get it right on the first go are pretty slim. I should probably swatch for it first, but that would take all of the fun out of it, right? Living on the edge, knitting style. Do you swatch new stitch patterns, or is that just for knitting gurus?