I have gone swatching mad lately! My original swatch (in the burgundy yarn) looked great, except I paid no mind to what the actual stitch count would be in the knitted garment so it wouldn't work...ugh. The very large swatch, that could almost be a scarf, in the aquamarine yarn is what I have been adding to every time I ran into a problem on the sweater or changed my mind on the stitch pattern. Finally the periwinkle swatch is my last resort swatch. This is the lace hem I'll use on a plain stockinette version if I can't get the eyelets to play nicely.
The biggest lesson I have learned from all this swatch ridiculousness is...always swatch in the design yarn! Though the gauge and stitch count were correct in my other two peri and aqua swatches, the fiber content of the yarn is different so the stitch definition and drape varies greatly. The color variation in the project yarn (madelinetosh pashmina) also has an effect on how the stitch patterns look
So what I am I going to be doing today? You've got it...more swatching! I'll take the lace hem and my favorite eyelet pattern from the swatches and knit them up and block in the pashmina. Hopefully it will clear everything up and I can finish this prototype!
I think that is the most important info I can pass on to other budding designers and knitters in general...swatch everything in the project yarn. Let this experience of mine be the lesson of what happens when you just want to grab a lonesome skein of cheap yarn from your stash to test a stitch pattern! I like to think I am usually a pretty smart knitter too, but I guess this is proof that no matter how much you think you know, there is always something more to learn :)
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