Sunday, March 1, 2015

Hot Cocoa Cassatt - Swatches

I did take some time yesterday to wind up one of the skeins of Sweet Paprika Minuet in Hot Cocoa that I got as part of the Sweet Paprika Sweater Club, which I joined last year.  The pattern calls for a US 7 (4.5 mm), and the yarn band calls for US 6 (4 mm).  The pattern gauge is 20 sts and 28 rows, while the yarn band has 21 sts and 28 rows.  Given that this is a DK weight yarn I figured that the US 7 needles would be too big for me to get gauge so I started with the US 6.  The swatch on the left is the result.  I have the row gauge spot on with that swatch, but not the stitch gauge.  I also didn't really like the fabric, the stitches are just a little loose for my taste.  So I swapped out my US 6 needles for US 5 (3.75 mm) needles and swatched again.  The result is the swatch on the right.  I have the stitch gauge spot on with this swatch, but am a little short on the row gauge.  I like the fabric, so will go with the US 5 needles.   For this pattern stitch gauge is more important than row gauge so I will adjust the pattern accordingly as I knit.  Because I am knitting this from the top down instead of the bottom up making length adjustments will be even easier.

Here is a shot of the yarn in the skein.
Sweet Paprika Yarns Minuet - 100% superwash merino wool (100 g/220 yds).  It is a lovely yarn, soft, a little lofty, nice twist, feels wonderful to knit with.

Pattern:  Cassatt (part of the Sweet Paprika Sweater Club) by Elizabeth Sullivan
Yarn:  Sweet Paprika Minuet in Hot Cocoa
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

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