Archive of Thread: Question about best way, for most to learn - wait for swatch to be washed …. Back

2 years ago
I am doing the exercises in the LK150 course. I have  question about how to proceed and not mess up the learning process or just tack in too much while waiting for the swatch to be washed and dried.

I have made my swatch and the item that I will use that yarn for will be washed and dried, so I am doing that with the swatch. 

My question is this, should I just wait it out and not continue with doing the exercises with using any gauge or just continue. I am not doing the washing and drying until I get a full load to wash. I did towels in hot water today, so I did not include it there because it won’t be washed in hot water.

So, is it okay to skip the swatching for lessons that are not going to be actually used for anything? I would like to move on to the shoulder shaping because stitches kept dropping and the carriage kept jamming when I tried this with the other machine. I did the swatching and everything, but I had issues with using the machine. That slope exercise fabric won’t be used for anything other than the exercise. Would it be wise or unwise to go ahead and do that without making a swatch. 

Is it okay to skip swatching for exercises? Gauge does not matter and it is just an exercise for partial knit, or increasing, decreasing or whatever and won’t be used. Swatching and waiting around while it washed and gets dried will cause having to wait for a few days to continue with that exercise. Making test sleeves, etc, to do increasing and decreasing doe sleeves to practice, and size does not matter, why swatch and have to wait around for swatch to be washed, dried, whatever that item would have done to it?

This is probably confusing, I just want to make sure I don’t skip something necessary, and I know swatching is necessary, but these are all just exercises and never going to be made into anything.

2 years ago
Cynthia, why don't you wash it by hand, and spin it out gently in the washing machine? Or roll it up in a towel to remove the water , You wouldn't have to wait so long...
Joy 🤔

2 years ago
Cynthia,
The swatch practice is to prepare you for when you need a swatch for a project.

You can proceed with the other exercises because gauge doesn't matter.  

If you are going to follow a pattern (a practice neckline for example) you'll need to know your gauge.

While your swatch is drying, you can certainly move forward.

2 years ago
Joy, when you seatch, you are supposed to dress(?) it the way it will be done in the final project. Since this yarn will be used for a child’s sweater, when I am able to do it, I want to dress it as it will be for the final project. This will allow the gauge to be accurate for the final project, when I am able to make it.

I will store the swatch with that yarn with the information on the tension guide wires and the carriage. Since the rest of this yarn will be used for a future project, I need to do the swatch as such.

2 years ago
Sue, I think I am over thinking. I really should have realized that, I just do not want to mess up now that things seem to be working. �