Sunday, November 4, 2012

Gauge The Situation: Let's Talk about the Bettie...

When I was trying to decide which DK-weight sweater to make, I secretly bought all the patterns I was considering. (Note: This recent bout of illness has had crazy ramifications for my credit card. Talk about trying to feel alive...) I was curious to know the details behind the construction in order to help me make up my mind.

Without a doubt, Bettie's Pullover yielded the strangest, most complex pattern I have ever come across. I was transfixed by its complexity. In fact, a week after first review, I still haven't figured out what to do after I get to the yoke. I've spent hours considering it.

In what way is it complicated? Rather, we should ask, in what way isn't it? I have read that the pattern is flawless, even if incredibly challenging to suss out. It's a bottom up pattern - the second of this type I've ever constructed. Strangely, the last sweater I knit was also bottom up. This one is different in that it is knit in the round, unlike the Siivet.

Specifically, here are the elements I've encountered so far, which bring this sweater into the "advanced" (IMO) category:
  • Instead of changing stitch numbers to shape the waist and other areas, because the feather and fan pattern is stitch-number dependent, you use 1 of 3 needle sizes (depending on the part of the sweater you're working) at any given time. That's not hard, of course, but it takes vigilance.
  • There are short rows in the strangest spots, doing the strangest things, i.e. right above the hem ribbing, to scallop the first row of feather and fan pattern. Effectively, you work this weird short row riff 10 times (5 times on the sweater front, 5 times on the sweater back) to make little uluating divets that come out of the rib. It takes FOREVER.
  • Because of the gauge and pattern, you really need to Japanese short row rather than regular wrap and turn. That's a more finicky version - though not hard. This free Craftsy course teaches it very well, btw... Despite spending 3 hours working, effectively, 2 rows (one of which was a very complicated short row), my end result is frankly mediocre. I really have to hope that either blocking will save the day or that no one will notice the crappy short row part I was learning on cuz they'll be so bamboozled by the crazy pattern. In orange. Let's just say, if I like the end result, I'll probably make the sweater again. If only to improve my technique.
  • The font on the pattern is like 8 point?! And it's still 5 pages long.
  • Again, I still haven't figured out how to attach the sleeves to the yoke - it's apparently genius and bizarre all at the same time - but I'm going to call it really complicated since my brain has not yet cracked the code after hours of consideration. Note: I'm not worried. I intend to figure it out.
I chose this pattern a) because I think it's very elegant, b) because it looks "advanced" (what, I want something showy!) and c) because it's going to give me a run for my money.

That Siivet pattern was so boring to knit it practically put me into a coma. And given that I was practically in a coma to begin with, the experience was not optimal - especially as I don't love the end result. (Note: Not dissing the sweater. It's an excellent beginner pattern that fairly easily yields a successful end result!)

Now that I'm feeling somewhat better - yeah, still exhausted, still sleep-deprived, still ulcerated, still mucous-y crappy but EMERGING from illness - I want to celebrate with concepts that hurt my brain a little bit.

I am so happy to be able to think. I want to indulge on the activity.

11 comments:

  1. Ooh sounds so intriguing. I've been bending my brain on my current project and I'm looking forward to something mindless, lol :)
    I hope my first short rows turn out well!
    Oh, and I'm going to be making a feather and fan patterned cardigan next, so we'll be knitting twins, hee hee :)

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    1. How is it that we keep circling around the same patterns??

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    2. Great minds think alike? Heh heh. But you know, my pattern is very drastically different- very loose gauge and in 10ply, so it'll be great to see the different results for the same stitch pattern!

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  2. I find it interesting that you see switching needles as more advanced than doing decrease + increases for waist shaping. I remember seeing patterns tout needle size changes for shaping as an easy/beginner thing. To me, that just goes to show that once you have the knit/purl thing down "hard" is very subjective.

    So I haven't yet completed a bottom-up sweater, but I've studied the construction in my Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman. In that she has a diagram showing the partially completed body and two partially completed sleeves that are all joined as you knit a row and then continue on with the shoulders and neck. It is really pretty much the opposite of setting aside stitches for sleeves as you knit top-down. Hopefully once all the pieces are in front of you it will be clear as day.

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    1. You're right. I guess that, since I've never done it this way before, it seems exotic. I really have to get that book. Everyone raves about it.

      I haven't got to the sleeve cap section of the pattern yet. It's taking a while. But I wonder if that's the way it will go together...

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    2. I found the book didn't speak to me until I had a bit of knitting under my belt. I've yet to actually make anything specific from it, but learn bits and pieces from it (love her sewn cast-off for example). I suggest giving it a browse before committing to the purchase.

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    3. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

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  3. I have never made a top-down sweater, only bottom-up, so I would be confused about that. I really admire your ability to study the pattern and figure out how it will come out. For complicated patterns, I have a really hard time seeing what the pattern is doing until I actually do it. This makes for some re-doing, but it is the way I learn. I would love to be able to interpret the pattern so I could make adjustments like you have before actually doiing the knitting. I have been knitting for years, so I guess this is a talent I am not likely to aquire. That makes discussion on ravalry or elsewhere all the more important to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your projects.

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    1. V: It's not really that admirable. I just keep looking at it and writing stuff down until something clicks or I hit the right stitch number at the right point. I suggest you try it. It's no harder than actually knitting and then (dreadedly) unknitting. Pretend you're knitting in your mind and I assure you you will acquire the skill very quickly.

      I sense that knitting things takes a long time, one way or another. This is just one of the ways of spending that time :-)

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  4. I'm going to be even more glued to this series than usual, because I've got Bettie on my mental knit-list. Sounds tricky so I'll be reading intently to see if this is beyond my skills level. Good luck!

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    1. You can TOTALLY do this Evie. You are a far more advance and knowledgeable knitter than I am. And you have your mum to talk you through any challenges! BTW, if you choose to make it after I'm done, I'm at your access if you have questions. Why don't you wait to see how it turns out :-)

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