Introduction to Planned Pooling - Sock Summit 2011

WheRe dId I go WRong?
If you’re aiming for vertical pooling, there are two gauge problems that you may encounter.
1. Gauge is too loose — colours start to land too early.
The solution is to knit more tightly. If this happens consistently, switch to a size smaller needle or reduce
the number of stitches in that row (especially if you’re in the garter edging rows).
2. Gauge is too tight. Colours start to run ahead.
The solution is to knit more loosely. If this happens consistently, switch to a size larger needle or increase
the number of stitches in that row (especially if you’re in the garter edging rows).
gauge often differs in stockinette, purl and lace rows
Most knitters find that they use slightly different amounts of yarn in knit, purl and lace rows. Specifically,
my purl rows use up about 15% more yarn than my knit rows, and my lace rows use up about 10% more yarn
than my knit rows, depending on the looseness of my yarnovers.
That’s why I go down a needle size for my purl rows. (If you’re using an interchangeable needle set, this can
be as easy as having two differently-sized needles on either end of the same cable.)
Your mileage may also vary depending on your style of knitting. In particular, continental knitters
(depending on their purling technique) often find that they use up the same amount of yarn in knit and
purl rows.
Once you’ve determined your yarn consumption rate in different kinds of stitches, you’ll be better able to
make an informed decision about whether you need to change needle sizes between your garter, lace and
purl rows.
Use your garter edging rows as an easy gauge check
Once you’ve done your cast-on, use your garter rows to check that you’re close to your “magic number” for
getting pooling with your yarn at your personal gauge. (You will want a garter edging to stabilize the edge of
your work.)
• If you need to knit tightly to get the colours to land on top of each other, consider doing a K2tog to
decrease the number of stitches in your “magic number”. (It’s easy to hide a K2tog in garter stitch.)
• If you need to knit too loosely to get the colours to land on top of each other, consider doing an M1 to
make an additional stitch. (It’s easy to hide a new stitch in garter stitch.)
• Remember that most knitters use more yarn in their purl and lace rows, so having your garter rows feel a
little looser in tension is likely a good way to balance the stitches that are coming up.
It’s better to err on the side of slightly looser stitches
If you’re not sure whether you you have 86 stitches or 84 stitches in your row/round, go with the smaller
number. It’s much easier to make your stitches a tiny little bit looser than to continuously tighten all the
stitches in that row/round.
It’s okay to go back. or not.
Some knitters will finish a row and then, if they’re quite a number of stitches off, they’ll go back along the
row with another needle and loosen or tighten the tension manually to get the colours to line up. It’s also
okay if you don’t do this — unless you’re more than 5–6 stitches off, in which case it might be a good idea
(or it could be ordinary dye variation).