KNITmuch Issue 13

Knitting swatches in keeping with an
open and airy look
I’m knitting some swatches, not based on the
recommended gauge as discussed, but using larger
needles to maintain an open and airy look to the
fabric. One of the projects I selected for this feature
is a cowl designed for this yarn using a needle size
of US 8 [5mm]. So that’s where I’ll begin.
This yarn is extremely light and feathery. Make
sure you use some hand lotion before knitting
with Penna. I discovered that it would get caught
on my dry, rough hands when knitting. I didn’t
realize they were that dry, but after a little hand
lotion, everything went smoothly, both literally, and
figuratively speaking.
Because my first project is a cowl, gauge isn’t really
that important. I just wanted to see what the fabric
would look like before I started knitting the finished
item. The recommended gauge for the cowl is 16
sts x 26 rows in seed stitch using a US 8 [5mm]
needle. My swatch measured in at the same. The
halo of the yarn fills in the loose stitches very nicely
creating a lovely texture and muted stitch definition.
I had plans to make a shawl with a lacy motif,
but after seeing how the halo muted the stitch
definition of the first swatch, I had some concerns
that it may not do the yarn, nor the pattern justice.
The pattern I had originally selected called for a
US 6 [4mm] needle with a recommended gauge
of 16 sts x 20 rows over 4” [10cm] in a lace pattern
using a lace weight yarn. I decided to use the same
needle size to see what I’d get and how it looked.
The resulting fabric was pretty, but the lace pattern
was not that desirable because of the muted
stitch definition. I also found it hard to read my
knitting to know what to do on each row. The
gauge I achieved is very difficult to ascertain. It’s
approximately 28 sts x 26 rows in the pattern I used,
but because the fabric is so open, I can make it
whatever gauge I want. As I mentioned previously,
gauge isn’t that important for a shawl, but good
to know for future reference. The yarn is lovely,
and the pattern is lovely, but they just don’t work
together. I need to rethink my shawl plans, but that’s
for another day.
As mentioned, when Penna is held together with
another yarn, the possibilities are endless. For
one of my projects, I intend to make a beret that
combines Wool Pop with Penna! For Wool Pop, I
discovered that using a US 6 [4mm] needle created
a lovely fabric with a gauge of 22 sts x 30 rows. For
my beret, I’d like the fabric to be denser than that
for a sweater, so I’ll use the US 6 [4mm] needle
combined with Penna to see what gauge I achieve.
There are so many other options when working with
a lace weight yarn such as this. I could keep making
swatches of different combinations just to see what
turns out.
Loosely knit swatch in seed stitch yielded 16 sts x
26 rows on a US 8 [5mm] needle.
Sample swatch before blocking of a lace stitch
using US 6 [4mm] needles. The stitch detail is
quite muted by the Penna halo.
Wool Pop combined with Penna on a US 6 [4mm]
needle resulted in a gauge of 19 sts x 26 rows
KNITmuch | issue 13
29