Swatch versus finished project

Filed under: chezPlum Patterns,Crochet — May 3, 2013 @ 7:28 am

Le māŠme (ou presque) en franā§ais, c’est ici.
One simple comment started it all : “was I going to make an adult version of the Dancing poppies bolero?”
This was a great idea. I had the perfect yarn (Kureyon sitting in stash for years, waiting for the perfect project) and time, as I was leaving for a week’s vacation. Perfect !
RomarinFleur CactusRecut
We drove there, found a jungle as it’s been raining much lately (not usual there near the Mediterean sea). Every now and then the sky would clear and we headed outside…

But mostly, I crocheted. Started with a swatch, to decide which hook to use : 5.5 mm or 6 mm ? I knew I wanted an open/lightweight/drapey fabric. Yet because of the tall dc stitches, the gaps between each stitch can become an issue if using the wrong hook. I examined my swatch, and decided it would be more reasonable to go with the smaller size.

wip2 wip1r
And off I started. Crocheted the yoke, watched the color sequences follow each other, always unexpected…
OpeningSleevesLarger
Separated the sleeves and crocheted down the body… Then I tried it on (beauty of that top down construction method !). But it was kind of tight, hugging my body too closely. AND not the loose drape I had in mind.
Decisions had to be made. Not always easy, esp. when getting so close to starting the exciting part – the bottom poppies edging… Yet there would be nothing worse than publish a design I’m not entirely satisfied with, and proud of.
I had enough skeins of that yarn to start over without unraveling the first one, and compare both options. So I did.
Using the larger hook immediately felt right, opening the fabric just enough so it wouldn’t be stiff any more, with just the right amount of drape for a summery bolero/cardigan.

Wip - Dancing poppies cardigan, by Sylvie Damey, chezplum.com
I crocheted away, again. Even the color sequences fell in place better, I knew I had made the right choice.

And when I tried it on, the fit was perfect.
Dancing poppies cardigan, crochet pattern by Sylvie Damey, chezplum.com Dancing poppies cardigan, crochet pattern by Sylvie Damey, chezplum.com
Because of that, I didn’t have time to finish the cardigan there during my vacation as planned, but that’s ok. It’s for the better in the end : yesterday I finished the poppies and edgings, and we took pictures. I just LOVE it (and love the response I’m getting too. it’s encouraging me to publish the pattern very soon. Maybe a pre-release later today ?)

Moral of the story: Yes swatching is essential. Yet sometimes it’s not enough ;-)

1 Comment »

  1. faverais christiane:

    je desire suivre vos instructions pour ce modelle merci

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