<img class="aligncenter" src="http://graceakhrem.com/2012/07/olgas-vest-swatches/" alt="" /><a href="http://graceakhrem.com/2012/07/olgas-vest-swatches/sweet-geaorgia-silk-mohair1/" rel="attachment wp-att-1800"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1800" title="Sweet-Geaorgia-Silk-Mohair1" src="http://graceakhrem.com/wpdev/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Sweet-Geaorgia-Silk-Mohair1-500x334.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="334" /></a>Okay! Well, here we go.  I would like to thank all of you who are joining me in this knit-a-long... it's my first KAL ever, and I hope it is a helpful and successful one as well.

So I thought we should get started off by discussing the importance of swatching.  It is <strong>so important</strong> to swatch- I just can't talk about it enough.  It super important that you get gauge for this project because this will determine the final length of your piece.  We will discuss modifying the length of the piece, if necessary next week.

Make sure to swatch your yarn on the needles you intend to knit your entire project on.  The reason behind this is that every company and every needle material is different.  There is no actual standardization when it come to knitting needle sizes and therefore (for example) a size 9 in <a href="http://www.lanternmoon.com/40-Ebony-Destiny-Circular-Needles_p_478.html">Lantern Moon</a> <em>might</em> be 1/4 of a millimeter different from a <a href="http://www.skacelknitting.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.23/.f">Addi Natura</a> in the same size- which makes a difference.  The type of material your needle is made of also makes a difference when you knit because you as the knitter reacts to the feel of each material differently.

For example, I am a <em>very very</em> loose knitter and when I knit with metal needles I feel that things are even looser and I start to tense up and tighten up and my hands cramp up as well as my knitting- overall everything gets tighter.  When I knit with <a href="http://www.lanternmoon.com/40-Ebony-Destiny-Circular-Needles_p_478.html">Lantern Moon Ebony</a> needles I have the exact opposite reaction.  I feel that the natural texture in the wood holds my stitches for me and allows my tension to flow freely and easily.... it's like night and day.

After you have swatched on your needles make sure you block this swatch.  Steaming is okay.... if you plan to never wash your vest.  I always say that washing your garment is an opportunity to block it..... hopefully that will take out some of the fear of blocking.  I know you are going to wash your garment because you plan on wearing it... that is the goal here right?!  So wash your swatch!  I'm not saying that you have to put it in the washer and dryer with your darks, but you definitely want to submerge the thing!

Just follow these eight easy steps to block your swatch:
<ol>
	<li>Knit your swatch and bind off loosely :)</li>
	<li>Get a mediumish sized bowl and fill it with lukewarm water</li>
	<li>Squeeze in a little bit of <a href="http://www.soakwash.com/us/soak.html">Soak</a> (this is a no rinse wash available in so many lovely fragrances) into the bowl and swirl</li>
	<li>Submerge your swatch and let it sit for 15-20 minutes - don't panic if you forget about it and come back like 4 hours later, I've done it many times and nothing bad happened.</li>
	<li>Take out your swatch and squeeze out all the excess water.</li>
	<li><strong><em>DO NOT PANIC</em></strong> if your water turned into the color of your yarn, this is excess dye and is absolutely normal... it will happen a few times (each time getting lighter and lighter), but it will not effect the saturation of the color in your yarn.</li>
	<li>Lay your swatch flat to dry on a towel or some really awesome <a href="http://store.cocoknits.com/products/knitter%E2%80%99s-block.html">blocking mats by Coco Knits</a>.</li>
	<li>Do not check gauge until your swatch is completely dry.</li>
</ol>
When your swatch is dry then check the gauge.  If you get gauge, great! If you don't then re-swatch!  You'll thank me later.  A lot of the time knitters get confused when they don't get gauge and aren't sure what to do next... do I change needle? Do I go up a size? Do I go down a size?  Well lets clear that up! If you swatch tells you that you need to have 21 sts and 32 rows over 4" in pattern and your swatch comes out smaller, that means your stitches are too small and to make them bigger, so you need to go up in needle size.  If you swatch comes out larger that means your stitches are too big and you need to make them smaller, so go down in needle size.

You should continue to swatch until you get gauge... please do not make the mistake of guessing your gauge or thinking that you will just knit tighter or looser to get gauge.  This <em>always </em>fails and results in an ill-fitted garment.  Nobody wants that!

Now after you check the gauge, check that drape! Is it a good drape? Do you like the density of the stitching or do you feel like it could use a change (either more dense or less dense).... is it the right density but just too drapey or is the drape just right?  All of these could be factors of yarn choice.

When I knit my first Olga's Vest I used <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/madelinetosh-tosh-merino-light">Madelinetosh Merino Light</a>, this is a good lofty wool yarn.  Wool is good because it has lots of air pockets and air pockets equal bounce.  Bounce is good for this garment.  The second time I knit Olga's Vest I used <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/wollmeise-pure-100-merino-superwash">Wollmeise Pure 100%</a> wool.  This is a fantastic yarn, but not great for Olga's Vest - and I didn't find this out until after I blocked the garment.  I got a little confident and thought, "Eh... I wrote the pattern, I'll check gauge but I don't feel like blocking my swatch- I just want to start!"  Well fast forward to months later, I have a Wollmeise Olga's Vest hanging in my closet... neglected and unworn.

Why? Too much drape!  I would have found this out had I blocked my swatch, but we know what happened there... sad ending.  Wollmeise is 100% wool just like the Merino Light.... why did they react differently?  The constructions of the two yarns are completely different.  The Merino Light is a single ply lofty yarn and Wollmeise is a multiple ply, which that many plies in that thin of a yarn... you loose loft and bounce.

So.... I learned my lesson! Not all wools are created equally!  Another thing to keep in mind is that most plant fibers and silk (and blends that include those fibers) tend to have more drape.... this is not necessarily a bad thing... we just have to work around it and make some modifications to the drape of the cowl.  But to be safe, pick something with bounce and loft.  Koigu KPM or KPPPM is another good option.  But don't limit yourself.  As Clara Parkes (of <a href="http://www.knittersreview.com/">Knitter's Review</a>) says, "Get one skein and swatch it.  If you don't like the yarn, you've only bought one skein and not a whole sweater's worth."

So once you choose your yarn and get gauge you are ready for the next step.  You want to make sure that you choose the right size to make your garment.  It's so important to take your measurements before you get started.  It takes less than a minute and will allow you to make the right decision on which size is best for you.  For this particular garment you only really need one measurement, and that will be your bust.  This <strong><em>is not </em></strong>you bra size!!!  Your bra size is seems to be a funny number that someone decides after looking you up and down and then adding a letter... this SOOOOOO does not translate to your knitting.  Your bust measurement is the circumference around the fullest part of your bust and I always like to take this measurement after a comfortable and normal sized inhale (not a deep breath).  Make sure you take this measurement at the fullest point of your bust and all the way around... this is usually where your "point protectors" are (wink wink.... get it?!).  Click <a href="http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/sizing.html">here</a> for a visual if you are unsure of the placement.

This brings us to the conclusion of this post, and I now realize there weren't really any visuals.  I didn't think they were necessary for this post, but the next post will be full of visual aids, do not worry!  I hope you all learned at least one thing from today's post and will apply this to this project as well as all your others.  Please let me know if you have any questions- you can post them here, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/grace-akhrem-fans">Ravelry</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/GraceAkhrem">Facebook</a> or email them to me@graceakhrem.com.

Please keep in mind that I am leaving the country on Wednesday, so I might not answer any questions on Wednesday or Thursday.  Throughout the KAL I will be overseas and<em><strong> I will definitely</strong></em> answer all questions it just might take a few hours because of the time difference.  Happy swatching!!!