I’ve been eyeing the sweet Humulus sweater by Isabell Kraemer for the longest time. Here’s the pattern photo:
I’ve been practicing my stranding skills and think I might finally be able to tackle this. The first order of business, of course, is a swatch.
If this looks like a crazy mess, let me explain….This sweater is worked in the round, so I made a swatch in the round. Some people call it “speed swatching” because instead of making the entire swatch in the round, forming a big tube, you work a row, then slide the stitches to other end of your circular needle, bring the working yarn very loosely across the back, and then start a new row. This is a much faster method, since you’re only working about half the number of stitches. If you’ve never done it that way before, I recommend this tutorial by Webs:
When the knitting is complete you cut the long yarns that travel around the back, forming the sort of “fringe” at either end. Mine is sloppy, but a neatly made swatch looks like an adorable little rug. A nifty trick I learned from a friend is to knit the first and last stitch through the back loop on every row. Otherwise when you cut the long strands in half the edge stitches will be very loose. The twisted stitches hold the cut ends in place.
Now that I’ve got gauge, I’m ready to cast on!