I’ve got a bit of a head scratcher moment. My pattern calls for 26 stitches over 10 cms with a 3 mm needle. On my swatch knitted flat I’m getting 23, when knitting it in the round suddenly I’m getting the gauge. Both are done with 3 mm needles which is the smallest size I’ve got. The yarn itself is meant to be 26 on 3 mm needles.
My issue is the pattern starts off with the first section of the raglan (top down) being knitted in the flat then you join it to knit in the round.
What can I do to not let the massive difference in gauge affect the flat knitted section??
Welcome!
It’s not uncommon to get a different gauge knitting in the round vs knitting flat. Depending on how much of the pattern is knit flat, you could start with a smaller needle and then switch to the 3mm for knitting in the round.
How much of the pattern is knit flat? What is the name of the pattern?
I think it’s just the top of the yoke to create a higher back of the neck than the front instead of using short rows. So not loads but just worried about creating a wider neckline and shoulders that then won’t match to the rest of the yoke and body. With the difference being 3 stitches it’s quite significant.
Unfortunately i don’t have the size smaller needle, the smallest in the collection is 3 mm which isn’t an issue I can buy one, as I thought this might be the case.
Do you know of any good techniques to avoid a hole when joining in the round and casting on for the front neckline? I’ve done this type of raglan before and always ended up with a bit of a messy join. I use cable cast on usually to get a neat edge and it usually leaves me with a nice and tight join.
Cable cast on is a nice one to use. Any small hole or jog at the cast on will become part of the neck seam when you pick up sts for the collar.
In general, say for bottom up hats, I cast on an extra stitch and knit the first and last stitch together to start the first round.