I'm back and need some help with a gauge problem

Hi All! I’d like to redeem myself after the last horrible sweater incident and I’m gonna try again. I’d like to make this sweater:

with this yarn:

https://www.knitpicks.com/yarn/wool-of-the-andes-sport/c/5420110

I have discovered that I’m a loose knitter and have tried size 5 needles (22sts/4") and 4 needles (23.5sts/4") and I need to hit 24sts/4".

What’s the best thing to do…should I keep going down a needle size or should I order new yarn in a DK size?

The size 4 needle swatch feels ok but I’m a little afraid that it will affect the feel of the garment if I go down to a 3. Or am I wrong about this?

I think that this may be why other projects didn’t work out well…I think I need to figure this out because this happens to me with every project! On a hat or scarf it’s not a huge deal but with a garment…big problem. HAHA!

Hi. You can try a swatch and see but you’re probably not going to be happy with the fabric it gives. If it were me, I’d go with a different yarn. All the yarns recommended by the designer range from lace weight to sport. And even the sport is more of a heavy fingering weight. They also seem to be all alpaca and alpaca/silk blends which is going to work up differently than KP highland wool. And too, the comments on Ravelry said the KP yarn is more like a dk than sport. You can use yarnsub.com to find suitable alternatives if you don’t want to use any of the suggested yarns. Normally I’d say to check Ravelry to see what others used in their projects but when I looked there was only a handful.

Thanks so much!

So I used the KP yarn because I got burned last time I knit a sweater. I spent quite a lot on yarn I didn’t really like and the sweater came out unwearable. So I went for a yarn that was cheaper and I thought if I liked the end result, I’d knit it again in a little more high end yarn.

And I did check the suggested yarns on Ravelry but, you’re right, there weren’t many. I didn’t see the comments about the KP being more like a DK…I wish I had seen that! Thank you! That makes me feel better.

I’ll try the yarnsub.com, thank you! I didn’t know about that website!

I have a followup question. As I look for new yarn, and I know that I usually have trouble getting gauge…I always have to keep going down a needle size, should I just generally look for lighter yarns?

Not necessarily. It’s normal to go down one, two, or even three needle sizes compared to what the designer used or the size on the ball band. You might find this changes as you knit more. The important thing is to create a fabric that is suitable for the project and that matches the pattern gauge.

When you are substituting yarns, you want to match the fibre composition and weight. Yardage per weight is helpful too.

Alpaca yarn tends to be stringier (looks thinner) and floppier than bouncy non-merino wool. (That sounds like an insult to alpaca but I can’t think of better words!)

I am sure you can use the Knit Picks sport yarn for something else nice. If you have a look on the Knit Picks website you might find a sweater designed for that yarn that appeals to you.

https://www.knitpicks.com/3002/filter-products?Project-Type=Cardigans%2CCoats%20%26%20Jackets%2CHats%2CPonchos/Capes%2CShawls/Shrugs/Wraps%2CSweaters%2CVests&Yarn-Line=Wool%20of%20the%20Andes%20Sport%2CWool%20of%20the%20Andes%20Sport%20Yarn&ROBOTS=NO

P.S. You are actually not far off the recommended gauge for Wool of the Andes Sport, and you’re still in the recommended needle range:

Knitting Gauge: 6 sts = 1" on #3–5 needles (3.25mm–3.75mm)

Don’t write yourself off as a loose knitter just yet :slight_smile:

That’s great advice! Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind when I choose next time. I may try the #3’s and just see how it looks but I’m still shopping for something that may work better.

Thank you!

Hi
Maybe you have already done this but I thought I’d menyption just in case.
It’s best to measure your swatch after you have wet blocked it as the fabric and size can change. Also, if you can bare to, a larger swatch may be more useful.
I have knitted 2 sweaters of the same size in acrylic yarn (different acrylics) for my son, one fits perfectly, the other is very large, both my swatches were to gauge but the size of a sweater is bigger than my little swatch and the fabric has its own weight to deal with so one yarn is stretching out much bigger than the other just under its own weight. Even within the same yarn make I found the different dye colours knitted to different gauges, the yellow was fine and floppy the dark blue was thick and stiffer. Same make, same yarn, acts differently because of the dye.
I had another experience with a bamboo and cotton mix which I liked but again the finished sweater grew under its own weight, my small swatch was not going to stretch that much even though I wet blocked it.

There are so many variables in choosing yarns, needles, patterns and sizes really it’s a miracle every time something fits (well it’s a miracle for me!)
I am more confident knitting with a yarn I know rather than one recommended, perhaps because I am relatively inexperienced. Having said that I’ve just ordered a yarn I’ve never used before as I wanted to try out recycled yarn, just to see how it is.

Good luck finding a yarn you like.

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Hi, I have been reading through all the suggestions. I always learn something. In this case I took note of when choosing yarn make sure composition is the same. I have just switched a 100% acrylic yarn for the pattern recommendation of 100% polyester both same weight. Is this too much of a stretch. Hope it’s ok to ask a question in someone else’s thread.

I have to admit that I’ve never used 100% polyester yarn. Does it look and feel similar to acrylic?

I did do a pretty big swatch and I did wet block it…I learned that the hard way with the last stupid sweater. However…In looking through Ravelry it seems the the color I chose is a different weight than some others. Most of of the knitters that chose my color had to go down to 3’s to get gauge. So there’s something to what you say for sure!

And I’ve never used an acrylic yarn…not since I knit a baby blanket and it was so awful and squeaky and splitty that I swore off it. Only wool or natural fibers for me from now on.

The 100% polyester is bernat blanket yarn, has texture of chenille, very soft but not what I want to use.

That sounds MUCH nicer than what I knit the blanket with!

I also turned to natural fibres. I actually don’t mind the feel of the 2 acrylic sweaters I made for my son, I do think different makes feel and act very differently, but I had just followed the recommended yarns for the pattern as I was a new knitter. After that I started thinking more about what I’d prefer to use. I have only used natural fibres for my next few projects. Now I’m waiting for delivery of the recycled yarn I’m going to try, one of them is a mix which includes recycled plastic bottles.

Maybe try your yarn on a size 3 needle and see how it is?
A couple of tops in different yarns I’ve made, I get the gauge given on the needles recommended but I prefer how the fabric looks on a smaller needle (especially the inc and dec sections for motifs which I think are roaming cables, and lace the stitches look so much neater). Admittedly it can cause strife with working out sizes and I am always worried things will be too small but so far it’s worked out OK.

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I just got buried in holiday orders so…when I dig out from that I’m going to swatch on size 3’s. I think, from looking at Ravelry, that this color just runs small.

What’s the recycled yarn you chose? I’ve never heard of that! Can you share the name of it? That sounds really interesting!

Sure I can share, can’t recommend as I haven’t tried them out yet.
There are 3 I’ve found which are also low price (I’m in the UK, no idea about prices elsewhere). I’ve ordered 2 of them to try. Info from the web:

ReCreate is a blended yarn that is 40% wool from recycled garments, 30% acrylic, also from garments that have been recycled and 30% polyester that comes from plastic bottles that are shredded and spun. The yarn lends itself to beautiful stitch definition with strong cabling, lace detail and texture stitches all featured in the designs.

Brand: Stylecraft

Fiber: Wool, Acrylic, Polyester

Weight: 100 g

Next:
King cole big value limited edition

Made from 100% recycled fibres, this yarn is remarkably soft and comes in a selection of gentle shades.

This yarn is available for a limited time only.
CONTAINS:
100% Recycled Acrylic

SIZE:
282 metres, 308 yards approx
100g ball

NEEDLES:
4mm/US6
Tension 22r x 28st (10x10cm)

The 2 above are what I’m going to try. They are both DK.
The 3rd I have not ordered as I didn’t know what to make, Drops Paris but only 4 of the colours which are recycled denim
Drops Paris Recycled Denim - Drops Paris expands its collection with sturdy jeans colours. The soft yarn spun from pure recycled cotton can feel both cool and warm. Paris Recycled Denim is perfect for crochet projects like amigurumi’s, potholders and clothing.

Brand: DROPS Design

Fiber: Cotton

Weight: 50 g

Thickness: Aran

Drops paris has lots of colours but the 4 which are recycled denim are named as such and come in 4 shades of denim
Light wash, light blue, spray blue, dark wash

The other colours are not labelled recycled but are oeko-tex certified. I’ve never used this yarn.

There are a few different web sites which are about recycled yarns too. Here’s one I just discovered

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Popping back here to say I’m not all that keen on either of the recycled yarns I bought. I wouldn’t recommend them. I think it’s worth trying other types of recycled yarns but next time I’ll buy one ball to try out instead of plunging in with a whole sweater worth.
I’ve made a swatch and not looking forward to starting a big project with it. Shame.

Oh! That’s a bummer! Can I ask what you don’t like about them?

I’m sorry you have so much invested in them!

Initially I thought they felt soft enough although not super soft. I knitted a swatch though with the king cole and I can feel the shredded plastic irritating my skin as I knit, it’s quite harsh, I do have quite sensitive skin, I got a rash on my hands from it rubbing whilst i knitted. I also quite quickly had a sore throat and felt like I was breathing in tiny fragments of the yarn.
I tried to swatch the second yarn but it felt so horrible (and I already had sore skin and throat from the previous one) that I gave up after after about 2 rows. It felt rough, squeaky and was splitty and needed me to pay more attention than I cared to give it, I hate the run through my hand/fingers as I tensioned.

Neither were costly in money, they are budget yarns, but even so I wish hadn’t bought so much. I have discovered a couple of knitters at work I might be able to donate it to so that it’s not wasted. I haven’t seen any negative reviews on these yarns, maybe it’s just me that doesn’t like them.