Hi everyone. I want to knit a top called Laresca by Corrina Ferguson which suggests Rowan Panama (discontinued). Tension for that is 24 st x 30 = 4 inch. 4mm needle.
I have never been brave enough to switch yarns but have found DMC Natura Linen as a suggestion on the yarn alternative site. That tension is 22 stitches, 28 rows to 10cm/4" using 3.5mm needles. Help! Not sure how to tackle this!
Thank you lovely knitters for your guidance on this.
Hi
https://yarnsub.com/yarns/rowan/panama
Looks like there’s a bit of confusion over the tension listed for the rowan panama yarn as when I look on both yarnsub and on the rowan site the tension for the rowan Panama is listed as 27 stitches on 3.25mm needles (which if worked on 4mm needles would produce fewer stitches, maybe the 24 listed on the pattern) but on ravelry the tension is listed as 24 stitches on 3.25mm. And the pattern you have chosen lists as 24 stitches on 4mm.
https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/rowan-panama
I realise this doesn’t answer your question and possibly causes more confusion.
If you have find a yarn you like knitting up a good size swatch and washing or blocking it before you count the stitches, will help to work out what size needles to use and if you like the resulting drape of the yarn.
The link to yarnsub above has several other yarns which might be suitable too although a swatch would still be needed.
You might try going down a needle size and see if that gets the tension you need. Might even have to go down 2 needle sizes, but doing a swatch with a smaller needle should tell you if that yarn/needle combination will work for you.
Thank you both so much for replying. I am ashamed to admit that I have never knitted a swatch before but it looks like this is the garment that I am going to start doing just that on!