If at first you don’t succeed…

Not long after I posted the last entry, I swatched for Jess again. Just one more time, I thought. I kept thinking that perhaps there’s some way I could make it work.

The pattern says to use 8mm needles with two strands of the yarn. My first swatch with 8mm needles turned to be too loose and too drapey, so I knew I had to go with smaller needles. In the swatches picture that I posted before, the swatch at the top was done on 7mm needles with two strands of yarn, while the bottom swatch was done on 5mm with just one strand. Both were still too drapey, and don’t show the basketweave pattern very well.

So I decided to try with two strands again, on 6mm needles. And it actually worked!

The basketweave pattern is showing quite well in this swatch, and that’s the important thing for me. The fabric drape feels just right too, neither too drapey nor too stiff. The gauge is just slightly off, but I can adjust that.

Yay! So I will be making Jess for mum after all. I’m sure mum will be pleased.

Btw thanks for all the well wishes for Annette. I’m glad to say that she is now much better! The coughing has stopped, and she is pretty much back to her normal happy self. I hope she’s excited to see her Buttercup cardigan progressing….