For Christmas a couple of years back, Mama Ginger gifted me with five gorgeous skeins of Millefili Fine she had brought back from Italy. Despite being such a “boring” material as cotton, this yarn feels so luxurious. Its subtle silky sheen and fine drape made it the perfect candidate for Petrie, who had been living in my queue ever since she was first published.
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The problem was, my gorgeous rust-colored yarn was Sport weight, and the pattern calls for DK. When swatching, I found the knit far too loose with the needles needed to obtain the correct gauge.
Based on the measurements of my swatch, I thought I could just make the size L instead of the XS as I normally would. But when taking my own measurements, I found they’re not quite what they used to be. DAMN YOU, marriage penalty! So instead, I used the stitch counts for size 1X, and the length indications for the S.
Then came along my first mistake.
I modified the pattern based on the gauge difference, but I stupidly neglected to realize I would need more yarn than was specified for the project. And I ran out. And I had to beg and plead with another Raveler to sell me her stash, despite the fact that it was a different dye lot, because the yarn is discontinued.
Once I had my supplemental yarn in hand, it didn’t take me long to finish. But something was horribly wrong. Did I mis-measure my gauge swatch? Myself?
I noticed the problem when I pinned it for blocking. My width was measuring in at a full 17″ and not the 16.5″ as expected. A small difference, perhaps. But maybe I should have just stuck with the size XS?
Either way, it doesn’t fit, and it certainly doesn’t flatter. I’ve been toying with the idea of mattress stitching it up a stitch-column further from the edge, but I’m a bit worried about a fat seam making it even more ill-fitting than before.
Any brilliant ideas out there to bring it down to size?
You could always give it to someone special….