Knitting help required

[kikidee]

Can any knitting Mumsnetters help with this question? I have a Sirdar pattern for a baby Arran jumper which is to be knitted on 5.00mm needles. I have bought Rowan Cashsoft Arran and the ball band says it should be knitted on size 4.5mm needles. If I go ahead and knit on 5.00mm needles, does anyone know what's likely to happen to the finished result?

Your best bet is to knit a tension square - it should tell you at the start of the instructions what the tension is. There will be a given number of stitches and rows in a square of given size ie x stitches and y rows in a square of size z cm. If your square turns out too small you need to use bigger needles. Am I making sense?

I thought it might come down to tension squares but was hoping not to have to do one! I just hate investing time and effort in a tension square when all I want to do is get started on my jumper. Will take the sensible approach. Thanks.

I hate tension squares too.
if you knit it on 4.5mm needles it is likely to be a bit denser and possibly a bit smaller. If you can't be arsed doing a tension square then knit it on the 5mm needles, it may come up a little bit but that is better than being too small.

also if you do the back first you can quite quickly tell if it is coming up too big once the pattern is established, and you can then do a bit of sneaky adjustment to the pattern.

Can yuo tell i'm a slovenly knitter?!!

Have you compared the tension given on the pattern with the tension on the ball band? If they are the same then just use the 4.5 mm needles and you will be fine (if your tension is exactly average). If the tensions are different then you either have to do some swatching or some hard maths!

Actually the other option is to start the back and when you've done enough, measure it as if it was a tension square! If it's OK then you're in business, if it's not then you have to start again but hey

You really need to do a sample square. The yarn type, the type of needles, the size of needles, and your knitting style all affect how your knitting goes.

(Also, knitting a yarn on a bigger needle will produce a looser fabric, which may or may not be desirable.)

The pattern will tell you about how the sample square should go, and you should use the needle size that produces a square of the appropriate density.

tamum, while you're here?

I'm working on a hat. I think I'd like it to be pillboxy. It's in garter stitch, sortof (with a honeycomb thing on top, long story).

Anyway. I have a formula for making garter stitch flat as I reduce (I think it's reduce by 4 stitches per row), so I can make the top flat, but how do I produce a good ridge around the edge? Will this work?

Ooh, blimey. That's a bit of a challenge. I feel like you might be able to knit into the row below somehow to make a ridge, but I have no idea whether it would work in practice. I think it would but you'd have to fiddle about with it, I guess.

I am in shock- I just found out that the owner of my LYS, which is very close, had just died. She was mid-forties, a great laugh, lovely woman, great with dd. I'll really miss her

Well, I could cope with it being a soft edge. Maybe I'll try asking UKHK?

Bad news about your LYS owner. What happened?

Yes, if you can get them to stop talking about curly wurly scarves for 5 minutes that would be a good bet

I don't know yet- I was in there on Friday and they didn't say anything, but she had someone in to do Friday mornings anyway. She had just been to NY but was back, apparently. God, I'm so sad about it.

nqc could you do a row where you effectively double knit - like increase every stitch and then immediately cast that increased stitch off? So you [k1 through front of stitch, keep stitch on needle, k1 through back of stitch, cast 1st made stitch off]. So you'd end up with the same no of stitches that you started with but there would be a raised section.

might not be big enough of a ridge though

Thanks for all the v.helpful responses. My mum also says tension square, so I think I will give in and do one. Tamum, I liked your suggestion about starting with the back and checking the tension that way.

Incidentally, ball band tension is 19 stitches to 25 rows (10cm) on 4.5 needles and pattern tension is 18 stitches and 24 rows on 5.00mm needles. Will do tension square anyway but if that doesn't come out quite right, may have to come back for further advice.

Hope your hat turns out notquitecockney!