Question for knitters from a real thicky

[kickassangel]

For ages i've been trying to find a substitute for rowan calmer yarn, but not managed. i recently bought some wendy velvet touch, a very soft aran weight, which i have done a tension square for. it knitted up as over 11 cm. am i right in thinking this is far too big a difference? when i do the maths, there isn't a pattern for sufficiently few stitches when i reduce the pattern down. if i try knitting this a couple of sizes smaller, will it be way too big?
if i can't use this yarn with the rowan pattern, can anyone recommend a pattern for a soft, baggy, slob around the house kind of jumper that will use the velvet touch?

You should be able to work out how many stitches do give you 10 cm, and then work out which size to knit it. Normally to do tension squares you do far more than the number of stitches and rows it says on the ball, and then work out how many you get when you measure a 10 cm square. It sounds as though you've only got a 10% difference, which I would have thought would be just one size down, but I may well have misunderstood. Hope that helps, but if not come back and post more details

when i reduced the number of stitches by 10%, the answer was less than the number of stitches for the smallest size! As i'm usually a size 16/18, i'm very nervous about knitting it in XS, when i had planned to do the jumper in Large!

please help

Is it a Rowan pattern you are trying to knit? Which book?

10% fewer stitches might make quite a difference on a baggy sweater - say the finished size is 50 inches then 10% is 5 inches. that could easily be 3 sizes. Double check your maths but the main thing is to get the right finished size.

You could always start knitting and measure the width after six inches or so to see how you are getting on.

I sympathise - I am struggling to get the right tension on something at the moment and hate to go up a needle size as I'm normally spot on.

yes, it's a rowan pattern!
i've checked the maths, and i don't know what to do. whether to try using the velvet touch, knitting it in a smaller size, and hoping it works out, or to go for a different pattern. so far, i haven't managed to find the right solution to either problem.

Have you tried knitting a big tension square, to double-check how many stitches give you 10cm? If you just knit the number of stitches recommended, you will get a funny result, as edge stitches are often loose.

Are the widths in the pattern given in stitches, but the lengths in cm? Or is length given in rows? It makes a difference for altering the pattern.

Have you tried knitting the yarn on slightly smaller needles? (Check if it feels ok knitted this way!) You might get a tension square that works for your size, or that works for the smallest size ...

ok, pattern is width in stiches, and most of length in cm, except for shaping sections. it's avery loose, floppy rib (k1, k1b), and the cuffs etc are simply done in 4mm needles (body etc in 5mm), so could i get away with using a smaller needle and less stitches? would that men i need more yarn - i've got 16 balls of velvet touch.

the tension square i did was nearer 12 cm than 11, so really far too big. when i did a tension square with a spare bit of the correct yarn, it was actually slightly smaller than 10cm, so obviously a huge difference if scaled up.

is there any way i could create my own pattern, or find somewhere that will do it for me? i just want a loose, baggy soft jumper!

Kissangel, is it "Tender" from the Calmer collection book? (I dug mine out to have a look) - if so I would just knit the smaller size that gives you the right finished width. The raglan sleeves mean that you won't have any problems with armhole matching. Just keep an eye on the length.

If you have say 11.5cm instead of 10, that's 15% more width so you need to knit on 100/115 x 103 sts which is 90 sts - oh yes, that is the XS! Don't think of it as knitting too small a size but scaling up a garment from DK to Aran. You might want to do a bigger tension square before committing.

If you love that pattern then go for it! There is so little shaping there isn't really anything to go wrong. You'll soon know if it's coming up too small.

thanks viticella. i have just spent yet more time trawling through web sites trying to find a similar pattern, but with no luck!
why can't yarns/patterns just simply TELL you what weight/thickness they are? I keep finding people who go 'oh yes, that yarn's an aran, and the patterns for a double knit' - why can't the yarn & pattern say that! I suppose they wouldn't then be able to sell expensive yarns to people like me who are too scared to 'go it alone' ok, rant over. in a bout a year i shal be proclaiming that i've just finished my jumper!

(I LOVE knitting! it is the new black

try knittin it on a slightly smaller needle

thanks for all the advice, i have now found a pattern for a big cosy cardigan which i can use the black velevt touch on, and am v excited about (i've started it even though i haven't finished everything i need to do for christmas).
will continue my quest for the ideal rowan clamer substitute