Way back in 2009, I wrote Simple Style, a collection of designs based on simple knitting techniques.
I’m still fond of many of the patterns in that book, one of which is my Garter Lace Jacket, knitted from Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo, a 50-50 mix of wool and bamboo that’s no longer available. At the time, bamboo was a relatively new knitting fiber and I was not as informed in how fibers behaved in knitting as I am now.
The problem is that bamboo is a slippery fiber that can stretched and grow under its own weight. I failed to take that into account when I measured my gauge. (I should have allowed the blocked swatch to hang for a day or two before determining my row gauge.) The result was that the sweater grew even as it was being photographed. The shoulders sagged and the armholes became too long. I always wished that I had knitted the sweater in a “stickier” wool yarn.
I’m finally getting around to it. I’m going to re-try the design holding two strands of Marianne Isager Yarn together: laceweight Wool 1 (100% wool) and fingering weight Alpaca 2 (50% wool, 50% alpaca), for an overall sportweight gauge.
Although alpaca can also be slippery, I’m fairly confident that the “toothy” non-superwash wool will dominate. But, I plan to knit a sizeable swatch and allow it to hang for a day before I calculate my gauge.
Stay tuned.