I am knitting Earthly in Patons Linen (cotton, linen, viscose) and it’s my first time working with linen.
Using #6 needles I cast on 44 on size 6 US 32” circular needles, knit 40 rows. Swatch measures 7.5” wide by 4.75” tall.
Gauge is 24st =4”, 33 rows =4”.
Doing another gauge swatch with size 7 needles…got close to gauge! 20st=4”, 30rows=4” (Goal gauge is 20 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches so it’s close, in stockinette stitch.) Using EZ PZ Gauge Ruler (Crazy Cat Designs) to measure.
I was told, and everything I’m reading, and watching on YouTube emphasizes the importance of blocking my swatches. I hand washed in warm water with agitation, and am tumble drying now. After it’s dry, I’ll machine wash and dry the swatches like Y will when he’s living with the finished sweater. The swatches have become very soft, it’s going to be a very nice sweater if I can get the sizing right. From what I read the swatch will grow with the first blocking, and then the swatch will draw up narrower and longer than the original size.
Planning to make an XL (size 46” chest) depending on what happens with the swatches, since according to Google, I can machine wash and it will shrink up to 10%, (which would make the XL a 43.2” fit) but I had a bamboo tape top shrink to child size in my washer (still sad about that, the pre wash size was perfect!) so I’m gun shy. Son will probably machine wash it at some point if he’s left to his own devices.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/earthly
Finished back panel! I will look for my foam tiles to wet block to confirm it measures to the schematic; then block by machine wash warm and tumble dry when sweater is finally assembled, I made a size bigger (xl instead of lg so if it shrinks 10% it should still fit.)
