Stitches knowledge

Whenever there is a pattern, they always tell you the gauge for a given stitch, and whether you should block it or not. What they don't usually tell you is how stretchy a stitch type will be, or what it will look like after it's blocked.

This is a problem when designing your own garment. Take me, for example, (who is still working on the grandmother's poncho started in September). Brioche stitch, it turns out, is very stretchy. Which means that when I plan for the upper opening to be 40 inches around, and it stretches to 70 inches because the stitch is much stretchies than my swatches made it look... I have a problem. Which I'm solving by switching to stockinette stitch, but I think it would have been a lot nicer and easier on me if I had just been warned that the stitch is very stretchy.

In other news, I've been planning other projects: a scarf from Scarf Style, and a pattern from the new issue of Knitty, called Tubey, which is a striped sweater made out of tubes. This is the first pattern I have ever made that I am using the recommended yarn for: I think I should be congratulated. Or maybe reviled, or something.