Knitting and body stuff

[redfiona99]

So there's this new magazine out, your basic how to knit type, and, other than being badly organised, it has thrown up an interesting concept - the tension square. Now the magazine says that 'experienced knitters will knit a tension square to ensure that the way they are knitting the stitches will result in the same size of item as the pattern designer intends'.

I therefore asked the nearby experienced knitted (my Nan) who looked at me as thought I was a Martian. Of course, this could just be a culture thing, given my Nan started knitting at a time when you didn't waste material like that. As I know a couple of you knit, what's the verdict on tension squares - essential, a good thing but not vital or new fangled silliness?

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I'd love to say that during the winter months I don't shave for some good reason like 'have at that, obscure beauty double standard' but mostly it's because I don't see the point. I spend my entire time wearing a jumper at minimum so it's pointless, to say the least. My Mum, after a convoluted story, saw me without my t-shirt on and decides to tell me that I really ought to shave under my arms. I have tried to explain to her the pointlessness of self-same, given that my armpit gets the equivalent of a 5 o'clock shadow, so I only do it when and as necessary. She didn't take well to this. Somehow, I didn't expect to do the 'inaliable right to do with my body as I please' speech about my armpits. I was expecting that to be the tattoo conversation.

Comments

[idleleaves.livejournal.com]

essential, a good thing but not vital or new fangled silliness?

I run into that attitude with 'older' knitters a lot, honestly. They seem to be of the opinion that you 'should know' what your gauge will be for any given project--but I sense this is left over from a time when most people used the same materials over and over again and there wasn't so much variety in yarn weights and whatnot.

Tension squares are A Good Thing. I'm at the point where I don't make them for small projects--like if I'm making a sock, I just start making the damned sock, and I check my gauge after a couple of inches. If it's off, I rip out, and haven't used any more time than I would have with a tension square. If it's spot-on, though, hey, I've got two inches of sock. I always, always, always make a gauge swatch for sweaters, though. Been told that it's not 'necessary' because I 'should know' my gauge--but gauge is like handwriting. Everyone's is a little different, and it changes with the materials you're using. My gauge is actually different on metal needles vs wooden needles, for example.

Anyhow. Um. Yes. Swatches are good! After a time, though, you get used enough to certain materials that you can safely skip them for small projects, and just use the first couple of inches of the project as the 'swatch'.

[redfiona99.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I suspected they might be a good thing. For the first piece it wasn't too necessary, since it's 15 cm by 15 cm of plain knit, but I see what you mean about it varying with needle material (well, it's either that or the poor quality wool they've given out as a freebie) because my stitches on these metal needles are bigger than my stitches on my plastic needles which are the same size needle.

[angstbunny.livejournal.com]

re: shaving. I wax, not shave, but lol yes, same here. I don't bother with any hair removal during the winter months because there is no point.