Friday 15 September 2017

A pooling predicament

Yesterday I finished my socks (hooray) and picked up my Pavement Sweater for the first time in a few days. I inspected it, and realised that I was really close to the main section of the body being done. I always have to add extra length to the backs and sleeves of jumpers, so I decided to try the jumper on to assess how much more I had to knit. The jumper currently falls at about t-shirt length and the hem adds another 4 inches, so I was really not far off being done.


But one thing struck me as I glanced in the mirror: the yarn has pooled horribly. The jumper is knitted from Araucania Ranco, a hand-dyed 4-ply yarn, that probably falls into the category 'semi-solid' - a yarn with various shades of the same colour within it. The advice generally given when knitting with hand-dyed yarns is to alternate skeins while knitting to avoid pooling, and I did that throughout the jumper, so I really have been unlucky. I could almost live with the spiralled pooling round the torso, if it had happened for the whole jumper. For no apparent reason the pooling stops in the section nearest the bottom.


So, do I pull the pooled section out (probably the full 15 inches of body that I've knitted so far)? Or live with it? I really wanted to get this done in time to wear to Yarndale (next weekend), but I'm not sure I'm going to love it when it's finished. Answers on a postcard please.

3 comments:

  1. Well, if you're not going to like it finished, you know what you have to do...I think you gavd me the same advice on my - admittedly botched - jumper. I ripped right back, redid it, and I'm wearing it as I type this.
    But pooling. I have never really been bothered with it- strange, but I kind of just think that that's the way it is. But then I guess I haven't knitted anything as big as a jumper with yarn that could pool.

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    1. It is good advice, and I still stand by it, but I've decided on this ocassion to go with finishing the jumper and wearing it to Yarndale (if I can get it finished im time). If I decide I can't live with it I'll unravel and re-knit the body later. It would have been too hard to rip the lot!

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  2. I think that's right. I just don't have issues with pooling, I think- I can see it there on your jumper, but it doesn't offend me- I just see it as one of those things!

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