not sure why i bother

but i'm on the hunt for yet more yarn... what? what is that? yes i know i just bought 1100 yards of 100% peruvian alpaca in a lovely olive green color that's dk weighted... yes i know i was supposed to use that for the somewhat cowl, but it's that g word.

guage it's haunting me. everything says gauge. now things are saying BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GUAGE, i tell you them g followers are getting pretty darn fanatical.

so now i'm worried that the weight of the yarn is SLIGHTLY thicker than the yarn they used. the feel of the sweater will be thicker/stiffer. how will it drape? (and that's another one of them haunting words)... you can't tell drape unless you knit the shit up and wash it...

so now, not only do you have to buy an extra skien to knit several different 5" (b/c the more the better and you need 1/2" for the garter stitched edged) swatches on various needles you have to WASH it before measuring it... so

1. pick your yarn (X)
2. pick your needles (a, b, c)
4. swatch x with a, b, and c
5. measure pre wash (all 3 of them)
6. wash (all 3 of them)
7. measure post wash (all 3 of them)
8. match the post wash guage to the finished guage they're telling you to have.
so if the yarn happens to relax after washing, then you need to knit tigheter b/c the washed swatch is how your guage will end up. so even though swatch C's prewash guage may be a match, swatch A's post wash guage may be the one you need....

SUCKY huh? hwat are you supposed to do? tag them before washing? BLAH

anyway, this is the one that's giving me trouble. i want this in dark dark brown. but, you need like 1600 yards (rounded up for swatchign purposes). try getting that under 40 bucks!

and yes, i mean soft yarn, not too much shedding, and hopefully non itch. and after hours of searching with red - NOTHING... it's become a mission. must find yarn

reference: image from vogue knitting Fall 2006

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