Miraflores KAL: Sizing, Swatching and Gauge
Before our KAL kicks off on Sunday, let's talk a little bit about the sizing for Miraflores, and how to swatch.
The Miraflores cowlet is available in two sizes: the S/M has a circumference of approximately 42", and the M/L is approximately 48" around. It's designed to fit snugly around your shoulders, like so:
To determine your ideal size, just wrap a tape measure snugly around the broadest part of your shoulders--you might enlist a bit of help. This cowlet has a bit of stretch, so if your measurement is in the 42" ballpark, the S/M should work for you; 44"+ and you're better off with the larger size.
If you'd like your cowlet to fit a bit more loosely, or to be deeper than what is pictured, you should of course knit the larger size. And if you intend to just wear it loosely around your neck, it doesn't matter either way!
While it's not always essential to knit a gauge swatch for a shawl, in this case, it's in your best interest to knit one because the finished size will matter.
Since the cowlet is knit in the round, your swatch should be as well. You can approach this one of two ways. If you have no concerns about the amount of yarn you have, try swatching flat in the round--that is, rather than knitting a tube, knit a flat square, pulling the working yarn loosely across the back so you're always working a RS row.
In order to accurately measure this kind of swatch, it's best to cut through all those loose strands so the swatch will lie flat. However, this means you cannot rip out the swatch and reuse the yarn. So if you have any concerns about running out of yarn, your best bet is to swatch in the round like normal, so you can rip it out if necessary.
A quick way to resize the pattern is, of course, to knit at a looser gauge. However, the recommended gauge of 5st/inch is already fairly loose for a fingering weight yarn, so proceed with caution!
Any other questions before we start the KAL? Comment here or in the Ravelry thread!
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