Resizing {Aidez} Spreedsheets for 8ply

This is for the people who don't know where to start when they see a lovely pattern and don't have the yarn suitable, either not available (in Australia) or they want to use up stash.

There are so many patterns that fall into this category I thought I'd write how I approach this process. I have some really nice Bendigo Woollen Mills Moorland Pewter in 8ply, which I think will be perfect for an Aidez Cardigan. (Sorry Berroco I don't think anyone in Oz sells it)

Can't remember who was asking me about resizing Aidez for Aussie 8ply either.

Starting with the charts provided and the construction schematic and all their instructions, here is how and what I did to keep all the design elements in the largest size in a thinner wool. I usually paste charts onto an excel spreadsheet.

Take note of the tension/gauge information:
Original: 15 sts = 4”; 16 rows = 4” in St st
My Bendi : 22sts = 10cm; 28 rows = 10cm in st st.

Trellis Panel: 30 sts
Ear of Corn: 8 sts
Seed Wishbone: 12 sts

Back pattern:
Original (which also gets pasted into the spreadsheet):
Establish Pat Sts: Row 1 (RS): K4(7-10-13-16-19), k1TBL, place marker,work Row 1 of Right Cross-St Cable over 8 sts, place marker, = 9 sts
k1TBL, k3, k1TBL, place marker,work Row 1 of Trellis Pat over 30 sts, place marker,= 35 sts
k1TBL, k3, k1TBL, place marker,work Row 1 of Left Cross-St Cable over 8 sts, place marker, k1TBL, = 14sts
k to end.

Centre back panel = 9 + 35 + 14 = 58 sts, which I divided by 15 sts/10cm ( divide by 1.5) gives us 38.67cm - then times by 22sts/10cm (2.2) making it 85 stitches I need to cover the same area.
I worked it out on an excel spreadsheet - much easier to do a resize like this on excel.

I recharted out the trellis pattern (30 sts div by 1.5 then times by 2.2 = 44 sts) easy to do, just keep going up the sides until 44 sts are reached.
I've copied my screen so you can see, I paste in the diagrams to make it easier to work out. Click on it to see a bigger version.


The rest of the patterns for the front and sleeve panels remain unchanged, however I put extra stitches inbetween them. Where the pattern calls for k1tbl, I substituted k3, I put in an extra crossed cable to "fill in" the amount of stitches the pattern covers but, on the left cross cable, on the LAST two stitches, I thought ktbl looked better, so I did that instead.

I could have just knit it as written with the extra stitches on the sides, but as I was knitting the largest size, it matters that the panel would measure 26 cm not the 38cm the pattern was written for. If I'd been knitting the smallest size, I may not have bothered but on the largest size, it would have been out of balance.

I work out where I need to extend the pattern so it covers roughly the same width, if I'm doing set in sleeves I work out where to place cable panels so they run up next to the final armhole shaping and it doesn't get cut off (a pet hate of mine - why or why didn't they move the jolly cable panel over 3 or 4 stitches so the armhole shaping doesn't cut off half the panel and it looks terrible? I don't know either - but I always check that before I put in a cable panel...)

Anyways, I always have to add a little bit extra depth to the armhole to neck, body to armhole and sleeves so for this one, I worked out to finish the top of the back to coincide with the top of the diamond trellis pattern, as it was a raglan I knitted the body to the armholes, the sleeves I'd already knitted so I attached them straight away - an excellent trick I tried the last time I was adding sleeves, it is so much nicer to have the sleeves ready and waiting for the body, but that's just me.

The spreadsheet makes it easy to work out how many stitches for my raglan shaping. For me 80 rows of raglan so I don't have a cardi that cuts under my arms.

So on the sleeves I know I need the initial armhole decreases, (16 sts) then 80 sts for the raglan which will leave me with the centre panel (and no the original hadn't added enough for anybody, most comments were that sleeves were too tight) and the back? also easy, working backwards, the last thing it says is work to xxx sts remain. Get out the calculator and divide by 1.5, times by 2.2 and that is how many stitches you have to have left and in my case, plus 80 sts for the raglan and 8 each side for the initial armhole decreases. Then the fronts - I must have 8 + 40sts for the raglan, normally that's it, but on this particular design, the front panel is knitted at the same time.

This is where I altered the design. I added a few more stitches for the front, and took them away on the neck edge - only 10 extra, which took out the seed stitch panel and the front panel is still extended to the back. I thought it was too much bunched up around my neck and it will sit better.

I hope that explains how to go about working out how to make a pattern written for yarns you don't have, but (like me) would like to use something you've found that will be perfect for the project. And fit when you've finished.

Ready for 2012

Well I've rummaged, pulled apart my spare room, excel spreadsheeted, listed projects and their yarns, brought them out to the loungeroom and sorted them out into which machine/s they will be made on .. and.. and this morning I took their photo, cause Ann asked to see it - no really - She. Did. So here it is for Ann:

This pile of wool and cotton is bound for the Miss Pinky Passap on chair one and Yoko on chair two:



















This one has my wildcard projects in a bag. One is the Electric Blue Allegro, that I had put aside for that lovely Vogue Pattern Forestry. But.. I only bought 4 balls and that won't be enough, but I do have 5 Highland Heather and I wont run out.

The other bags are gorgeous Chyrsanthemum colour 8ply and this really cool blue and gold mystery stuff called "show special" that I bought at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Show in July. I have used up the rest of the stuff I bought - in the Rustic felted slippers. Well I think can all be my wildcard projects, I haven't a clue what to make with them, but hopefully I'll get an inspiration sometime during the year.

And here it all is, all bagged up ready for some 2012 machine and hand knitting.

Getting Ready for 2012

I've finished up my Christmas knitting. Packed away my Japanese machines, Miss Pinky is up and staying up, and she's ready to go. And I'm clearing out the last of my hoarded junk and sorting out my stash.

Over on Ravelry, we are having a 12MKAL in 2012 from stash only. Well that is wonderful, but that won't be enough to get through my overflowing floordrobe. I've picked up all the bags and boxes from the floor, listed them, sorted out my Rav stash page and projects, patterns and so on and I've spent today sorting it out on an excel spreadsheet. Assigning the machine/hand. And I've been running around finding some of it in boxes and tubs, cause of course, not everything I need is on the floor is it? No. Some of it is packed away where it should be. I'm going "cold sheep" in 2012, not buying anything for a whole year. And I really need some vests.

My friend suggested I put it into those big plastic zipper bags - found them - and tomorrow I'll be able to pack everything up and finish repacking my spare room. Clutter free house coming up.