11 Responses

  1. Fiona
    Fiona January 18, 2010 at 12:48 pm | | Reply

    I do sympathise. Also, I’ve thought of a fifth option – try again with the original size needles, but needles made with a different material. Sometimes it makes all the difference.

  2. Susi
    Susi January 18, 2010 at 6:00 pm | | Reply

    I just had to write and agree. I am the same. In the depths of snowed-in and utterly freezing yorkshire, I enthusiastically dug out of the cupboard my pile of Rowan Country which has been almost made into so many garments that I have lost count, and followed me round the world twice – silly me – why did I ever think I would be knitting with that in Australia! In fact, it won’t stand up to much more knitting, frogging, winding, washing and re-balling. Its resilience does it justice – but I actually would have liked a successful garment from it!

    It is a lovely colour, and very soft and cosy; but I simply CANNOT find the right garment for it. On the right needles at the right gauge it is too solid, and with bigger needles its just too ‘holey’. It needs to be plain because any patterns get lost in it. I really must learn that I too just don’t do big knitting!

  3. josiekitten
    josiekitten January 18, 2010 at 6:50 pm | | Reply

    Oh dear, poor you. I just hate it when the size goes all pear-shaped! I think that I’d be tempted to put the yarn well out of sight for this winter, and maybe treat yourself to something little for the spring. Something to add a little touch of brightness to these dreary days maybe? Hope you find a project to get you going again!

  4. Anne
    Anne January 18, 2010 at 7:45 pm | | Reply

    I would go with the original needles/bigger size option. I did that some time ago with a chunky cardigan. I have learned my lesson from that one – it looks fabulous, but as its a long cardigan … it weighs a ton!! I had the opposite problem with an aran cardigan – my tension square was spot on, so I knitted away with gay abandon – it ended up being a double breasted cardigan, it was so big – I got fed up with it and decided to felt it …. maybe not such a good idea!!

  5. Abi F (Lavababy)
    Abi F (Lavababy) January 18, 2010 at 9:49 pm | | Reply

    That’s just typical! Just when you need a happy knit things like this happen! I spend my life in option 3 cos I knit so tight.

  6. Yve
    Yve January 19, 2010 at 1:27 pm | | Reply

    That’s annoying.

    Have you tried washing a swatch knitted to the tighter gauge? I’ve knitted with some yarns that grow quite dramatically with the first wash and a bit of wearing.

  7. Ali
    Ali January 19, 2010 at 6:28 pm | | Reply

    My local knit shop in the US carries 13mm needles. Check online for local sources. I believe Skacel makes them. If all else fails, check out the shrug at this link that uses Big Wool; you have to click View Gallery about 3 times (under the photo.) It’s a cream colored shrug; they also ran a sparkly filament with the Big Wool. I’ve been tempted to make it but like you, I don’t have much luck with chunky fibers. http://www.martingale-pub.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=603

  8. Dawn
    Dawn January 19, 2010 at 6:45 pm | | Reply

    I’ve never managed to get a wearable jumper out of mega chucky; either I have the infuriating gauge issues, or get gauge perfectly and still end up looking like a short michelin man. The only nice thing I’ve ever made using this type of yarn was a big soft blanket. 25 balls of sirda big softy in two colours, size 12mm needles, 21 st per square, stocking st with the first and last two sts knit. I knit the whole thing in three days while I was off work sick, and needed something simple to knit and snuggle up into at the same time. It was just the ticket.
    So maybe you could do a smaller blancket with your yarn? or treat yourself to the extra balls? Hope this helps. Dawn

  9. kathryn
    kathryn January 26, 2010 at 10:03 am | | Reply

    I’ve never had much luck with “big” wool either – but it sadly doesn’t stop me trying. I’ve got some nice rug/mat things from some of my failures!

  10. Valerie
    Valerie January 26, 2013 at 10:17 am | | Reply

    Have just read this and had a good laugh. I knitted this jumper for my daughter. Got the tension sorted ok – I always have to use smaller needles – but I had to unpick the jumper from the shoulder shaping and rework it with decreases worked on every row rather than alternate rows if I remember rightly. Original pattern would have fitted an Orang Utan. Definitely would have put a beginner off. Hope you ended up with something wearable 🙂

  11. Barbara
    Barbara June 30, 2013 at 10:53 am | | Reply

    Honey, have you never heard of knitting a tension square first. Thats why they have the tension listed. Do a square with the amount of stitches and rows and see what size it is going to be. Always

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