Swatch Like You Mean It Giveaway.......

Do you swatch before starting a new project? As you saw on my previous post, this was my very first swatch, which was included in the pattern of Mel's Halele'a Cardigan. I've never felt the need or wanted to swatch before even after I've had to frog hours of work because the size was wrong, I never learnt my lesson. Does this sound familiar?

Not only did I get to check my gauge on this swatch, I got to practise new stitches, picking up stitches, making buttonholes and getting the feel for the yarn. I can also take my swatch out with me when I go button shopping and get the perfect buttons for my cardigan.

If only I'd spent a couple of hours of swatching, soaking and blocking my other projects, I would have saved hours of time on knitting and ripping out. Thanks to my wonderful friend Mel, I've discovered I love the process of knitting not just the end product and swatching is part of that knitting process.

Now for the exciting part of this post, Mel the Guru of Swatching is doing a 7 week online course called............

Swatch Like You Mean It.

you will get weekly audio/video of key techniques, informative PDF's to download, two patterns, exclusively designed for class. Also there will be support, encouragement and interaction with other knitters plus other little surprises along the way. 

Mel has kindly offered me one free spot to give away to one of my lovely readers, so if you would like to be part of this fantastic course, just leave me a comment, telling me why you would like a place. I will close the comments on the 8th January and pick one winner using the Random Number Generator, don't forget to tell me why you would like a spot.

Don't worry if you don't win but would really like a place, registration is open until the 24th January, you can register here. Also, check out the PDF with all the Swatch Like You Mean It information.

Since learning the joys of swatching, I've been putting it into practise. I've wanted to cast on the Aureus cardigan for some time, I just needed the yarn. I  purchased some Rowan Felted Tweed and Rowan Pure Wool in the John Lewis Christmas sale, both were suitable, I just couldn't decide which one to use.

This is how I decided, I swatched both of them in the cable and lace pattern, to see which I preferred once knitted. I was originally drawn to the mustard colour but once I'd swatched, even though the stitch definition was better using the Pure Wool DK , I loved how the purple, Felted Tweed was so tactile. It just seemed to suit the cardigan, very soft and pretty with a nice drape and a gorgeous vintage look, so that's the one I went with. So, as well as making my decision, I killed two birds with one stone and got gauge and practised tubular cast on for the first time. As you can probably tell, Mel has converted me and I have just signed up to Swatch Like You Mean It to learn even more. I can't wait for it to start on the 1st February, anything Mel does, she makes it so much fun!!!!!!!!!! I hope to see you there, too.

Good luck to everyone who enters!!!!!!

xxxxDebxxxx