A Cautionary Sample Tale

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I hate knitting gauge swatches, but I always knit one because I've been burned making sweaters and shirts that don't fit. My favorite "ugh" was a beautiful black shirt I had knit out of some bamboo silk yarn. I got gauge, but I probably didn't wash the swatch the same way I'd wash the final garment. I had a great time knitting it, and the day after I finished I wore it to work. The hem in the morning was at my waist. The hem at the end of the day was closer to my knees. Since then, I've always washed the swatch the same way I want to wash the finished garment. So why, then, did I decide to wash the swatch for the placemats by hand and air dry instead of tossing it in the machine like I knew the placemats would be laundered? Even my gut was telling me that I was rushing and I should have stuck them in a machine. I don't have a washing machine in Brooklyn, so I washed the sample by hand.

HUGE MISTAKE!

Placemats for Kristina


I was intending to hem these, but if I do, they'll end up being about 10 3/4" tall by 18" wide. The width is what I had envisioned, but I was aiming for about 13" tall. 10 3/4" will not be big enough to be a placemat.

I was thinking I could sew a couple together to create some decorative pillows, but when I was talking to Stan about it tonight he suggested I sew a border onto it instead of just hemming the fabric. I wanted the placemats to be all woven fabric that I'd created, but maybe these ones need a little store bought help...

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