April/May 2022 Garment KAL - Yarn choice assumes I get gauge

Initial swatch on US 3 was 24 stitches and 36 rows to 4” pre blocking. I’ll need to drop another needle size or two further but will block first to see how much it grows before trying again.

Blocked swatch did not grow in stitch count, but row count stretched significantly. Will move to a US1 for the next swatch.

US1 swatch 28 stitches by 40 rows in 4” now it’s too tight of a gauge.

Pattern calls for 22.5 stitches per inch, but i prefer the fabric from the smaller gauge, so I’m going to work on US2 with a gauge of 26 stitches per 4”. The sweater calls for up to 6” of positive ease, which is too big for my taste. So here’s the thought:

Real body size is 38” at the bust, so M1. But positive ease would put me into an M2 at 42”. But 42/4 = 10.5 4” sections and I’m getting 3.5 more stitches per each 4” section making the whole thing (3.5 X 10.5) 36.75 stitches too small and that means I’d be 5-6” smaller than called for putting me at a 36” size. Ugh.

Cast on for the L at 48” would have me landing about 8” smaller or a 40” diameter for 2” of positive ease. I think. This is going to be an interesting experiment!