Today I started on the Galloway Cardigan by Jared Flood. This is a lovely and complex pattern that requires THREE gauge swatches to determine needle size. The first swatch is done in the Lice section of the Galloway chart and should be 20 stitches & 28 rounds = 4". The recommended needle size is US 7 (4.5mm).

The pattern repeat is 6 stitches +7. I wanted to do a swatch bigger than 20 stitches, so I calculated 18 stitches + 7 stitches for the repeat, plus the 4 extra stitches (2 on each side) that Jared instructs in the Speed Swatching section of the pattern.

I cast on 29 stitches using a US 7 needle, and followed the Speed Swatching instructions. I left VERY LONG floats in the back of the swatch, because I want to have the ability to reuse the yarn if I run short. Jared's instructions talk about cutting the yarn in back before blocking, but I know that if I cut the yarn, it will no longer be useable.

I used Old World (dark blue - Color A) and Fossil (natural- Color B) colorways. I only carried the Fossil in the back of the rows where the lice occur. When not in use, I carried the Fossil with the Old World up the right hand side and used them together to knit the first two stitches of each row.

Here's the front and the back of the swatch as it gets further along. There is a 5-stitch float between each Lice stitch. I've been catching it behind the third stitch. I'm a little bothered that I can see the capture peeking through the front of the fabric. I'll see what it looks like after I block to decide if I just want to let the float go all five stitches.

I knit 35 rows (3 and a half vertical repeats) and bound off. This is what the finished front and back look like:

I put the swatch in my bathroom sink with cold water and a capful of Eucalan. I let the swatch sit for about 15 minutes, then carefully lifted it out and gently squeezed out the excess water.

I put the swatch on a towel, rolled it up and squeezed out as much water as I could.

I pinned the top, then the bottom, then the sides of the swatch to the blocking board in 1-inch intervals

I folded the floats under the swatch as I was pinning. I'll let the swatch dry for about 36 hours. Then I'll unpin it and measure the gauge. That will be covered in a future post.

The swatch used 13 grams of Old World and 3 grams of Fossil.

Let me know if this helps or if you have any questions in the comments.