I only bothered to wash the swatch on the left, the one that I thought I might get gauge with. Post washing the US3 section has come out at 16.5st/4 in. This yarn just really, really wants to knit up at 16 st/4in. The smaller the needle the tighter the row gauge and the stiffer the fabric but the stitch gauge just doesn’t change that much. I could cry.

I don’t know if it is the yarn in general, just this colour, just this batch of this colour, but what ever it is has certainly ruined my day. I bought this yarn in Adelaide, so tomorrow is my only chance to sort the problem out in person. I guess I will go in to the shop and try knitting up a swatch in a different colour to see if that seems more hopeful (wish me luck I will have a toddler in tow). If that doesn’t work I will try to convince them to allow me to exchange the JS Aran Tweed for a voucher for a later yarn purchase. And then I guess I will order something completely different. Perhaps Rowan Magpie Tweed if I can find it (yes I know chances are slim), or maybe Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed? Does anyone have Aran Tweed yarn suggestions? I feel fairly committed to the idea of using a tweed yarn for this project and I would really like to get gauge without going down 5 (or more) needles sizes.

I thought about using JS DK tweed, so I got out my Leftovers Vest and checked the gauge, I checked my archives for needle details. I knit this vest on the exact needle size recommended on the label and got perfect gauge (st and row for once). Given the vest fabric is quite lovely at the right gauge I think using DK would be a mistake. I just don’t understand why the Aran is so much harder to work with, I mean really, down five needles sizes and not even close to getting gauge is just ridiculous.

Rogue was to be my surviving IVF knitting* and I don’t see that happening anymore. The fact that I don’t have anything else on the agenda to do instead is making me feel rather edgy, panicky even. The next two projects on my to do list are for other people’s babies and I am just not sure I can work on them while actively doing IVF, I feel like it ought not to matter but it does. Perhaps I will luck out with a different colour in the Jo Sharp Tweed, perhaps Apricot Jacket may make an unexpected return to the top of my to do list….

*The critera being that it was for me, that it was challenging and that it was likely to take more time than the IVF to complete.