When designing patterns for different sizes . ..

[mwedzi]

Do you design for how it will fit before or after it's been washed and/or blocked? I'm new to crocheting wearables but am having fun doing so and may want to share my patterns some day. I was reading on another forum reviews of yarn, and the author would always talk about the gauge before and after washing, since yarn usually relaxes after washing. Soooo, if I wanted to make something to fit, for example, a woman with 36" bust, should I design it to fit a 36" bust before or after it's been washed?

Thanks.

[angelmira]

Sorry I can't help, but I think that is a great question, and I'd like to know as well!

[earthwhisper]

Yes, it is called swatching. You will want to plan your patterns according to the type of yarn you use. I have heard that certain wool yarns "bloom" when washed and may stretch quite a bit. The only design changes I have made from washing was that after I washed a garment and saw it pill I decided I wanted to switch to a different yarn and decided not to use that yarn in my final pattern.

[mwedzi]

Thanks. Hmmm, maybe I'll design so that it's extra tight before washing and fits the littlest bit loose after washing. Well, I don't know.

[crochetqueen]

Make yourself a swatch and do everything you think you will do to your garment, stretch it, wash it, step on it, throw it in the dryer, washer etc. etc. Then get a notebook, write down the COMPLETE content of the yarn (10% rayon, 90% acrylic etc.) and write what happened when you stretched it , washed it etc. I always forget what yarn acted like what so I keep my info in notebooks.

[crochetmama]

Make yourself a swatch and do everything you think you will do to your garment, stretch it, wash it, step on it, throw it in the dryer, washer etc. etc. Then get a notebook, write down the COMPLETE content of the yarn (10% rayon, 90% acrylic etc.) and write what happened when you stretched it , washed it etc. I always forget what yarn acted like what so I keep my info in notebooks.

What a great idea!

[mwedzi]

Make yourself a swatch and do everything you think you will do to your garment, stretch it, wash it, step on it, throw it in the dryer, washer etc. etc. Then get a notebook, write down the COMPLETE content of the yarn (10% rayon, 90% acrylic etc.) and write what happened when you stretched it , washed it etc. I always forget what yarn acted like what so I keep my info in notebooks.

Okay, I can do that. The one thing I wonder, though, is if I design something to fit you *after* you've done all that, it may mean that it won't fit as soon as it's done. That is, if I make something to the gauge it's going to be after it's been washed and beaten up, it means that the person might not be able to even wear it immediately after they crochet it; they'd have to wash it first to get the yarn to loosen up before it fit properly. I think if I were doing it for myself, I would somehow magically want it to be such that I could wear it and it would fit perfectly immediately after I made it and it would also fit perfectly after I wore it many times. I don't know how many yarns don't change gauge after wear, but it can't be too many. :think