Converting from one ply to another

by Ruth

I have a wonderful 14 ply pattern in a Patons wool called Inca, but would like to convert it to 12 ply or even 8 ply.

Do you have any information about how to convert a pattern from one ply to another? I've searched the internet and can find nothing!

YOUR ANSWER

One way of converting a pattern from one ply to another is to play around with the needle size and tension.

To do this you need to knit a few tension squares, if the pattern requires 14 ply and you are using 12 ply, try knitting a tension square with needles one size larger. If the tension does not match the tension recommended in the pattern, try again with even larger needles.

Using this method will mean that your knitted fabric is looser than the pattern intended, but if you match the tension, the dimensions of the garment will be the same.

The second method is to use a basic pattern in the ply that you want to use and then alter it to incorporate the design features you like in the 14 ply pattern. This works particularly well if the design features you like are the stitch pattern, i.e. if the 14 ply pattern is a cable or a lace pattern.

What I do is to get hold of some graph paper. I block out the number of stitches for each piece of knitting (using the number of stitches in the basic pattern) and then use the graph squares to work out how to place the knitting stitch pattern across the knitted work.

It might take a bit of trial and error before you are happy with the placement, but it feels great when you have done it and are able to produce a truly unique garment!

However if it is the actual shape of the garment that you like, altering a basic pattern to match is far more complicated and I would not recommend it for a beginner.