Post: Submitted by - abayliss  Date: 03-Sep-07 06:22

hi i have found a lovely cardigan pattern for dk yarn but i want to make it in aran, but i am not sure how to go about it ,do i just make it in a size smaller than i would if i were useing dk,hope you can help,from ann.

Post: Submitted by - sallyp13  Date: 15-Sep-07 06:16

Hi Yes, you could try that, but it would be a bit hit and miss. A better method would be to look at the tension for the yarn and needles you are going to use - it's usually on the ball band - if not, then look at another aran pattern. Then you need to do some maths to work out which size to use. The stitch count is usually for 10 cm, so if, for example it is 18 stitches on 5 mm needles (which is typical for aran), you need to look at the finished measurement for the size you want and work out how many stitches would correspond to that size. So if you needed to the back to measure 50 cm (half 100 - about a 36 inch bust), then you would cast on 18x5 = 90 stitches. Whichever size has that number of stitches as the cast on is the size you would do, though you may have to pick the nearest, especially if there is a pattern repeat to consider. The length is not as crucial because you can add on or take off rows. I hope this makes sense - I'm trying to work it out as I type. If not, get back to me. Good luck. Sally