Hello Reader,

It's the most beautiful time of the year at the moment, I would say. The cold has finally settled in, the autumn colours are firmly in place yet the leaves haven't all fallen from the trees, I made myself the first hot chocolate of the year this weekend and the cravings for knitting and casting on new projects are just piling up! 🙈

I've made good progress on my second version of the Tétras (which you can see me trying on Instagram here), that I'm knitting in Guéret de Fonty. I haven't worn it yet so I don't have any feedback on how durable it is (obviously!) but I already really like this yarn and I don't think this jumper will be my last with this line, especially as they have some really pretty colours.

The results of the poll in my last letter were clear: 60% of you knit the body first and 40% knit the sleeves first. I've decided to follow your lead and will only knit the sleeves once I've finished the body! So far I don't regret the decision, so thank you 😉

Having said that, I'd have to move on to the Tetras because my real project at the moment is revamping my website so that it's easier for you to navigate through the patterns, my creative journal, and the tutorials. That's why I haven't yet published the article on choosing the right size for the Tétras (or any other jumper for that matter) that I've started to write.

As it's going to be a while before I have a chance to post it on my creative journal, I'll explain below how to choose a jumper size based on your sample and chest size as some of you asked for some guidance:

1. Knit a swatch, but a real one, nice and big (at least 15x15cm, I know it's a pain but it's essential) and in the main stitch of the jumper and wash it in the same way as you will wash the jumper -- in this case for the Tétras, it's stocking stitch worked in the round.
2. While it's drying, take your measurements according to what the pattern indicates: full bust or upper bust (under the armpits). Try to keep your tape measure as horizontal as possible when measuring.
3. Once you have your measurement and your number of stitches per 10 cm, you need to do a little calculation. Let's say our gauge is 20 stitches per 10 cm and our full bust measurement is 113 cm. The pattern recommends a positive ease of 2-5 cm, so we'll choose 3 cm, giving us a total bust measurement of 116 cm. According to the Tétras size chart, we should therefore choose size F. But this really depends on our gauge.
4. The number of stitches StNb corresponding to 116 cm according to our swatch is given by a cross-multiplication (we can no longer say that secondary school maths is useless 😜 ) . It gives:
   ​20 sts <=> 10 cm
   ​StNb <=> 116 cm
   Hence, StNb = (20 x 116) / 10 ~ 232 sts
5. We then look in the pattern to see which size has the nearest number of stitches for the body (after separating the sleeves). Here it's size G which has 228 stitches. You will therefore need to knit size G instead of size F to get the right size jumper.

Jumpers, or more precisely sleeves, haven't always been my go-to project. I love wearing them, but I didn't enjoy knitting them as much. Particularly because I didn't take the time to properly calculate the size I needed to knit and they didn't always fit very well. And then also because of the sleeves 🙈I've clearly changed my mind in the last few years after looking into the subject of fitting and after testing mini-circular needles for sleeves. They've now become one of my favourite knits, especially during this season (I never say no to the little blanket effect while knitting them!). What's your favourite autumn knit?

I hope that choosing your jumper size will be slightly less of a mystery in future and that you'll join us during the GAL! I'd like to knit myself at least a pair of mittens and a hat but I'm sure I'll be tempted by all the gorgeous patterns included every year!

​Creative diary + Shop | Ravelry​
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PS: As the GAL starts very soon, expect to receive an email from me on Friday morning giving you all the details on the subject 😉