I realize I am new here, but...

[suzeeq]

Well, the thing with each person working on a different piece, is gauge differences. The gauge would have to be exactly dead on for them to fit together.

I think a shawl or wrap would be a better idea than a sweater; with chemo the arms need to be free, sleeves would be bulky and get in the way.

[cheley]

Holding a kal on a sweater?? What if everyone's gauge ends up a tad different? The resulting pieces aren't going to fit well together. Instead, why not have a kal on squares? Say....8 inch squares, or 12 inch squares......then they are all shipped to one person for joining, and voila, your aunt has a lapghan made by many.

Debra

Yes, the sweater KAL was not really thought out well, once again, it was a thought, however, the squares is a fantastic idea! Thanks

[Paulaque]

much less that you couldn't do it on a sweater, I apologize.

[suzeeq]

Well we were using the term KAL to mean 2 different things. Usually it means everyone working on the same pattern at the same time for their own use. But cheley was thinking of everyone working on the same project for you. That can work when you're doing squares for a blanket or wrap and each square must be the same size; I think they may do that in some of the Charity Forum KALs. But a sweater needs to be fitted to a specific size and people would all have to have the same gauge so the piece would fit together. I've read about a knitter who worked on something with her sister - she used a needle 2 sizes smaller than given in the pattern and her sister used one 2 sizes larger and they both got the same gauge. So it can be tricky. I think a wrap, shawl or small throw may be a better idea for your aunt, it would be easier to make, doesn't have to fit a specific size and probably be a lot more versatile, especially for her to take to chemo treatments.

[mojo11]

Well we were using the term KAL to mean 2 different things. Usually it means everyone working on the same pattern at the same time for their own use. But cheley was thinking of everyone working on the same project for you. That can work when you're doing squares for a blanket or wrap and each square must be the same size; I think they may do that in some of the Charity Forum KALs. But a sweater needs to be fitted to a specific size and people would all have to have the same gauge so the piece would fit together. I've read about a knitter who worked on something with her sister - she used a needle 2 sizes smaller than given in the pattern and her sister used one 2 sizes larger and they both got the same gauge. So it can be tricky. I think a wrap, shawl or small throw may be a better idea for your aunt, it would be easier to make, doesn't have to fit a specific size and probably be a lot more versatile, especially for her to take to chemo treatments.

Wendy and I can't collaborate on most projects for the same reason. If you consider the size on the ball band as zero, then she'll be at -2 and I'll be at least +1 and if the yarn is very, very forgiving we might get the same gauge from it. And that's two people sitting right next to each other comparing notes. Now she can match my gauge, because she's just that good. But try to go the other way and it's a train wreck. Increase the number of knitters and make the sofa the size of... Earth, and it gets exponentially harder to maintain gauge with every person you add.

But that's not to say that a collaborative effort can't work at all, just that the project would need to be something not gauge-critical.

[Paulaque]

lap blanket work? I know when I crocheted one that another woman had started for her daughter, and then she passed away, so someone had to finish it, she used granny squares, and I couldn't match her gauge, so I made dc squares and rectangles to fill in the blanks and make the rest of it, it took me about six days, it was a king size blanket, and about half of it was done.

[suzeeq]

Sure, a lap blanket would be nice to wrap up in. Of if you made something about 24" x 50, could be put over the shoulders as well as for the lap/body.

[mojo11]

lap blanket work?

I don't see why not. There's a thread in one of the other forums where folks are passing around pet blankets and each person adds ... 5 or 10 rows to it (I think) and sends it on to the next person. I think the thread is titled something like "Oddball Pet Snuggles"? That sounds right. Anyway, those would probably be a little smaller, but it's the same idea.

Your blanket story reminds me of a job my girlfriend got about a year ago. Somebody's mother or maybe grandmother started a sweater/hat set for her when she was a kid, then passed away before she finished it. The project languished in a duffle bag for a number of years until the "kid" found it and decided she'd like to have the set finished to give to her daughter. Fortunately, the original grandmother had left the yarn and the original pattern in the duffle too. Wendy could've reverse engineered the pattern (she's just that good), but finding yarn to match would've been almost impossible. Anyway, the now-mom got to give the now-daughter the sweater that grandma or great grandma was making (which was in a terrible tangle of stitch holders and so forth, which is probably why it didn't get finished in the first place).

[Paulaque]

oh that is beautiful! I love that story!