The (bare)necessarity of knitting a swatch and obtaining the right gauge;
 r how to get your knitting project comes out perfect.
Most knitters, whether new or experienced, find knitting a swatch and checking gauge to be a nuisance.
After all, they just want to get started - and don't want to waste precious time, resources and (most importantly) yarn.
90% of my visitors never swatch !
Knitting patterns have this information for a reason and most new knitters don't understand its importance.
If you ask, "Does it really matter?" Then you have to read further here.
If you are following a pattern it was sized according to a specific yarn and the designers own knitting style.
You might be a tight knitter - maybe you knit more loosely and this can create a big difference over the thousands of stitches that make up a single sweater.
Gauge is the actual number of stitches and rows in order to achieve a desired width and length of a sweater.
If a pattern says 16 stitches and 22 rows will give you a 4" by 4" square, then that is the gauge.
The only way to figure out this gauge for yourself, according to your knitting habits and the yarn your using, is to knit a tension swatch.
So if you yarn label says 16 st x 22 rows, cast on about 25 stitches and knit about 30 rows, for your swatch.
A tension or gauge swatch is one of the most important parts of your knitted
garment.
Without it, your garment will not fit. Always work a tension swatch
BEFORE knitting (or crocheting) your garment.
The gauge can change, not
only between makes of yarn, but between different dye lots of the same yarn.
Your gauge can vary between different needle materials (e.g. bamboo or aluminum),
and between straight and circular knitting.
Make your tension swatch and
be sure! It is also a good idea to check your gauge on the garment itself
part way through your project.
The sooner these mistakes are caught, the
better.
Remember, also, to treat your swatch as you would your garment, e.g. wash,
dry, steam or block, BEFORE measuring.
Lay it flat, pin it gently at ease
(do not stretch), and measure off either a fixed number of rows and stitches,
or count the rows and stitches over a fixed measurement.
You can then convert
it to a standard 4 inch (10 cm) gauge, using the Calculator/Gauge Equivalents
option on the Main Menu
There are many different ways to make your tension swatch. Knit at least
30 sts by 30 rows to get an
accurate sample.
You can measure out 4 inches in each direction, and count
the rows and stitches.
With nubbly, mohair, or very fine yarns this is sometimes
quite difficult.
In these cases, and especially easy on a knitting machine,
you can mark off a fixed number of rows and stitches as you are knitting
(e.g. 20 by 20).
Look at your swatch, does it look right ? Does it feel right ?
Are the stitches too big or too small ? Are there big gaps in your work ?
Use larger or smaller needles, change as many times as you need.
Only when you think, this looks and feels nice, then your swatch is ready.
In the same way, measuring the gauge on a stretchy rib or cable pattern
is tricky, because it is so variable.
Many textured or ribbed tops are worn
with a slight or moderate stretch, and are meant to be tight-fitting.
Therefore,
decide how much stretch you want in your garment and measure the gauge from
your swatch with that amount of stretch.
Different brand needles can give you different gauge,
because the molds they use to make their needles might be different from another needle makers molds.
If you are knitting the ribbing by machine, you may optionally
knit a ribbing swatch as well. Knit as for the body swatch, but using
your ribber
and ribbing gauge. Measuring the rows is exactly as for the
body, but measuring the stitch gauge is a little trickier.
If you
want the ribbing to just touch, and to lie at ease on the worn garment,
then measure it at ease.
However, if you would like it to have a little
tension on the worn garment (for example, to fit snugly around the
sleeve cuffs),
then measure the ribbing gauge with this amount of
stretch in the swatch.
Lay it down for a few days, you can even wash it, check if the yarn is shrinking or not.
Some yarns will shrink more then as indicated on the ball band.
If you knit a stray purl stitches in the swatch you can indicate what size needle was used..
6 purl stitches for the size 6 needle and 5 for the size 5 and so on. (For post-laundry identification).
Or make knots in the yarn thread, hanging from the cast on row, to remember the needle size.
Look at swatching as a necessary step, one that will assure you the right fit and proportion.
So as you slip on that sweater or cardigan for the first time, it feels like it's been made for you.
This can be time consuming, but making the swatch will give you practice with the yarn and if you use a stitch pattern,
you get a feeling for the stitches you make. And you learn from your mistakes !
Happy knitting, Jessica |
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