The Grimmest Gauge:
Or Why you should swatch!
I've been crocheting a long time. So when I pick up my hook and yarn and look at a pattern I have a pretty good idea how close I'm going to come to gauge and can adjust the hook size so that I'll come pretty close to making the garment in the size specified in the pattern. I have to admit that until recently I wasn't bothering with gauge swatches when I knit because of this experience with crochet but a couple of knitting disasters recently have changed my mind!
So what is gauge? Simply put, gauge is the number of stitches per inch in any given piece of knitting or crocheting. When you look at most patterns, one of the first things you'll see is a line that reads something like: "Gauge: 22 stitches in 4 inches and 32 rows in 4 inches." What this means is that if you want your item to turn out to be the size that the pattern calls for, your knitting will have to have stitches this same size. Simple, huh?
Let's pretend that the picture above is a gauge swatch for a pattern that calls for 12 garter stitches in four inches and 10 rows in four inches. The first thing I do is make a swatch with the yarn I'm going to be using for the project and with the needle size I think will get me the right number of stitches per inch. This isn't always the needle size recommended in the pattern. Some of us knit looser and some of us knit tighter. Some of us are lucky enough to always knit right on gauge but the rest of us need to make a sample.
The sample should be a few stitches and rows larger than the size you want to measure. Knit in the pattern specified by the instructions. Sometimes it will be plain stockinet and sometimes it will be the pattern stitch or lace pattern. If gauge calls for 12 stitches in four inches cast on 20 and knit on until you have a few rows extra. One of the reasons you want to do this is that before you measure the gauge, you should block the gauge swatch in the same manner you plan to block the garment. Only then will you have a true idea of what your finished knitting will look like. After your swatch has dried, measure across four inches and stick two straight pin in four inches apart. I have some big pins here at the shop with large heads to make it easier. Then measure down and put pins in four inches apart. At last you can count the stitches between the pins and see if your swatch measures the same as the gauge recommended for the pattern. Good news if it does; you can finally start your project. BUT if it doesn't measure the same, uh-oh, you'll have to try with a larger or smaller needle and go through the same process again.
I know, this is a lot of work and you just really want to get started on that sweater! Unfortunately, short cuts now can lead to heartache later. I know this to my cost; yesterday I ripped out half a camisole back because it just wasn't going to work and I was no where near on gauge. Naturally I'd tried to take a short cut and not do a gauge swatch. The other thing I've come to realize about gauge swatches is that they can really show you when a yarn simply isn't right for the pattern. Almost all yarns are beautiful, but some yarns just don't work in some patterns. Even if the yarn is the correct weight for the pattern, sometimes it's too stiff or too drapey or just not quite the right color to let that gorgeous lace work show through. Making a gauge swatch will help you see if a yarn you've chosen will show off that complicated cabling and bobbling or those intricate lace designs.
So instead of looking a gauge swatching as an unpleasant but necessary chore, I'm trying to use it to learn more about knitting and the possibilities of design inherent in my handspun and hand painted yarn. I will admit that it still seems like a chore, especially when I'm champing at the bit ready to dive into my new-found project or that sweater I've been longing to make for ages. But I'm trying to teach myself at gauge swatches are necessary. One thing I've been thinking about is using them to make a memory blanket. If I keep my swatches, eventually I'll have enough to collect together and make a blanket that will remind me of all the wonderful projects I've created through the years!
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