#gauge swatches

[roboticchibitan]

Okay, I've made enough "blease knit gauge swatches. Swatchless projects killedy family" posts. This post is an informational post a out gauge swatches. It will mainly be written in knitting terms because that is my main craft but it applies to crochet too. Even if you're an experienced crafter, you might learn something from this post. I talk about different reasons to make a swatch and some reasons a swatch might lie to you.

What is gauge?

Gauge is the size of your stitches, ie how wide and tall they are. It can be affected by the way you hold the yarn, your tension, and your needle/hook size. In knitting the style you knit can affect this, with the tendency being that English style is usually, but not always, tighter than continental. When I went from knitting English style to knitting Norwegian style, my gauge drastically changed to be much looser.

What is a gauge swatch?

A gauge swatch is a small piece of work that you use to measure your stitches per inch and rows per inch gauge. "Standard" gauge swatches are 4in/10cm squares, but often you'll see different sizes, especially for lace patterns that have you test knitting a certain chart or stitch

Why do we make gauge swatches?

We make gauge swatches to check if our gauge is the same as the pattern designer's gauge. Because you want your gauge to be the same as the pattern designer's so you know your size XL sweater will actually be size XL or your six foot in diameter shawl will actually be six feet across. Or that your airy and beautiful lace will actually be airy and beautiful and not too dense or too loose.

We also might swatch if we are substituting yarns. For example, a blocked lace swatch of wool will have different dimensions than a blocked lace swatch of pure silk because silk is less stretchy than wool. So if you are substituting fibers, you want to know that you'll like the finished item and might swatch a bit of the pattern before starting in earnest so you don't waste your time making something you'll be dissatisfied with.

There's also some differences between yarns of the same fiber and same weight. Some lace weight yarn is categorized as lace weight while being 600 yds per 100g, and some lace weight yarn is 800 yds or 1000 yds per 100g. So you should knit a swatch when substituting yarn even if they are the same fiber and weight if they are different yardage per gram ratios.

Do I always need to make a gauge swatch?

I talk a lot about the importance of gauge swatches but the honest answer is no, you do not always need to make a gauge swatch. If you are making something that doesn't require a certain size or airiness of pattern, like a bag or a simple scarf, you don't need to do a gauge swatch.

How do I make a gauge swatch?

Most patterns have a simple gauge listed, such as 22 stitches by 18 rows is 4in/10cm square in stockinette. However, some patterns have an "in pattern" gauge swatch or a separate pattern/chart for their swatch. So you cast on however many stitches (I often cast on a few more than the swatch calls for, but you don't have to), and knit that many rows in whatever pattern is specifed. If it's stockinette, knit stockinette. If it's "in pattern," locate the repeating part of the pattern and knit the designated amount of rows. If there is a separate pattern/chart for the swatch, knit as directed. Bind off. Don't measure on the needle, it will lie to you.

Then, you want to treat the swatch how you'll treat the finished object. If you're not going to block the finished object, measure it as is. But if you're going to block the finished object (and most things you should tbh blocking hides so many sins), you get the swatch wet, pin it out to shape, and then leave it to dry.

THEN! And nobody talks about this step for some reason and it's been the reason swatches lied to me in the past. Unpin it and let it rest. Different people give different time amounts for this resting. I'd let it rest at least three hours but some people recommend up to a week. The reason for this resting period is that many yarns, especially wool and other animal fibers, have elasticity to them. They'll rebound back a bit. Cotton and linen will have less rebound than things like wool. I'm not 100% sure where acrylic falls on that scale since I hate the texture of most acrylics.

OK I made and blocked the swatch and let it rest, what do I do now?

Now you measure! Does your stitches/rows ratio match up with the pattern designer's? Compare your gauge to the listed gauge. If it is different, you need to adjust needle/hook sizes. If your swatch is larger than the given measurements, your gauge is too loose and you need to go down one (or several) needle/hook sizes. If your swatch is smaller, your gauge is too tight and you need to go up one (or more) needle/hook sizes. At this point you can say "it's probably just one size up/down" and start your project, or you can repeat the entire swatch process. If unsure, repeat.

That's cool, can we see an example?

Sure! Here are two swatches I have pinned out.

I didn't follow my own advice about swatching and just started the Sapphira Lace Shawl on the recommended size 4 needles, but I got all the way through the first repeat of the body chart and then frogged the whole thing because my gauge was so loose you couldn't even see the pattern.

The Sapphira Lace Shawl has a separate pattern just for the gauge swatch and says "gauge is not important, swatch in lace pattern and use comfortable needle size to achieve airy lace that is not too holey." Too holey means that the stitches and yarn overs are so loose you cannot properly make out the pattern at all. That's what happened when I used size 4 needles.

The swatches you see here were knitted on size 2 (top) and 3 (bottom) needles. I knitted the bottom swatch first but was unsure if I liked the result so I went down another needle size and knitted a second swatch.

You'll notice the size 2 swatch is smaller and it's easier to make out the design. The stitches are smaller and denser, so the places where decreases and plain knit stitches are grouped together are easier to see. Versus the size 3 swatch where the stitches are looser and it's a bit harder to make out the design, though not impossible. On size four needled my stitches were so loose you couldn't really make out the design at all. With these swatches pinned out, I personally like the size 2 swatch better. However! That may change once I let the swatches rest for a while!

This yarn is an alpaca/silk mix. Alpaca is known for stretching out and not holding its shape. It's not ideal for lace. Silk is very good at holding its shape, but not very stretchy. I'm hoping together they make an okay yarn for lace because separately neither is my preference for lace. It was what I had on hand that was dyeable. Alpaca has some elasticity so it will spring back once I unpin it and let it rest. At that point, I may like the size 3 swatch better. I won't know until I get there.

I'll try to remember to post pictures of the rested swatches tomorrow to show if there's any difference. I might work up another swatch on size 4 needles to show what "too holey" looks like but that's more of a "how to knit lace" educational swatch than a "how to knit swatches" educational swatch so I might not bother.

That's it, that's the post. I'm sure my knitting mutuals will have comments and things to add so check the notes.

#v's fiber arts tag #gauge swatches #how to make a gauge swatch #knitting #crochet

[hotcinnamonsunset]

when the floats look just as cool as the finished side >>>

#knitting #knitblr #an all cooped up sweater follow up…she’s finished and blocked and somehow (bc I never gauge swatch🤫) so cozy large! #floats are usually Just There but these bad boys?! damn do they look slick.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

y'all!! i'm doing it!! i'm reading a charted pattern with NO TEXT BACKUP, and a baby shawl is being born!!

#text #personal #knitting #my knitting #portia shawl #IVE NEVER DONE JUST CHARTS BEFORE!!!! #ive always had the text as a Backup (and ive always used said text over charts 🫣) #but i FIGURED IT OUT i didnt even have to ASK FOR HELP i KNOW WHAT IM DOING!!! #we're gonna ignore my gauge swatch failings of earlier and count this as a Win

[bakingmoomins]

i actually finished my first knit pair of socks after some second sock syndrome

#they're a present for my grandma and she loved them she taught me how to knit and it's the first proper knit thing I've gifted her #turns out you can make any sock if you make a gauge swatch first #knitting #🧶🪳 #🐌

[thirrith]

last-minute finished the sweater before i travel. it finished blocking when i was busy packing! love the way the shoulders are structured, i've never seen anything like it esp. not in a top-down pattern. the true miracle is that it didn't turn out too small??

also behold half of the colours i used - or try and spot the two or three that i didn't use >:D

#knitting #stuff i make #colours are nice but the yarn was very cheap #can't wear it against the skin & everytime i wash it it'll shed like a cat #my gauge gradually because tenser over the months i was making this which is really obvious where teh sleeves are connected to the shoulder #which is why it's so surprising that my swatching (more or less) worked #finished knits

[tyranasaurusbec]

#knitting #a fun fact about gauge swatches is that if you fudge the measurements a little the error compounds massively #aka: “one repeat of lace is 1 inch” (it's like 5/6 of an inch) and now your garment is 4“ too small #blocking can only do so much :( #memeing to cope #if literally anyone asks i'll post a picture of the shirt once it's dry

[lady-of-the-spirit]

Hey, knitting community. What do you do when you're like me and you dont have the attention span to make a gauge swatch for your projects?

#making the project? great #making a swatch to make sure you're doing it right BEFORE making the project? i get it but i don't have the attention span for it #like if i'm gonna do that i may as well just start the project from there right (<- knows this is a bad idea but hates gauge swatches) #knitting #knitblr #i'm saying stuff

[cecilyacat]

I started a new knitting project! It's going to be a lace cardigan for which Tilly is generously modelling my gauge swatch.

Years ago when I was watching Friends for the first time, I saw Phoebe wearing a yellow lace cardigan and fell in love with it. I tried to find something similar to buy, but no luck. Eventually I said "fuck it, I can knit" and looked for a pattern that was as close as possible to Phoebe's cardigan - and voilà, I found one and started knitting! This is the inspiration:

It's going to look great ❤️

The pattern I'm using is "Marianne" by Rowan, which I will slightly modify to fit Phoebe's cardigan better.

#my actual life #knitting #knitblr #knitters of tumblr #friends #phoebe buffay #looking for pictures of this cardigan made me realise how skinny everyone was... #this cardigan will not look the same on me #also don't mind the error in the gauge swatch it took me a couple repeats to figure out the pattern

[snallavanta]

knitting on 3mm needles has got to be the bane of my existence because why do i have 700+ stitches on my cord at one time

#knitting #AND THIS IS FOR A TOP #I USUALLY ONLY HAVE 200 AT MOST #praying i didn’t somehow fuck up the gauge swatch

[roboticchibitan]

OK I am the gauge swatch guy now I guess (I know I brought this on myself but how did this happen). I'm thinking about running an experiment about the resting step to see how long things need to rest. I'm thinking of knitting a bunch of different gauge swatches, some stockinette some lace maybe some cobweb for the fun of it. Maybe in different fibers also. And block them and then measure them an hour later, 6 hours later, 12 hours later, 24 hours later, and then once a day for a week. Just cuz I'm curious and people keep asking me how long to rest their swatches and I don't know!

#v's fiber arts tag #gauge swatches

[hlahlahlahlahly]

Now that i have the majority* of my sweater yarn, I spent the weekend starting new projects.

Sweater number 1: a Triangle Jacket

It took several tries to get the right gauge, so I have just a bit of sleeve started

Sweater number 2:

Almost 20 years ago I got this sweater at a thrift store

I still have it, and Kaboom is quite enamored with it but time has not been kind to it and it is worn past mending. So I did some charting, some planning, got out the Mcmorran balance and the scale for yarn estimates, picked out some yarn and I'm making her a new one

Plus I cast on a pair of socks, but that hardly counts

*I'm actually waiting for 10 skeins of yarn for sweater number 3, Plus this white yarn is just a placeholder and the real white yarn is on its way

#knitting #sleeves are the best gauge swatch #sweater knitting #triangle sweater

[motorharp]

After getting Madeline Tosh DK yarn for not this Christmas, but the previous one, starting a pair of socks and realizing I didn’t want socks, unraveling the socks, starting a hat where the gauge said 22sts = 4in *stretched* on size 6 needles, trying it on after knitting 3” and realizing it’s too big, unraveling it and finally settling on size 4 needles, and trying to learn a new method of casting on that took three tries, I think I’m finally getting a thing made.

#knitting #knitblr #knitters of tumblr #finally figured out cast on #possibly figured out needle size #measuring a gauge swatch stretched? #stretched by how much? #wearing my talia socks while knitting

[tiniest-spook]

behold! my first glove, made with cascade heritage sock in charcoal.

[IDs: several photos of a hand wearing a knit heathered dark grey glove, which is fingerless toward the tip of the pointer finger and thumb. close-up shots show both sides of the thumb gusset and join, as well as the join between the pinky and ring finger.]

it was just intended for practice & will soon be frogged entirely, but i’m still very proud of it! my first complete pair will be knit with malabrigo ultimate sock in piedras as a gift for my sibling :) i decided to knit this practice glove because i was worried abt ladders & eyelets, but they didn’t even end up being issues for me! the glove did turn out a bit baggy at the palm, so i’ll make sure to factor in a bit of negative ease for the actual pair, & do the stitch calculations for each finger before beginning anything so i can make sure the math all adds up ahead of time 😅 i ended up having to make mini gussets in btwn some of the fingers, so now i also know to work the decreases towards the inside cast-on/pick up edge & to Not take sts from the main body, since that makes them quite visible. ‘twas a nice exercise :)

bonus: piedras, which i’m super excited to work with! it's my first time using malabrigo yarn

[ID: a hank of sock yarn. it is earth-toned, with reds, browns, oranges, blues, greens, and purples.]

#i made this! #knitting #knitters of tumblr #i used nimble needles' how to knit gloves blog post to figure out all the calculations btw!! he's always so helpful #& as a sock knitter this was pretty much a breeze tbh! it felt daunting but i was in good hands <3 #anyway i already have the malabrigo in a cake & i'm off to knit my gauge swatch now hehehe #EDIT: accidentally said mini-gusset increases when i meant decreases. fixed :)

[bakingmoomins]

i figured out how to make The most crisp granny squares, hexagons, triangles, pentagons, octagons.. basically any granny stitch regular polygon and I feel so proud

#the problem with any polygon that is not a square is that when u crochet it with a granny stitch in the normal way you do a granny square #is that it'll get ruffles and look wonky but u can make it look so crisp with the power of a gauge swatch and basic trigonometry #🐌

[rosearcanaeum]

My swatch for my Astarion sweater came out fantastic. I'm super excited to share progress as I make it.

This will be the most technically advanced sweater I have ever attempted. It includes but is not limited to: combination knitting, 3 color colorwork and steeking. I've never cut a piece of (finished) knitting ever in my life! But I'm excited to try! All for my favorite bastard boy.

#Astarion #baldur's gate 3 #knitting #knit design #hand knit sweater #knit swatch #check your gauge

[godofsmallthings]

oh i girlbossed wayyy too close to the sun with this pattern

#it's based on lace weight yarn which i'm not using #and i was like hm certainly the sizing can't be terribly far off right? #WRONG. #so now i need to figure out if i'm going to experiment to find a good amount of stitches for my chevron stripes #to be roughly the same size as the pattern #or if i'm just going to make it with less amounts of zigzags #anyway this doesn't need to make sense to you bc it makes sense to me #but this is why u make a gauge swatch ig #hashtag living and learning #honestly? maybe i'll return this yarn and just buy crochet thread #idk what would be easier #ugh but i loooove these colors sm #vi is typing...