#gauge swatch
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Hnnnng I’ve never made a gauge swatch in MY LIFE before my sister better be thankful for this cardigan when I’m done with it bc I haven’t even started it and I’m already done
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Had a big brain moment today where I realised my gauge swatches weren't coming out right because I was trying to make worsted weight yarn with light fingering yarn...
I had made two swatches thinking I was making DK weight yarn with fingering weight yarn...
Soooooo I just finished making my 3rd swatch while holding 3 strands of light fingering and I'm actually getting gauge and I'm so happy!
#Yes I'm the type of person who makes swatches first#knitting#knitblr#gauge swatch#swatching#yarn weights matter y'all!
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I haven't made a wearable for such a long time, so I decided to make this cardigan. I plan to add a shawl collar and not make it cropped. Here's my first swatch! Gotta block it and see if I got the right gauge.
#probably not#i'm a very loose knitter#knitting#gauge swatching#hand knit#handspun yarn#indie yarn#gauge swatch
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Rediscovered my little pile of swatches whilst looking for that laminated conversion chart.
I don’t swatch very often, and even then I usually never complete the last stitch so to unravel it and use the yarn to start the project proper….
When I do swatch to keep, however, is with my handspun. Here we have the very first thing I ever spun
The alpaca before it was plied
The alpaca after plying but before dyeing
A nice comparison of the two
And the “how thin can I go? Ball
#swatch#cotton khaleesi#cottonkhaleesi#homespun#handspun#spinning#gauge swatch#knitting#crochet#drop spindle#yarn#homespun yarn
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I’ve decided I’m going to start saving my gauge swatches instead of unraveling them so that eventually I can sew them all together and make a blanket 👍 I have a feeling different yarn weights and colors and different size swatches made with different stitches will make an interesting blanket lol
Basically, I want to make gauge swatches more fun 😂
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Reasons to gauge swatch:
Determine which needle size will give you the gauge you need - only to discover you like the stitch definition in swatch one and the fabric/texture feel of swatch two. GAH!!!! And both are super close to gauge.
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i caved and went to the yarn store this morning since my first lecture of the day was cancelled, i definitely splurged on the yarn I picked for his hat (but it’s so soft and such a perfect colour for him) and I’m knitting a gauge swatch for the first time in my life because I want it to be absolutely perfect!! I have so much to get done this weekend but I think I’m going to take the night to do some knitting
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Yarn Tasting Berroco Fall 2022
I decided it would be fun to do a Zoom yarn tasting party with one of my relatives. And it was. Chatting and knitting, what more could you want on a quiet weekend afternoon?
What is a yarn tasting? A set of little balls of the new yarns to try. They come along with a pattern in knitting or crochet to make an item using all the yarn balls. Also, included is Berroco catalog of yarns and patterns for sale as well as a coupon for half off a pattern. The idea is that you try the yarns before you commit to buying a bunch of them only to realize you dislike the drape or the feel, etc. From some of the unhappy reviews on yarn shop websites, you can see the logic of trying out the knitting first. The only downside is that you receive a random mix of colors, and then have to figure out how to organize them within the cowl or kerchief.
I managed to begin a neckerchief as you see here using Fika, a DK weight in super wash merino which is a speckled yarn. You see here as well
- a red ball of Vento a baby alpaca blend also a DK, very soft and a nice halo
- a blue and purple ball of Wizard an incredibly lightweight, chainette bulky that comes in color shifts of superwash merino mostly,
- yet another very lightweight bulky chainette called Dash with dashes of mixed colors on cream that is mostly merino
- Lanas Light in grey, a wool yarn in fingering weight
and Renew, a recycled blend which mixes viscose, i.e. rayon, wool and nylon with a smidgen of cashmere to create a DK or light worsted.
I will have to finish knitting all the yarns in order to see how I like them, but I do recommended tasting a yarn, which you could just call another form of swatching before you start a project, especially a large project. Although I have frogged a completed garment, I will never find that a satisfying process. Better to plan ahead and test gauge and yarn before committing.
You can find more about Berroco’s yarn tastings which you must order through your local yarn store here: https://www.berroco.com/dropship/home-yarn-tasting-kit-fall-22
#berroco yarn#berroco yarns#knitting#yarns#fall yarns#vento yarn#fika yarn#wizard yarn#dash yarn#bulky yarn#dk yarns#knitted kerchief#knitted neckerchief#lanas light yarn#yarn tasting#yarn tasting party#berroco#renew yarn#gauge swatch#planning knitting#crochet
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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.
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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.
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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
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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#🧶🪳#🐌
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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
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#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
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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
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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
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