I am a Knitter who does not knit a swatch before starting a project. I will often check my gauge after starting a project and then sometimes rip out the project and start again. I have also knit several sweaters that did not fit.
I began to wonder if there was a better way to approach this. I also wondered what would happen if several knitters (nine to be exact) knit the same number of stitches, using the same yarn* and the same needles**. The yarn label suggested that by knitting 20 stitches with a size 4.5mm needle, we should be close to a gauge of 4". The swatches ranged from 4 1/4 inches to 4 3/4 inches. We all would have had to knit with a smaller needle to get gauge.
These two were the smallest and largest swatches.
Now you might think that 1/2 an inches doesn't matter much, it does. If a sweater has 300 stitches around, then that 1/2 inch difference is going to make the sweater 71/2 inches larger.The swatches were smaller before I washed and blocked them but since I didn't record those measurements, that now becomes a post for another day.
*The yarn was Diamond Luxury pure wool superwash.
**The needles were ChiaGoo Red Lace circulars in a size 4.5mm
1 comment:
I often do not try the swatch, and I am often ripping out to start again. Really, it makes so much sense to do it. Why don’t we just swatch and save ourselves the frustration? Because we’re gamblers, betting on the possibility that *this time* we’ll get it right without that extra step.
Post a Comment