If you knit up a gauge swatch and discover that it has either more or fewer stitches per inch than your pattern calls for, you can rectify the situation by increasing or decreasing your knitting needle size accordingly. It can be tricky to remember that if you want more stitches you should use a smaller needle and if you want fewer stitches you should use a larger needle. Just remember that the larger your needles get, the larger your stitches will be and therefore fewer of them will fit into an inch.
This is an important tip as various knitters will use different sizes of needles to achieve a specific gauge. If you knit loosely, you may need a size 5 needle. Your swatch will help you figure out what needle size you need. Using the indicated gauge, cast on six inches worth of stitches. Knit the first inch in garter stitch knit every row.
This will prevent the swatch from rolling at the edges and will make it easier and more accurate to measure. Change to stockinette stitch alternating knit and purl rows for five more inches.
Switch back to garter stitch and knit one more inch. Take your needles out of the stitches — you can pick them up later if necessary. Lay the swatch out flat on a hard surface without stretching it. Place a firm ruler wood, metal, plastic across the swatch horizontally and mark the beginning and end of a four inch section of stitches with two straight pins.
Count the number of stitches between the pins and divide that number by 4 to find the number of stitches per inch. Do not ignore fractions of stitches! You now have an accurate measure of your gauge with the yarn and needles you used to make the swatch. If this number matches that which is listed on your pattern, you are ready to begin your project.
Too few stitches per inch? When you reach the end of your row, switch hands and continue knitting. Makes sense? Good luck! I am a new knitter, and while my stitch width is pretty close, the rows height is too long.
What would cause this and how can I correct it? I hate when that happens! So close, yet so far! I would suggest going down a needle size by 0. You can manipulate your fabric quite a bit when blocking! I would appreciate any help! Hey Elisabeth! Are you using their suggested aran weight yarn? Thanks for replying! Yes, I bought the exact yarn they used just so I could make this blanket.
This will give you a square and not a rectangle. Hope that helps, and good luck! My gauge is tight so I need to increase my needle size for the body of the garment, will I also need to increase the needle size for my rib band accordingly? If you find that the ribbing knit with 5mm is too tight, then you can increase the needle size as well. The gauge for the ribbing is not as important as the sweater itself. Thanks for sharing! For example, multiply the cast on number by 1.
My gauge was okay in the swatch, but after knitting 12 rows sweater, stockinette stitch , I now have 2 too many stitches per inch. Should I rip out and try to increase tension?
Any other suggestion? Hey Barbara! Yes, I would suggest going down a needle size to reach that gauge. Are you knitting your project in the round? And if so, did you knit your gauge swatch on flat needles?
Hope that helps! Sorry about that. This is great and makes sense. But what does it mean when your gauge is accurate in one direction, number of stitches, but not in rounds of stitches. In my case, 22 cast-on stitches equal four inches across and 33 rounds rows equal three inches.
Guess, what? When I blocked the swatch this morning, it stretched on the perpendicular but not the horizontal side. It is perfect. Thank you so much for your site. This very helpful! Awesome to hear that! Yes, blocking does wonders! A little pushing and pulling of the swatch during blocking can usually even a gauge swatch out. Happy knitting! Thank you for the information. Once I determined the size 3 was going to work for my sweater I looked at the pattern.
It calls for a size 6 needle and a size 3 needle. So if my size 3 is now my size 6 what other size needle do I use? This was after switching yarns. The yarn and pattern called for size 6. My tension seems even and I hold my yarn woven between my fingers. Any thoughts on how I can increase my tension?
The pattern I am using calls for 2 needle sizes. Which one do I use for the gauge? My guess is the one that does the main part of the body — not the ribbing? Use the needle that knits up the bulk of your project. Hi, I am very new to knitting and now completely nderstand the importance of gauge. It does not mention rows. Hi Jenny! It looks like this is an aran weight yarn think worsted weight.
You can find more info about this yarn here. I have seen an image of this sweater in this yarn. Could you let me know what two circular sized needles I should use to get 4.
Ah, if only it were that simple. Gauge will always vary by the knitter, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. What I would recommend is knitting a swatch in three needle sizes. I'd begin with the US 8 needles and work for about 2" and measure. If you find that you're not close to gauge, go up to the next size, and repeat.
Once you find a needle size that is giving you gauge, work that swatch for 4"- 5" to get a truer measurement.
I hope this helps. Let me know how it goes. This is a terrific primer on gauge, but I am still fumbling with a simple hat pattern's vague gauge directions. The single pattern allows for six sizes between child and large adult, and is flexible as to type of yarn, but I don't quite follow the gauge instructions:. Yes, that does sound confusing. Could you tell me the name of the hat pattern? I'm happy to take a look.
This was a great article on gauge. When I've made my swatch I can't get both width and height to match no matter what needles I swith to. I've dropped down 3 needle sizes that gives me the right height but thsnk I still have to use a size or two smaller on the pattern to get width to match gauge is this normal? Hi Barb! Much thanks for your comment. As far as gauge is concerned, it is more important to get stitch gauge than to get row gauge.
Height can always be adjusted. Something else to consider Some yarns bloom and that may end up resolving your problem.
Dropping down 3 needle sizes sounds pretty drastic and, I'm sure, will compromise the overall drape and flow of your intended garment. As mentioned in my post, tension may be an issue so gauge will vary from knitter to knitter.
I've found that if I'm overthinking my knitting, my tension is tighter which throws everything out of whack. Set it down and come back to it later if need be but you're definitely on the right track. Kudos for swatching! I salute you! Hi - What I don't understand and what never seems to be explained with gauge directions is how many stitches do you cast on to the needle in the first place and how many rows do you want to knit?
Or does it mean you cast on a larger number of stitches e. Hi Mary. Great question. What they do usually include is their gauge measurements, which will allow you to calculate how many stitches you should cast on. When knitting a gauge swatch, you never want to do the bare minimum.
You want to be able to measure 4 inches squared of whatever your stitch pattern may be without interruption. The goal is to measure a larger piece, not 1 or 2 inch increments, because sometimes it takes knitters to get into the flow and stitch size and shape can vary.
Make sense? Hello, thank you for the great article! I am trying to knit something similar to swatch image at the start of the article. Would you happen to know the yarn weight, knitting gauge, knit style, and material used on that swatch? You're very welcome, Kris.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. The swatch image was knit in stockinette stitch with Cascade Worsted Weight yarn. I can't seem to locate my original swatch so I can't provide my gauge info.
Yes, recreating it with a different yarn fiber will affect the end result, which is why it is important to swatch.
Good luck! I am still having a hard time getting the gauge. I change my needle size and I still cant' get it. It is very upsetting trying to get it. Could you please try to help me. Shirley, sorry to hear you're having a hard time. I know it can be frustrating. I'm happy to try to help you, but I need more information. Message me at info knitfarious. Are you meeting width but not height or vice versa?
What problems are you experiencing? Be as detailed as possible and I'll see what I can do. It says do the gauge by the pattern. I always have a hard time. Thanks for the info, Shirley. Ok, so when you're knitting your swatch, how many stitches are you casting on? How big is your swatch before measuring?
How are you measuring? You say it's too big What are the measurements given for gauge in your pattern? Hi, Thanks for the direction - although I am reluctant to gauge I completely understand why. My sweater recommends size 7 US but I want to start it and can only find size 8 in my collection of needles so I will test the gauge.
My question is the instructions are below but don't understand what she means in the RND. Hi Liz! You're welcome. The instructions for RND, or Round, means you'll need to knit a swatch in the round as it'll give you different measurements than if you were knitting flat or back and forth.
You can find a tutorial on how to knit a swatch in the round here , in case you need one. Thanks for the info. Punch a hole in the card and attach it to your swatch and store it. Have a file for all your knitting projects. May seem a little silly but I had a small plastic ice cream container and I was using it for my small knitting tools. To start, use the same yarn and needles the pattern calls for and cast on about 20 stitches and knit Stockinette stitch for about 5 inches.
Make sure to bind off your stitches too. There is some controversy over blocking your swatch. Here's my thought about it. I will block my swatch when the fit is crucial like sweaters. However for things like mittens, hats, scarves and shawls, if I'm using acrylic yarn I won't bother.
All you need is a stitch gauge or a plain ruler. I also use a calculator because I am terrible with fractions so I keep a little one in my knitting bag. Lay your swatch out on a flat hard surface not on your lap and put your stitch gauge over your swatch without stretching the stitches in any way.
Before I take the stitch gauge off and this isn't shown , as an extra security, I measure 4 inches along the top of the stitch gauge outside the little slot. And that's it. Now you know how many stitches per inch you have and can check it with the knitting gauge in your pattern.
0コメント