Lion Brand Notebook ®
A Quick Lesson in How to Make a Swatch
Now that I’ve convinced you about the importance of swatching, let’s talk about how to properly make a swatch. If you want your swatch to be accurate and relevant to your project, there are two factors that must not be overlooked: stitch pattern, and size.
The project pattern should tell you what stitch pattern to work your swatch in [e.g., GAUGE: 9 sts = 4″ (10 cm) in St st]. Many times this will be stockinette stitch, but do be sure to use the stitch pattern called for if it differs. Lace and cable patterns will often have a quite different gauge than stockinette worked with the same yarn and needles. And remember, you’re not just making a swatch for gauge: you want to see if the beautiful lace pattern you’ve chosen shows up when you work it with that deep purple yarn you fell in love with. Better to find out now than after you’ve completed an entire sweater back!
The size of your swatch is also very important. The standard these days is for pattern writers to tell you how many stitches and rows should equal a 4″ (or 10 cm) square. This does not mean that you should cast on that many stitches and work that many rows and end up with a 4″ square! Edge stitches and cast on/off edges will affect the size of your swatch. You should plan for a few rows and stitches of garter stitch border –- I usually cast on an extra 3-5 stitches total (3 for a larger gauge, 5 for a finer gauge) and work 4 rows of garter stitch at the top and bottom. (You will want to do this even if your swatch is in garter stitch, to allow for the edge stitches.)
Finally, you absolutely must remove your knitting from the needles before measuring your gauge. Don’t stretch your work when measuring (even if it’s ribbing), and be sure to count fractional stitches. A quarter of a stitch doesn’t seem like much, but over several inches it’s going to add up.
Now that you’ve properly swatched, measured, and seen and felt how your finished fabric is going to look, you’re ready to cast on your project. Good luck, and enjoy knowing that you’ve taken steps to ensure that your project is going to be a success!
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Sandy Brantly
I believe crocheting would lift depression. I have been doing it off and on (mostly off) for 40 years, but in recent months it has become my passion, and I know I will do it until I can no longer, unless there is yarn in heaven! Thank you Lion Brand for your fabulous products and wonderful information.
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Suanna
I think that whenever using a brand or kind of yarn you haven’t used before it IS important to make a swatch to check gauge. I’ve learned that the HARD way resulting in undoing all and starting over. What a waste of time.
Cathi
What if your swatch measures correctly vertically, but it’s larger (or smaller) width-wise? None of the knitters I know have been able to answer this one for me.
Jess Hicks
Hi, Cathi. In general, your stitch gauge (width) will be more important than your row gauge. This is because the shaping of the item width-wise is dependent on the stitches being the correct size. Also, many patterns provide step-by-step instructions for the rows but give the length in inches instead of rows; i.e., “Work in St st (k on RS, p on WS) until piece measures 14 in. (35.5 cm)”, as opposed to “Work in St st for 29 rows”. If your pattern gives your row instructions written out instead of in inches, that’s not a problem: just take a look at the given gauge of the pattern and calculate how many inches that would be. For example, if the pattern says to work in St st for 10 rows and the given gauge is 5 rows per inch, you’ll know to continue in St st for 2 inches. It’s also just a lot easier to adjust the length by adding in some rows, which you can do at any time, than it is to try to add in stitches if your piece isn’t wide enough — you can always add more rows to make a sweater longer, but once you’ve knit the top, you can’t go back and add a stitch or two to each row. I hope that helps!
S
Thanks