What is a gauge swatch?

What is it? What does it do? Do you need to knit one for every pattern? Let's take a deep dive into what a swatch is all about.

WHAT IS A SWATCH?

It's a simple large piece of knitted fabric that is made from the yarn and needles you plan to use for your project. Your swatch should be at least 5 inches long and 5 inches wide. Anything smaller and you risk getting an incorrect measurement, and therefore may mess up your pattern you are writing or get the wrong finished size of the pattern you are following.

WHAT IS GAUGE?

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows measured in a 4 inch square. A gauge is provided in every pattern, and it tells you where you need to be to create the correctly sized finished item. If you have more stitches that the pattern suggests, then your item will turn out smaller than intended, and if you have less stitches then your item will turn out bigger than intended. Same with your rows, it'll turn out shorter or longer than intended.

So, a "gauge swatch" is a swatch that tells you what your gauge is. But the swatch can also tell you so much more than just that! It gives you so much useful information. Let's dive into what it can tell you and also how to make a swatch.

EVERYTHING IT TELLS YOU

• The most important information it gives you, is what your tension is like, AKA gauge - how many stitches and rows you have in 4 inches. It lets you know if you need to change your needle size before starting on that sweater project. You wouldn't want it to turn out too big or small after all.

• It shows you how your fabric is going to look. Will your yarn drape nicely or will it be stiff? Does the yarn go well with the stitch pattern? How will the multi-colored yarn look when knit up?
  

• For designers, it can also help you understand how much yarn you might need for a project, and it may help with grading for other sizes as well. You'll need to keep track of how many stitches are in your swatch and also weigh your swatch.

WHEN YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE

If you are designing a pattern, you need to make one. As it gives you the information and numbers to grade for different sizes.

If you are a knitter following a pattern, you should make one when you have never done the stitch pattern before, if it's a large item, if the pattern calls for different needles/yarn weights than you normally use, etc. On smaller items like socks or dishcloths, it may not be a huge deal to make one. But for sweaters and shirts, you should always make one!

HOW TO MAKE A SWATCH

Let's say you are knitting a sweater on fingering weight yarn. The suggested gauge is 32 stitches and 44 rows in 4 inches in stockinette stitch, knit on 2.5mm (US 1.5) circular needles.

1. SWATCH SIZE

You will want to cast on enough stitches to make your swatch where the knit pattern is at least 5 inches wide and tall. So with our example above, you'll want to cast on 40 stitches, plus at least 2 edge stitches for each side. Work your swatch until it is at least 5 inches tall. Then you need to block your swatch! Fill your bathroom sink with water and some gentle soap, and let your swatch soak for at least 5 minutes. Then squeeze all the water out and get ready to pin it to your blocking mat.

2. TO BLOCK OR NOT?

The usual rule is to treat your swatch how your finished object will be treated. If you will block your finished item, then block your swatch. But in my opinion, it should always be blocked. At some point or another, it is going to get washed - even a cup coaster! You wouldn't want your beloved item to get ruined in the wash because you didn't block it before to see how your yarn will react to water and soaps.

3. HOW TO BLOCK IT

Pop your swatch in a bucket of water with mild soap and let it soak for at least 5 minutes. Then take it out, gently squeeze the excess water out. Put your swatch in a towel and press down on it to get rid of even more water.

Now, this next tip I'm about to give you may be a bit controversial... Most people say not to

stretch your swatch before you block it, but I do! I know my finished item is going to get accidentally stretched and warped during blocking, so I need to treat my swatch the same way. I gently stretch my swatch vertically, horizontally, and then diagonally in each direction. Then I plop it on my blocking mat and let it dry completely.

4. MEASURING GAUGE

Here is another thing I do that may be different from others - I shake my swatch out before I measure it. As I wear my sweater, the fibers are going to move around and shift again to where they want to naturally sit. So I treat my swatch the same way by shaking it around and letting the fibers move naturally. Then, finally, I measure my swatch to check my gauge.

Count how many stitches and rows you have in 4 inches. Make sure you stay away from all the edges, as the edges, cast on, and cast off stitches may distort your stitches appearance and result in an inaccurate reading.

5. PROBLEM SOLVING

If you have too many stitches in 4 inches, you need to change to a larger needle. If you have not enough stitches, you need a smaller needle. The most important measurement is stitches. Your rows can be more easily adapted to the pattern by knitting more or less rows as needed. But if your row gauge is completely off, you may want to try not only changing needle sizes, but even your needle material! Wooden vs metal needles do actually change your row gauge, even if you have the same number of stitches when using both.

For designers, you will want to look at your swatch and see if you like the drape, the looseness/tightness of the fabric, etc. Measure your swatch and write down your results for creating your pattern. I also like to keep my swatch handy during pattern writing - so don't frog it until your pattern is done!

Hopefully this article didn't scare you - because it shouldn't be scary or complicated. A swatch can give you a lot of information, hopefully you learned something new here!

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