How & Why to Knit a Swatch & Understanding Yarn Weights

Posted on 9:00am Wednesday 14th Aug 2024

NEW KNITTING GUIDES. Great informative guides to help you on your way.

Why & How to Knit a swatch - You know you should be swatching & measuring before you knit your new woolly sweater. The guide explains why you must and how you do it.
Understanding yarn weights - Ever picked up some yarn from a charity shop or inherited some from an aunt with NO ball band.? This guide will help you determine the yarn weight so you can do something with it!

Both guides can be accessed by subscribing to The Feminine Touch Design's Newsletter.

The most IMPORTANT point I want to try and get across to you today is the need for you to knit a swatch before you work on one of my designs or any other pattern. Knit a swatch, measure it, check it against what the designer says in the pattern and adjust the needle size or your own tension if it's needed. The guide goes into the detail with a lot more tips. This way, you'll be guaranteed to get a garment that actually fits you and a finished fabric that's perfect.

As a knitter/designer I (most of the time) knit to a standard tension. That is, if the ball band says 22 st x 24 rows =10cm, then that tends to be what my gauge measures. I feel very lucky as I know not all knitters knit to a standard tension and not all designers do either. So don't take it for granted that your tension will be right and therefore your sweater will fit perfectly.

LOL- a story for you

The Tale of the Misguided Sweater

Sandra was excited to start her new knitting project—a cozy sweater in a rich, forest green. She had spent weeks searching for the perfect yarn and pattern, finally settling on one that promised a snug, flattering fit. As an experienced knitter, she knew the importance of knitting a swatch to check her gauge. However, in her eagerness to get started, she hurried through this step.

She knitted a small swatch, quickly measured it, and noticed it was slightly off from the pattern’s gauge requirements. Instead of adjusting her needle size and re-knitting the swatch, she thought, It’s close enough. It won’t make that much of a difference. Confident in her decision, Sandra cast on the stitches and began knitting the sweater.

As the project progressed, Sandra noticed that the sweater seemed a bit larger than she had anticipated. But she shrugged it off, convincing herself that it might just look big on the needles. Besides, she was so far along now that the idea of ripping it back and starting over was too disheartening to consider.

Finally, after weeks of work, Sandra completed the sweater. She eagerly tried it on, only to find that it was several sizes too big. The sleeves hung down past her hands, the body was baggy, and the neckline sagged uncomfortably. Instead of the fitted, stylish sweater she had imagined, she was left with a shapeless, oversized garment that bore little resemblance to the pattern’s picture.

The culprit? That small discrepancy in the swatch gauge that she had chosen to ignore. By not correcting her gauge early on, the extra stitches multiplied across the entire sweater, leading to a final piece that was much larger than intended.

Disappointed, Sandra realised her mistake. She had invested so much time and effort into this project, only to have it go wrong because she didn’t take the time to ensure her gauge was correct. The sweater, with its droopy sleeves and ill-fitting body, was a reminder of the importance of accurate measurements.

From then on, Sandra vowed to never skip or rush her swatch knitting again. She understood that taking the extra time to get the gauge right could save her from the frustration and disappointment of a project gone wrong. Though she couldn’t wear the sweater as intended, she repurposed the yarn and used the experience as a valuable lesson in the art of knitting.

The Jenerates Knitting Ruler that I have in store is ideal for measuring your swatch. It's a small good looking wooden ruler that will easily fit in your notions box/bag. Better than going hunting for your plastic ruler or tape measure, that's never where you think it is.

I have limited stocks of these great knitting tools, the Wraps per inch measure & the Knitters ruler. You can buy both together for a discounted price too.

The Jenerates WPI measure that I have in store is ideal for measuring the wraps per inch for any of your dubious yarn. It's a small good looking wooden measure that will easily fit in your notions box/bag. There are other ways of measuring (ie wrapping round something and then measuring) but then you will have to find that ruler!