HOW I SWATCH FOR NEW KNITTING PROJECTS

> Other Knitty Things:

Do you swatch before starting a new knitting project?

​This question comes up a lot among knitters. I think the overall answer is - every knitter does what they want! Some swatch, some don't, and everyone has their own personal reasons and preferences. And, it's all OK! Knitting is meant to be fun and creative, and every knitter has their own individual way of doing things.

For me, my answer is - yes, I swatch before I start a knitting project!

And, since I swatch, I thought I'd share a bit about how I swatch!

Choosing the right yarn and needle size

One of the first things I do when starting a new knitting project from a designer's pattern is to look at the recommended yarn listed in the pattern. I first look at the fiber content of the yarn. Is it wool, cotton, acrylic, alpaca, or something else? And what percentage of each fiber type is the yarn created from? I also look for the recommended yarn weight and needle size used.

Second, I look at the gauge notes listed on the pattern. These usually look something like this:

GAUGE: 23 sts and 30 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch

This information tells me that if I knit 23 stitches across for 30 rows, flat in stockinette stitch (which would mean knitting the right side rows and purling the wrong side rows), I should end up with a knitted sample that is 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) tall when I measure it with a flat ruler. 

Now that I have this information, I might go through old projects that I have on hand, and if I know the yarn fiber, yarn weight, and needle size I used, and it's done in the type of knitting called for in the gauge notes (in this case knitted flat in stockinette stitch), I can measure a section of that knitted finished object to see if my gauge matches what's called for in the pattern.

But, since I'm a loyal swatcher, I have a collection of swatches I've made for past projects, so I also have the option of going through these to see if I can find a match.

AS WE GROW AND CHANGE, SO CAN OUR GAUGE
I go through old projects and swatches as a starting point to prep for knitting up my swatch. I've found that over time, knitting gauge can change. We might adopt a new knitting style like switching from English style to Continental style, or we might just have made small adjustments to the way we knit that we don't even realize. Many things can affect the way we knit and, in turn, affect our knitting gauge!

If I've never knit with this type of yarn fiber, yarn weight, and needle size combination before, I'll have to do some yarn shopping (oh darn! :)) to see what I can use to create my swatch. When looking at yarn (one of my favorite past times!), I'll also be paying attention to different colorways I come across from different yarn shops and dyers, because if I find a yarn fiber that ends up working for me, I'd like to know that I can also find a colorway that I'll love for this project!

It's time to swatch!

Once I have the yarn I want to use and my needles ready, it's time to create my swatch!

To start, I again refer to the gauge notes on the pattern to see if there are any special instructions on how to match gauge. Some gauge notes specify what needs to be swatched. The designer's notes might say to use stockinette stitch, to knit up a specific section of the pattern, or whether the swatch should be knitted up flat or in the round.

Here are the gauge notes listed earlier in this post again:

GAUGE: 23 sts and 30 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch

In this instance, my swatch would need to be knitted up flat and in stockinette stitch. Many patterns call for this type of gauge swatch. 

Here is what I would do to knit up a swatch for a pattern that listed these gauge notes along with a simple swatch pattern I often use:

Since these gauge notes call for 23 stitches and 30 rows, I would add 10 stitches and 10 rows to the swatch I knit up. This gives me some extra fabric to include a garter stitch border since knitting up a sample in stockinette stitch alone can curl up on the edges and be difficult to work with. So, my swatch would be 33 stitches across and have 40 rows.

A SIMPLE SWATCH PATTERN
Here is the simple swatch pattern that I would use to knit up this swatch:

Using the long tail cast on, cast on 33 stitches.
Rows 1 - 4: knit across
Row 5: knit 4, purl to last 4 stitches, knit 4
Row 6: knit across
Repeat Rows 5 and 6 until you have 36 rows total.
Rows 37 - 40: knit across
Cast Off/Bind Off and you're done!

Using this pattern will create a gauge swatch that looks something like the one below (the example below has a different amount of stitches and rows since it was knitted up based on different gauge notes):

SPEED SWATCHING
If your pattern calls for swatching in the round, there is a technique called speed swatching that allows you to knit up a swatch in the round faster! Instead of knitting all the way through each round, you knit the amount of stitches you need to measure gauge and then carry the yarn behind the knitting to get to the beginning of the next round. Very clever!

Time to measure the swatch

Now that my swatch is complete, it's time to measure it to see if I matched the gauge of the design I want to knit. It's also the time to take a good look at the fabric I created to see if it will work for this project.

Sometimes, the gauge notes will tell you whether you need to block your swatch or not to get proper measurements. However, many gauge notes don't have this information noted. I usually block my swatches before measuring because I know that through blocking, my stitches will be more even and my swatch will lay flat making it easier to measure with my flat ruler.

After blocking, I lay my swatch out on a flat surface and use my flat ruler to measure. First, I measure across my stitches and write down how many stitches are within 4 inches or 10 cm.

Then, I measure the other way and write down how many rows I knitted up within 4 inches or 10 cm.

 Once I have those measurements, I take a moment to take a closer look at the swatch I knitted up. Is the fabric one that I'm comfortable with for this particular project? Is the fabric too tight or too loose? Do I like the drape? Even if my measurements are just right, if I'm not loving the fabric, I'll try a different yarn and needle combination. My feeling is, if I'm going to be spending a lot of time with this project (and, I am!), then I need to be totally comfortable with what I'm knitting with, so I want to be sure to get a fabric feel that's right for me!

If my gauge matches the gauge notes on the pattern and I feel the fabric is just right, I celebrate because I've found yarn and needles that will work for this design!

If my gauge doesn't match or I don't like the fabric, I go on to either adjust my yarn weight or my needle size, and the swatching process starts all over again!

Keep that swatch either way!

No matter what the outcome was from knitting up my swatch, I always keep and label it for future reference. I want to remember what the results were when I used this particular combination of yarn weight, fiber, and needle size to refer to for future projects.

SWATCH LABELING
To label my swatch, I tie a piece of paper or cardboard to the cast on or cast off/bind off yarn of my swatch and write the following:
Yarn brand
Yarn name
Yarn fiber content
Yarn weight
​Yarn colorway
Size needles I used
My gauge measurements (amount of stitches and rows within 4 inches (10 cm))

I find knitting up a gauge swatch to be very helpful before I start a new project, and I've grown to enjoy the process! If you also swatch regularly or are wondering how to swatch, I hope you've found this post helpful!