Sweater Fit Part 1: Guage & Swatching

Part 1: Gauge & swatching

Over the course of last year, I received many questions related to sweater fit. If you spend hours knitting a sweater, it is important it fits you exactly how you want! This is the beginning of a series on sweater fit I’ve written so you can get the perfectly fitting sweater of your dreams.

The four parts of this series are:

• Part 1: Gauge and swatching

• Part 2: Measuring yourself and reading a schematic

• Part 3: Understanding ease and how it affects fit

• Part 4: Choosing the right pattern

What is gauge?

Gauge is a measure of how many stitches and rows are in a certain area of your knitting. Your knitting gauge determines how large your finished item will be. Without proper gauge, no amount of measuring or care when picking a size will matter. Your sweater will not end up the size is should. Even being off by a small amount can have a large impact on the finished sweater particularly in sweaters that have a finer gauge (more stitches / rows per inch). Your gauge swatch may seem inconvenient or fussy at the time, but it is a crucial step in getting a sweater that fits.

How to read the gauge in a pattern

The first page in a pattern usually has the gauge information listed. It will look something like this:

GAUGE

20 stitches and 32 RNDS = 4 inches / 10 cm in stockinette on US size 7 (4.5 mm) needles.

Gauge is measured over two parts: stitches and rounds or rows. The stitches give you width. The rows / rounds give you length. On the right-hand side of the equals sign, you will find the area the gauge is measured over; 4 inches / 10 cm is standard.

The gauge information should also include the stitch pattern the swatch was worked in as well as the size needle used. Many patterns give the initial gauge in stockinette, and then also list the gauges in other stitches used. Yes, you should swatch them all.

How to swatch

A swatch is measured over 4 inches / 10 cm so many people recommend knitting your swatch to that exact size. I think you need to make it bigger. The few stitches and rows around all of the edges will be a bit distorted. You need to have a “normal” section of knitting measuring 4 inches / 10 cm square to take your measurements from. Make your swatch at least 5 inches / 12.5 cm square, but preferably 6 inches / 15 cm square.

To determine how many stitches to cast on, look at the gauge information in the pattern. 20 stitches over 4 inches / 10 cm equals 5 stitches per inch / 2.5 cm.

 5 stitches x 6 inches / 15 cm = 30 stitches to cast on for a 6 inch / 15 cm swatch

Cast on using the needles specified in the gauge section and work in the stitch pattern specified. Work until it is 6 inches / 15 cm in depth. If you are working a specific stitch pattern or following a chart, I would recommend completing a repeat if 6 inches / 15 cm happens to fall somewhere in the middle of it.

Many knitters put a garter stitch border around their swatches. I disagree with this practice because it will distort the row gauge of the stitches nearest the garter stitch. Garter stitch fabric is shorter than stockinette so a garter stitch border will pull the edges in a bit like elastic. Even over a swatch-sized piece of fabric, it can mess up your row gauge numbers. Only put a border on the swatch if you are trying to see how a certain border will look with the stitch patterning.

To block or not to block

How do you plan to treat your finished sweater? Treat your swatch the exact same way.

Yarns and stitch patterns always change when they are given a bath. Superwash will always grow. The stitches of a woolen spun yarn will puff up. Cables will relax and widen. It is unwise to measure gauge from an unblocked swatch.

But don’t think you need to furiously block out your swatch. Sternly stretching your swatch when your sweater will simply be laid flat to dry is going to give you an inaccurate gauge. For my colorwork and stockinette sweaters, I’ll simply lay the swatch flat to dry. Any lace needs stretched and pinned out. For cables, I’ll gently pull them open and pin them until they are roughly half dry and then unpin them while they dry the rest of the way.

For a pinned swatch, let it dry fully, unpin it, and then let it sit another day. Your sweater will not be pinned out 24/7, and yarn can shift a bit after it has been unpinned. Let it fully relax so you get the best measurement possible.

Yes, I know you are thinking this is all very fussy and extra. But if you don’t get an accurate measurement from your swatch, your sweater will not end up the size you think it will. Think of all those hours you will spending knitting this sweater. Don’t let those hours be a waste because your gauge swatch lied to you.

How to measure

Once your swatch is dry and relaxed. Lay it out on a flat surface with good lighting. Bright, indirect sunlight next to a window will always give the best lighting for everything. Using a ruler is easier compared to a measuring tape, but both will work just fine. Using something with a pointy end (like a handy knitting needle), count how many V’s made by the stitches there are in the 4 inch / 10 cm section at the center of the swatch. Shift your measuring device up and down a bit and take the measurement in a few different places. Average the measurements or choose the one that you get most frequently. Do the same thing lengthwise to get your row gauge.

What if it doesn’t match the pattern

So, you went through all of that, and your gauge doesn’t match up. What now?

You knit another swatch.

Gauge is a very individual thing. You should not necessarily expect to get the same gauge as the designer on the same size needles right out of the gate. Especially if you are using a different yarn than called for in the pattern. It may take a few swatches to find out what needle size you need to use to get gauge.

If you are way off, go up or down a couple sizes and knit another swatch. If you are just a tiny bit off, one size might be enough of a change. Or you might try the same size needle made in a different material. Your gauge will differ when using metal needles versus wooden ones. (Side tip: always swatch using the needles you will use when knitting the project!)

Still off? Look at the properties of your yarn compared the yarn used in the pattern. If the design is knit in a woolen spun yarn, and your yarn is worsted spun, you are unlikely to ever get the same row gauge. The two yarns just behave too differently. However, this isn’t a dealbreaker if the sweater has all the lengths to knit to listed. Different fibers, even different wool yarns from different breeds of sheep, can behave very differently. You may want to consider changing your yarn choice to something more similar to the pattern. (And that’s a whole other topic!)

A mismatch in gauge is not necessarily a dealbreaker if you are really attached to making that sweater in that yarn. You can calculate how far off your sizing will be at your gauge and decide if you are ok with that difference in size. Or you can choose a different size to end up with the size you want. This is a whole other topic requiring significant explanation of math so I will not go into it here, but it is an option for you if you are adventurous.

Swatching and gauge are very important for sweater knitting. The larger the item you are making, the greater the impact it will have. Please swatch!

Click here for Part 2: Measuring Yourself & Reading a Schematic.