Design-a-long - Swatching (yes you have to!)

Small variances in gauge can add up to large inaccuracies in sizing. The rule to remember is that less is more and more is less. In other words less (stitches per inch) is more (knitted width) and more is less. As an example, if you are working at 5 stitches per inch and want a measurement of 20 inches, 5 x 20 = 100 stitches. If your swatch shows that you are getting 4 stitches per inch instead (less), 4 x 20 = 80 stitches. If your gauge was measured inaccurately, you cast on 100 stitches, and your gauge is 4 not 5 stitches per inch the knitting will be 25 inches wide (more). 

Alternatively, if you are working at 5 stitches per inch and want a measurement of 20 inches, 5 x 20 = 100 stitches. If your swatch shows that you are getting 6 stitches per inch instead (more), 6 x 20 = 120 stitches. If your gauge was measured inaccurately, you cast on 100 stitches, and your gauge is 6 not 5 stitches per inch the knitting will be 16.5 inches wide (less). So more (stitches) equals less (knitting).

A standard 4 inch swatch may give you enough information to choose your needle size but it doesn`t really tell you how the garment fabric will behave in terms of stretch and drape. These qualities of the fabric are critical to the final results that the knitter achieves and are difficult to quantify in advance.  My experience has also been that my gauge is more likely to vary from the swatch once I start working on a larger piece of knitting. Pattern makers have the benefit of being able to adjust the pattern from the finished garment to match the actual gauge. Once an item comes back from test knitting,  pattern numbers can be adjusted to match even though the tester got the right gauge on their swatch. As well gauge is normally stated in whole and half stitches but rarely in smaller increments than that. We all know on a large swatch you can calculate gauge to a smaller fractional number. Be prepared to rip back and change your cast on numbers once you see what is happening with the first piece you knit. It`s better to rip back 6 inches of knitting in the beginning than have a completed garment you will never wear.

Hanging gauge is rarely considered by knitters. If you are using a nice springy wool yarn it probably won`t be a factor necessary to consider. If you are using a fiber that lacks elasticity it could have a big impact of the length of the garment pieces once they have to live vertically on the body instead of laying flat on a table while you measure. The simplest way to assess this is to take flat measurements and then hang the swatch for a day or two. Re-measure and note the percentage increase in the length to apply this info back to your garment. Small areas with seams are not as likely to stretch. The armhole is likely to be stable in a set in sleeve silhouette however the sleeves and torso will need to be adjusted to maintain the desired hems.  In a dropped shoulder design the simpler seaming and shaping does not give the garment the same support so you will have to adjust the entire garment for hanging gauge. 

Proper blocking of the swatch can also reveal potential problems with stretching and shrinking that you should be aware of.

Row gauge is frequently ignored and this leads to all sorts of fitting issues as the proportions of intersecting knitting don`t align in the way the designer intended. Bands are too short or too long. Necklines don`t sit correctly or raglans have odd little puffy underarms. All of this can be corrected even if you can`t get both stitch and row gauge by recalculating angles and curves of the original pattern.

I'll start working on detailed posts describing the drafting of your customized pattern in the coming weeks.

Links to the other posts:

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2011/12/knitting-basic-boring-garments-that-we.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2011/12/design-long-tools-and-supplies.html


http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2011/12/design-long-measurements.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2011/12/design-long-taking-measurements.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/01/design-long-swatching-yes-you-have-to.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/01/design-long-more-details-on-swatching.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/01/design-long-paper-pattern-part-1.html


http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/01/design-long-paper-pattern-part-2.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/02/design-long-paper-pattern-part-3.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/02/design-long-paper-pattern-part-4-dart.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/02/design-long-paper-pattern-part-5.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/02/design-long-paper-pattern-part-6-sleeve.html

http://knittingrobin.blogspot.ca/2012/03/design-long-paper-pattern-part-7.html