I've been knitting for a long time and have only recently been taking sizing techniques seriously. Your videos are my favorite. I have tried knitting swatches in the past but found that I didn't know how to knit a swatches. Watching your tutorials has given me the knowledge to knit swatches that don't lie to me. Thanks so much!
This the absolute BEST tutorial I have seen in relation to the how’s and why’s of swatching. I love learning from you. Thank you Nicole 💖🧶 Best wishes from Australia 🇦🇺
I have been knitting for nearly 50 years and only started swatching for the last 4 or 5. What convinced me was I read somewhere that when you think about how much time it takes to knit a garment/object that taking a comparatively tiny amount of time to swatch and check your gauge can make soooo much difference to how a thing fits (or doesn’t) that it is totally worth the time investment.
I like the idea of using the running stitch instead of counting - which for some reason is so hard, the measure always seems to move and mess up the count! Thanks Nicole.
I once read an article about whether you should pull for the center or the outside of your ball. I am an English knitter, English knitters, should pull their yarn from the center of the ball as opposed to a continental knitter should pull their yarn from the outside of the ball. This is because of the way that you throw the yarn and the way the yarn is twisted.
I think I read that same article. I feel like I need to try all the variations myself and draw conclusions. I find yarn composition and twist so fascinating! 😋
I learned my lesson on swatches after 50 years of knitting when a teacher made me make a full swatch for a faire isle baby sweater. I saw how the stranded knitting began to shrink horizontally. I also made the mistake of not testing faire isle colors. I made some socks without enough color contrast to show off the design and all my hard work. 😂But I never thought of the color bleeding problem. Your post is great!
I love this tutorial, it's very well explained - thank you! I have made some of the mistakes you showed but I learned so much more. I actually enjoy this part of the knitting - it gives me a preview into the final project. Thank you!!
Thanks for a great tip. I took your advice about the running stitch markers. This is brilliant. I actually got gauge from my first swatch. Blimey, I think I need stiff drink, this has never happened!
I confess that I never do swatches 😬. I guess, it’s because whatever I knit always fits me. The only time it didn’t was when I used the incorrect needles; ended up with a sweater with a negartive ease, which didn’t look too bad. This video is encouraging though. I may try swatching the next time I knit a sweater. Thank you! ❤
If you're not familiar with Ann Budd's books "Knitting Socks" "The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters" "The Knitter's Handbook of Sweater Patterns" and "The Knitter's Handbook of Patterns" you should really check them out. They are written very differently from most pattern books. First you pick your yarn and needles, decide what you want to make, and then use the charts for the basic designs she has outlines to figure out how many stitches to use at what point of the pattern based on YOUR gauge, not the other way around. After using a few of these patterns, I've been able to make quite a number of tops, etc. without a standard pattern, or even how to do a copycat version of a top I already have and love, but it's either no longer the right size, or about worn out. They have been quite the learning experience. At any rate, everything is based on your swatch.
There’s a trick that you can do with your phone you have smart phone that is with testing contrast color for when you want it two different colors together like in your motif is to open your camera and go to the mono filter. Under the mono filter it will show you the contrast. It’s just a trick.
Thanks Nicole. I have recently found you and I am watching all your videos in random order finding lots of answers I really needed. I am a crocheter turned crocheter and knitter and although I knitted quite a few hard projects already I admit I am a thrower and I am still learning. Also I just recently converted to swatching and you are so right! Say hi to Oscar, love his cheeky comments. 😉
I adored this Tip Jar tutorial. The best tip for me was putting in stitch gauge markers pre-blocking and then measure once blocked. Now, I have a question for you regarding how you block…blasphemy…no pins when blocking? Can you please give your rationale and some references? My swatching attitude was first molded by two professional knitters: Catherine Lowe and Deborah Newton where she describes swatching almost in poetic terms. If you will indulge me…Deborah writes that you shouldn’t groan when thinking about swatching. In fact, she says that her swatches have grown bigger and bigger over the years. She sees her swatches as homages to her projects as they embody her respect and her curiosity about her materials. PLUS swatching doesn’t require any skill level. It’s a labor of love. She concludes saying that swatching has been the foundation of her career and it never fails. So thank you for this wonderful homage to a skill that still is underappreciated.
Thank you so much for watching and appreciating swatching like I do! Yup, no pins almost always. The exception would be any time the final project NEEDS to be pinned to size during blocking. I don't find this the case very often. I once pinned everything I blocked too, only to find that after taking out the pins, it bounced back to a smaller gauge. It was too easy to cheat and force getting gauge by stretching and pinning the snot out of a swatch. Now, I make sure I get the gauge and fabric I like WITHOUT pinning it out, so that when I block the project, all I have to do is lay it out on the blocking board, move it around to fit the schematic measurements, and pin the odd spot where I want an edge to lay flat. Having said all that, lace and some other textures and stitch types will be exceptions. In those cases, the pattern instructions should be clear about how aggressively you need to block and pin. Hmmm...I'm feeling a blocking tutorial coming on... 😉
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I usually speedswatch not always blocking but I guess I was lucky they worked out anyways. In the last 5 years or so, I gained weight - retirement and all - and the swatches began to lie (of course, I cheated), I didn't always understand why my projects did not work out. Now I finally know. Thank you!
I now ‘swatch’ by knitting the #sts (in the round) given in pattern for body of sweater at bustline. I then measure. This way I am not knitting a yoke then discovering the bust is too big or small.
Thank you! As a machine knitter, gauge swatching is not an option so I am big fan of swatching. Your method is exactly how machine knit swatches are generally made, so I will keep this in mind when I need to make a hand knitting swatch. I also find it's a great way to know if I like a yarn or not for a particular pattern.
So much value! Thank you for sharing such mind blowing knowledge! The way you construct and measure the swatch (running markers🤯) is going to change the way I knit for the better. It’s going to save me time and frustration. And the way you explained everything in such detail really helped. Thank you again for making these valuable videos. 🧶✨💕🌈😎👏🎉🥳
How do you keep the edges of a stockinette swatch from curling, without pinning it when drying? Is it because the swatch is knit to a large enough dimension? I imagine the size of swatch you make varies slightly depending on the weight of yarn. For example, would a fingering weight yarn gauge swatch be 8” x 8”, or bigger, to keep it from getting curly after blocking? Thank you again for sharing your experience and time, even if don’t get to answer this question, maybe someone else can.
I find my swatches don’t curl while drying and I can measure them flat without any issues. If I pick it up, then yes, it will probably curl depending on the yarn, gauge, and stitch type, but it’s not a problem as long as it lies flat enough to measure between the running markers. Hope that helps!
Hi Nicole, I enjoy your videos. When you buy the yarn for a project, do you add meterage to care for your swatch or swatches or do you consider that the designer's yardage includes swatching needs ? Thanks.
I almost always make sure I’ve got enough extra to swatch. A good designer will add up to 10% to the yarn requirements for swatching. A REALLY good designer will tell you in the pattern that they did so. 😊
I am so glad I found your tutorials. I was looking for mosaic knitting and learned so much from that tutorial that I am working my way through them all. Your mosaic one was so easy to watch and at the end I was not afraid to try it. I love the technique and am on my 2nd project. Thank you for all of these a great tool for learning.
A friend told me about your tutorial. I like the concept, and will give it a try. It should make swatches a lot easier to find the gauge counts. When knitting a garment, I use stitch markers for the repeats in a pattern across the rows, will keep doing that. But it should be very helpful for keeping track of rows - I use a clicker but have forgotten to click it every now and then. That means time spent figuring out where I am, and the running marker should solve that problem! Same thing for increases and decreases - a lot of the time I make adjustments to a pattern to suit what I want, which can change how many and where they are placed. It will save time spent writing down what I did so I can do it the same on both sides. One thing I would add about swatches - recently discovered that they do not always account for the way things like cables will shrink the fabric. I have been considering making swatches to mimic the actual pattern of stitches so I can decide how that affects the gauge with a particular combination of needles and yarn. If you have any suggestions that would make that process easier, they would be much appreciated.
Thanks for watching and thank your friend for sharing! You're absolutely right about cables "shrinking" the fabric and changing the gauge. Many other types of stitches will do the same. A good design will have accounted for that, so even if they only note the gauge in stocking stitch, they will have added more stitches into the cabled sections to accommodate. If you're making your own modifications to a pattern, like adding cables to a pattern that doesn't have them, then definitely swatch the cable and compare the gauge in that swatch to the stocking stitch swatch, so that you know how many extra stitches to add to the cable section. This is a big topic. I guess I'll need to add a cable-knitting tutorial to my list! Cheers and happy knitting 😄
Love your way of measuring. I'm often working with fingering weight yarn and those bitty stitches are so hard to see especially in dark yarn! Thank you so much!
Thanks so much for this fantastic tutorial! My gauge swatches always lie, and I have several items that don't fit the way that I wanted them to. About to start swatching for a new cast on, so this video was perfect timing!
@KnicoleKnits I noticed your Mini Unbearable Hoodie in the background. I am currently working on the Unbearable Hoodie for my son. He is 6, but I like the bears at the top rather than the bottom. I would certainly watch a video about customizing patterns for sizes outside of those provided in a pattern. I've done this once using a Westknits pattern and now the Unbearable Hoodie. I'd be interested to watch if you have any particular tricks or tips to keep in mind.
I now have a scrap ball of size 10 crochet thread that I keep for the purpose of running markers. Came in so handy for when I made a pair of gloves. I was able to get matching pairs. The pattern said to go to such and such measurement. Thanks to the running markers i was easily able to get them to match.
This may sound silly, but I saw someone use a roll of toilet paper to illustrate why your yarn might gain or lose twist while you're using it. After seeing that I got a yarn caddy/dispenser to minimize that problem.
You have me convinced about gauge swatches and about mosaic knitting. I am thinking of trying a mosaic knitting pattern, the "Rivers and Ravens Cowl" designed by Nat Raedwulf. She gives gauge based on stockinette. Do you recommend using a sample of the mosaic instead, or in addition? Thank you!
I would be inclined to do a swatch in the mosaic pattern. She likely suggests swatching in stockinette just to make it easier, but I like to see how the colors play together before I start the project. Have fun!
Great video! How do you decide how much you go up or down when you don’t get the correct gauge on your first swatch? For example do you go from 3 mm to 3.25 or directly to 3.50 or even 4 mm?
Excellent question! Most of the time, you want to move one needle size at a time, but if there’s a significant stitch difference between your gauge and the pattern gauge, you may want to move more than one size. This is especially true for those tiny needle increments below 3 mm. Does that help? 😋
Ah, yes, I did gloss over row gauge, but I had a reason. If you’ve got stitch gauge but not row gauge, the most common culprit is the yarn itself. I’m going to address this issue in the next tutorial on yarn substitution 😊
This is brilliant! I am only knitting doll clothes right now, so the swatch is about half the size of the garment 😂, but I'm still disappointed when I make something and it doesn't fit right. Do you still make swatches for small things like socks or doll clothes?
Hi, I am so glad to have found you!💗 I am new to knitting, started interchangeable needle and improving skills every day. Just wandering how to use the wool you have in your hand at minute 11: do you enroll and roll it in a ball or do you use it placing it in a kind of bowl while kitting? Sorry for my engkish, I am from Italy 🌷 thank you
Hello, Italy, and Welcome to knitting! You’re going to love it here 😁. When you have yarn that comes in a twisted hank like that, before you can knit with it, you need to either roll it into a ball or use a mechanical ball winder to wind it into a cake. If you watch my video about refreshing unravelled yarn, you will see how that whole process works 😊
Great video!! I am preparing to start knitting sweaters and will need to swatch. ( have only done socks) My question is, if I run short on yarn, can I reuse the swatch to finish the garment? Thank you
Yes you can! After you unravel the swatch, you may want to tie the yarn into a loose hank and then soak it in water to "reset" back to its unknitted state. It will depend on how "kinky" it is after you unravel it. 😊
Thank you for this! I am a lazy swatcher, and am convinced to take the time to swatch properly. Question: in the past I’ve struggled to get gauge and settled for /close/ to gauge (bad, I know). Is it always possible to get gauge by going up or down?
Most of the time you will achieve gauge by changing the needle size, but there are always exceptions. If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get gauge, you may have the wrong yarn for the project. Hope this helps!
I watched this video a few weeks ago. I am in the process of making the sweater you are wearing. I looked on Ravelry for some other peoples comments and saw your picture! I'm only on the back and only knit about 16 rows or so. And I have frogged it back twice so far🤨. Anyway, I think I am reading the pattern wrong and should be starting the cables already, maybe from row 8 onward? I just now looked at the picture of the back and noticed that it looks like I should be working the cables (which I am not yet!). So, when in row 10 it says 'work to last marker', should I be working the Flat Right and Left Cables on the ktbl and ptbl sections? I really love this pattern.
Sorry for the delay! I had to track down my copy of the pattern :P You're correct - the cables start on Short Row 8. When a pattern says "work to..." it means that you continue that section in an established pattern (as opposed to "knit to..." which literally means to knit that section. You may have already figured this out, but I hope the rest of it goes smoothly!!!
@@Knicoleknits thanks so much for replying. I used absolutely the wrong yarn for this pattern! I frogged it and will use the yarn for something else. I then went on Ravelry and looked at everyone else's sweaters. Some were very nice and some were absolutely the wrong yarn. I chose to use Cascade 220, as I had enough stashed. I am working my way through and it is going very well so far!
Well. I just finished a swatch (I'll try no garter edges next time!) and I see this lovely Merlow colored singles yarn is shifting and biasing. Not sure what the fiber is but definitely not super soft or very fine. I guess I will have to ply it with something very fine to get this bias to stop. I have a sweaters quantity. Sign... Any ideas?
Right. Singles can be tricky critters. That single ply is all alone with no one to balance out its twist, so twist it will with abandon! A couple things you can try: pair it with a yarn that has opposite twist (in other words, create your own balanced yarn); switch to picking if you're a thrower or throwing if you're a picker; or knit a fabric that's an equal or almost equal amount of knit and purl, e.g. garter, ribbing, seed stitch. If I were you, I might consider that last one. Try swatching it in garter or seed stitch and see if the bias goes bye bye. Let me know how it goes!
That is an excellent use of swatches! I keep my swatches because I can use them for demonstration purposes in my videos and teaching. I also have many of them tacked up on a felt board in my studio as decoration and inspiration 😋
You're wonderful in the information you provide, BUT I just can't stand hearing people mouth noises before they start a sentence. I'll check another day/year to see I'd I can listen to you without cringing. I know, I'm petty, but it's more than I can stand.
I've been knitting for a long time and have only recently been taking sizing techniques seriously. Your videos are my favorite. I have tried knitting swatches in the past but found that I didn't know how to knit a swatches. Watching your tutorials has given me the knowledge to knit swatches that don't lie to me. Thanks so much!
Yay! Love to hear that and thank you for watching! 💖
This the absolute BEST tutorial I have seen in relation to the how’s and why’s of swatching. I love learning from you. Thank you Nicole 💖🧶 Best wishes from Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you so much for watching all the way from Australia!! 😍
Same for this Aussie girl too.
I have been knitting for nearly 50 years and only started swatching for the last 4 or 5. What convinced me was I read somewhere that when you think about how much time it takes to knit a garment/object that taking a comparatively tiny amount of time to swatch and check your gauge can make soooo much difference to how a thing fits (or doesn’t) that it is totally worth the time investment.
I like the idea of using the running stitch instead of counting - which for some reason is so hard, the measure always seems to move and mess up the count! Thanks Nicole.
Thanks for watching!
I once read an article about whether you should pull for the center or the outside of your ball. I am an English knitter, English knitters, should pull their yarn from the center of the ball as opposed to a continental knitter should pull their yarn from the outside of the ball. This is because of the way that you throw the yarn and the way the yarn is twisted.
I think I read that same article. I feel like I need to try all the variations myself and draw conclusions. I find yarn composition and twist so fascinating! 😋
I did a cardigan recently where the swatch became the pocket, so that made it a little easier to get excited about swatching!
It definitely does! 😊
I learned my lesson on swatches after 50 years of knitting when a teacher made me make a full swatch for a faire isle baby sweater. I saw how the stranded knitting began to shrink horizontally. I also made the mistake of not testing faire isle colors. I made some socks without enough color contrast to show off the design and all my hard work. 😂But I never thought of the color bleeding problem. Your post is great!
Thank you! 💖 Swatching lessons can be hard lessons 😋
I love this tutorial, it's very well explained - thank you! I have made some of the mistakes you showed but I learned so much more. I actually enjoy this part of the knitting - it gives me a preview into the final project. Thank you!!
Yay! 😁
Ok convinced ! I give in 🤣
Hooray! 😃
Thanks for a great tip. I took your advice about the running stitch markers. This is brilliant. I actually got gauge from my first swatch. Blimey, I think I need stiff drink, this has never happened!
Wonderful!
I confess that I never do swatches 😬. I guess, it’s because whatever I knit always fits me. The only time it didn’t was when I used the incorrect needles; ended up with a sweater with a negartive ease, which didn’t look too bad. This video is encouraging though. I may try swatching the next time I knit a sweater. Thank you! ❤
You never know...you might decide you like the process 😉
If you're not familiar with Ann Budd's books "Knitting Socks" "The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters" "The Knitter's Handbook of Sweater Patterns" and "The Knitter's Handbook of Patterns" you should really check them out. They are written very differently from most pattern books. First you pick your yarn and needles, decide what you want to make, and then use the charts for the basic designs she has outlines to figure out how many stitches to use at what point of the pattern based on YOUR gauge, not the other way around. After using a few of these patterns, I've been able to make quite a number of tops, etc. without a standard pattern, or even how to do a copycat version of a top I already have and love, but it's either no longer the right size, or about worn out. They have been quite the learning experience. At any rate, everything is based on your swatch.
Absolutely! These are fantastic books. I have a few of hers and refer to them regularly 😊
Thank you for this fabulous video. No more garter framed swatches! And love your labeling method.
There’s a trick that you can do with your phone you have smart phone that is with testing contrast color for when you want it two different colors together like in your motif is to open your camera and go to the mono filter. Under the mono filter it will show you the contrast. It’s just a trick.
Yes, thank you! I have shown that trick in other videos. I can’t remember why I didn’t include it here 🤔🤣
Thanks Nicole. I have recently found you and I am watching all your videos in random order finding lots of answers I really needed. I am a crocheter turned crocheter and knitter and although I knitted quite a few hard projects already I admit I am a thrower and I am still learning. Also I just recently converted to swatching and you are so right! Say hi to Oscar, love his cheeky comments. 😉
I'm so glad! Thanks for watching 😁
I adored this Tip Jar tutorial. The best tip for me was putting in stitch gauge markers pre-blocking and then measure once blocked. Now, I have a question for you regarding how you block…blasphemy…no pins when blocking? Can you please give your rationale and some references? My swatching attitude was first molded by two professional knitters: Catherine Lowe and Deborah Newton where she describes swatching almost in poetic terms. If you will indulge me…Deborah writes that you shouldn’t groan when thinking about swatching. In fact, she says that her swatches have grown bigger and bigger over the years. She sees her swatches as homages to her projects as they embody her respect and her curiosity about her materials. PLUS swatching doesn’t require any skill level. It’s a labor of love. She concludes saying that swatching has been the foundation of her career and it never fails. So thank you for this wonderful homage to a skill that still is underappreciated.
Thank you so much for watching and appreciating swatching like I do! Yup, no pins almost always. The exception would be any time the final project NEEDS to be pinned to size during blocking. I don't find this the case very often. I once pinned everything I blocked too, only to find that after taking out the pins, it bounced back to a smaller gauge. It was too easy to cheat and force getting gauge by stretching and pinning the snot out of a swatch.
Now, I make sure I get the gauge and fabric I like WITHOUT pinning it out, so that when I block the project, all I have to do is lay it out on the blocking board, move it around to fit the schematic measurements, and pin the odd spot where I want an edge to lay flat.
Having said all that, lace and some other textures and stitch types will be exceptions. In those cases, the pattern instructions should be clear about how aggressively you need to block and pin. Hmmm...I'm feeling a blocking tutorial coming on... 😉
I love the sweater you’re wearing. Beautiful! I’ll make swatches from now on.
Thank you! You won’t regret knitting swatches 😊
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I usually speedswatch not always blocking but I guess I was lucky they worked out anyways. In the last 5 years or so, I gained weight - retirement and all - and the swatches began to lie (of course, I cheated), I didn't always understand why my projects did not work out. Now I finally know. Thank you!
You're so welcome! Most of us are probably guilty of letting swatches lie to us 😉
I now ‘swatch’ by knitting the #sts (in the round) given in pattern for body of sweater at bustline. I then measure. This way I am not knitting a yoke then discovering the bust is too big or small.
Smart! 😊
Wow - so many reasons and so clearly explained. I’m sold!!
Thank you! As a machine knitter, gauge swatching is not an option so I am big fan of swatching. Your method is exactly how machine knit swatches are generally made, so I will keep this in mind when I need to make a hand knitting swatch. I also find it's a great way to know if I like a yarn or not for a particular pattern.
Glad it was helpful!
So much value! Thank you for sharing such mind blowing knowledge! The way you construct and measure the swatch (running markers🤯) is going to change the way I knit for the better. It’s going to save me time and frustration. And the way you explained everything in such detail really helped. Thank you again for making these valuable videos. 🧶✨💕🌈😎👏🎉🥳
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching 😊💖
How do you keep the edges of a stockinette swatch from curling, without pinning it when drying? Is it because the swatch is knit to a large enough dimension? I imagine the size of swatch you make varies slightly depending on the weight of yarn. For example, would a fingering weight yarn gauge swatch be 8” x 8”, or bigger, to keep it from getting curly after blocking? Thank you again for sharing your experience and time, even if don’t get to answer this question, maybe someone else can.
I find my swatches don’t curl while drying and I can measure them flat without any issues. If I pick it up, then yes, it will probably curl depending on the yarn, gauge, and stitch type, but it’s not a problem as long as it lies flat enough to measure between the running markers. Hope that helps!
Thanks for easy gauge swatch tutorial!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching 😊
Amazing tips!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Omg ! You’re a real professional knitter. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience 😅❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
You’re so welcome! Thanks for watching 😁
Hi Nicole, I enjoy your videos. When you buy the yarn for a project, do you add meterage to care for your swatch or swatches or do you consider that the designer's yardage includes swatching needs ? Thanks.
I almost always make sure I’ve got enough extra to swatch. A good designer will add up to 10% to the yarn requirements for swatching. A REALLY good designer will tell you in the pattern that they did so. 😊
I am so glad I found your tutorials. I was looking for mosaic knitting and learned so much from that tutorial that I am working my way through them all. Your mosaic one was so easy to watch and at the end I was not afraid to try it. I love the technique and am on my 2nd project.
Thank you for all of these a great tool for learning.
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching 😁
A friend told me about your tutorial. I like the concept, and will give it a try. It should make swatches a lot easier to find the gauge counts. When knitting a garment, I use stitch markers for the repeats in a pattern across the rows, will keep doing that. But it should be very helpful for keeping track of rows - I use a clicker but have forgotten to click it every now and then. That means time spent figuring out where I am, and the running marker should solve that problem! Same thing for increases and decreases - a lot of the time I make adjustments to a pattern to suit what I want, which can change how many and where they are placed. It will save time spent writing down what I did so I can do it the same on both sides.
One thing I would add about swatches - recently discovered that they do not always account for the way things like cables will shrink the fabric. I have been considering making swatches to mimic the actual pattern of stitches so I can decide how that affects the gauge with a particular combination of needles and yarn. If you have any suggestions that would make that process easier, they would be much appreciated.
Thanks for watching and thank your friend for sharing! You're absolutely right about cables "shrinking" the fabric and changing the gauge. Many other types of stitches will do the same. A good design will have accounted for that, so even if they only note the gauge in stocking stitch, they will have added more stitches into the cabled sections to accommodate. If you're making your own modifications to a pattern, like adding cables to a pattern that doesn't have them, then definitely swatch the cable and compare the gauge in that swatch to the stocking stitch swatch, so that you know how many extra stitches to add to the cable section. This is a big topic. I guess I'll need to add a cable-knitting tutorial to my list! Cheers and happy knitting 😄
Love your way of measuring. I'm often working with fingering weight yarn and those bitty stitches are so hard to see especially in dark yarn! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching 😊
So much valuable info here…you’ve convinced me to swatch 👍👍👍
Yay! Mission accomplished 😄
I had used clippy markers instead of running markers…worked out, but your running markers are superior!
Thanks so much for this fantastic tutorial! My gauge swatches always lie, and I have several items that don't fit the way that I wanted them to. About to start swatching for a new cast on, so this video was perfect timing!
Yay! I’m so glad it’s going to be helpful for you 😁
I love your tutorial especially your advice to use the running markers while swatching 😮
Thanks so much! 😊
Valuable information. Thank you for this video.
@KnicoleKnits I noticed your Mini Unbearable Hoodie in the background. I am currently working on the Unbearable Hoodie for my son. He is 6, but I like the bears at the top rather than the bottom. I would certainly watch a video about customizing patterns for sizes outside of those provided in a pattern. I've done this once using a Westknits pattern and now the Unbearable Hoodie. I'd be interested to watch if you have any particular tricks or tips to keep in mind.
Sounds like a great idea for a tutorial. I'll keep it in mind! 😊
Thank you. Very thorough, will definitely keep this in mind. 😊
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. I needed that and yarn substitution as well! Thank you
Thank you! See you next week 😀
I now have a scrap ball of size 10 crochet thread that I keep for the purpose of running markers. Came in so handy for when I made a pair of gloves. I was able to get matching pairs. The pattern said to go to such and such measurement. Thanks to the running markers i was easily able to get them to match.
Hooray!! 😁
I was given an orange ball of 4ply by a friend. Not a colour I wear but thought I'd use a for dolly Knits. NOW it's my running threads skein!
This may sound silly, but I saw someone use a roll of toilet paper to illustrate why your yarn might gain or lose twist while you're using it. After seeing that I got a yarn caddy/dispenser to minimize that problem.
Not silly at all! That sounds a bit genius to me 👍
thankyou for this!! best ive seen subscribing.
Thank you so much! ☺️
You have me convinced about gauge swatches and about mosaic knitting. I am thinking of trying a mosaic knitting pattern, the "Rivers and Ravens Cowl" designed by Nat Raedwulf. She gives gauge based on stockinette. Do you recommend using a sample of the mosaic instead, or in addition? Thank you!
I would be inclined to do a swatch in the mosaic pattern. She likely suggests swatching in stockinette just to make it easier, but I like to see how the colors play together before I start the project. Have fun!
Great video! How do you decide how much you go up or down when you don’t get the correct gauge on your first swatch? For example do you go from 3 mm to 3.25 or directly to 3.50 or even 4 mm?
Excellent question! Most of the time, you want to move one needle size at a time, but if there’s a significant stitch difference between your gauge and the pattern gauge, you may want to move more than one size. This is especially true for those tiny needle increments below 3 mm. Does that help? 😋
I’d love to know the name of the pattern and the maker of it that you showed at the very end of this video
A beautiful cardigan , indeed!!!!
That lovely cardigan is Merle by Norah Gaughan 😊
This was a great video. Swatches only give to poor I information if you don’t make them correctly as you illustrated.
So true!
What about row gauge?😊
Ah, yes, I did gloss over row gauge, but I had a reason. If you’ve got stitch gauge but not row gauge, the most common culprit is the yarn itself. I’m going to address this issue in the next tutorial on yarn substitution 😊
So easy to knit ... so much to learn! Thanks for sharing all that swatching information. I love to swatch...it is a form of play.
This is brilliant! I am only knitting doll clothes right now, so the swatch is about half the size of the garment 😂, but I'm still disappointed when I make something and it doesn't fit right. Do you still make swatches for small things like socks or doll clothes?
Thanks for watching! Yup. I do make swatches for socks and doll clothes. Both those things need to fit, after all 😉
Ok you convinced me. I have a lot of swatching to do. Looking forward to you yarn substitution video.
Wonderful! Have fun swatching!
Hi, I am so glad to have found you!💗 I am new to knitting, started interchangeable needle and improving skills every day. Just wandering how to use the wool you have in your hand at minute 11: do you enroll and roll it in a ball or do you use it placing it in a kind of bowl while kitting? Sorry for my engkish, I am from Italy 🌷 thank you
Hello, Italy, and Welcome to knitting! You’re going to love it here 😁. When you have yarn that comes in a twisted hank like that, before you can knit with it, you need to either roll it into a ball or use a mechanical ball winder to wind it into a cake. If you watch my video about refreshing unravelled yarn, you will see how that whole process works 😊
@@Knicoleknits thank you💗
Great video!! I am preparing to start knitting sweaters and will need to swatch. ( have only done socks) My question is, if I run short on yarn, can I reuse the swatch to finish the garment? Thank you
Yes you can! After you unravel the swatch, you may want to tie the yarn into a loose hank and then soak it in water to "reset" back to its unknitted state. It will depend on how "kinky" it is after you unravel it. 😊
Thank you for this! I am a lazy swatcher, and am convinced to take the time to swatch properly. Question: in the past I’ve struggled to get gauge and settled for /close/ to gauge (bad, I know). Is it always possible to get gauge by going up or down?
Most of the time you will achieve gauge by changing the needle size, but there are always exceptions. If you’ve tried everything and still can’t get gauge, you may have the wrong yarn for the project. Hope this helps!
@@Knicoleknitsthanks!
I watched this video a few weeks ago. I am in the process of making the sweater you are wearing. I looked on Ravelry for some other peoples comments and saw your picture! I'm only on the back and only knit about 16 rows or so. And I have frogged it back twice so far🤨. Anyway, I think I am reading the pattern wrong and should be starting the cables already, maybe from row 8 onward? I just now looked at the picture of the back and noticed that it looks like I should be working the cables (which I am not yet!). So, when in row 10 it says 'work to last marker', should I be working the Flat Right and Left Cables on the ktbl and ptbl sections? I really love this pattern.
Sorry for the delay! I had to track down my copy of the pattern :P
You're correct - the cables start on Short Row 8. When a pattern says "work to..." it means that you continue that section in an established pattern (as opposed to "knit to..." which literally means to knit that section. You may have already figured this out, but I hope the rest of it goes smoothly!!!
@@Knicoleknits thanks so much for replying. I used absolutely the wrong yarn for this pattern! I frogged it and will use the yarn for something else. I then went on Ravelry and looked at everyone else's sweaters. Some were very nice and some were absolutely the wrong yarn. I chose to use Cascade 220, as I had enough stashed. I am working my way through and it is going very well so far!
Well. I just finished a swatch (I'll try no garter edges next time!) and I see this lovely Merlow colored singles yarn is shifting and biasing. Not sure what the fiber is but definitely not super soft or very fine. I guess I will have to ply it with something very fine to get this bias to stop. I have a sweaters quantity. Sign... Any ideas?
Right. Singles can be tricky critters. That single ply is all alone with no one to balance out its twist, so twist it will with abandon! A couple things you can try: pair it with a yarn that has opposite twist (in other words, create your own balanced yarn); switch to picking if you're a thrower or throwing if you're a picker; or knit a fabric that's an equal or almost equal amount of knit and purl, e.g. garter, ribbing, seed stitch. If I were you, I might consider that last one. Try swatching it in garter or seed stitch and see if the bias goes bye bye. Let me know how it goes!
Ever use your swatches for a quilt? Just wondering, I hate waste.
That is an excellent use of swatches! I keep my swatches because I can use them for demonstration purposes in my videos and teaching. I also have many of them tacked up on a felt board in my studio as decoration and inspiration 😋
What did you end up doing with that gorgeous green and white cardigan? What a shame.
I'm going to overdye it 😊
You're wonderful in the information you provide, BUT I just can't stand hearing people mouth noises before they start a sentence. I'll check another day/year to see I'd I can listen to you without cringing.
I know, I'm petty, but it's more than I can stand.
I know exactly what you're talking about. I use an audio editor now that allows me to cut out that noise. Try my videos starting in March or April 😊