Knitting gauge

Learn what knitting gauge is and why it's important, plus how to knit and measure a gauge swatch, and fix your gauge problems.

Knitting gauge is one of the most important knitting concepts to understand. It’s the difference between garments that fit and garments that are disastrously too small or too large. Someone who understands knitting gauge has a world of well-fitting sweaters, mittens, socks and more at their fingertips! In this post, we’ll go over what gauge […]

Why is stitch gauge variable between knitters? It's a mystery of knitting encompassing many factors. Widely understood to have an influence are needle size, needle composition (material), tension in yarn supplied; and this post considers all these. Yet, a factor equally important--if not more--so lies in the formation of the knit stitch itself. We'll start there. We can say there are two properties of a knit stitch: its width, and its height. In the simplest conception, width arises from the…

Why does knitting gauge matter? There are times when a stitch gauge should be perfect (think vests, cardis, pullovers, etc.), because when gauge if off you'll end up with a garment won't fit properly. So, it's very important to check gauge in knitting before you begin a project.

I don't like swatching and I don't like to count gauge. This is especially clear in early patterns ... where I rarely even listed gauge or the size of the finished product. In fact, quite a few of my

My knitting pattern wants me to "check my gauge" before I start. Knitting gauge is a way of measuring the size of your stitches.

Gauge notes that might be of interest.

Learn all about how to knit a swatch and why you should always knit a gauge swatch before you start a knitting project!

This yarn weight chart has everything a knitter needs. Includes all 8 yarn weights, yarn types, knitting needle sizes, and more. Save this for future reference.

Do you think swatches are lying liars who lie? Perhaps you're not listening closely enough to what your swatch is saying. In this blog post I explore six common misconceptions about knitting gauge swatches, ranging from swatch size and shape, knitting method, blocked vs. unblocked gauge, when row gauge matters and when it doesn't, whether you should swatch only for fitted items, and tips on what to do with swatches afterwards. #knitting #knit #swatching #gauge #gaugeswatch #knittingtips