Using Swatch to Track Needle Size
Some knitters make swatches to plan projects, and then put them aside for a while. When they pick them back up, sometimes they can't remember what size needles were used to knit them. With a little foresight, there is a solution. A swatch can be knitted with a “secret message” embedded within it that indicates what size needle was used. If this procedure is followed every time a swatch is knitted, swatches become very useful, indeed.
Remember this mantra when swatching: yo k2tog (or “Yo-Ka-Tu-Tog.”) Immediately after casting on for a swatch, the size of needle used can be built into it. For the number size of the needle, work [yo, k2tog] that many times. In other words, if a size 6 needle is used, work yarn-over, knit 2 together 6 times. This makes 6 holes, or eyelets, and that swatch will always “remember” the needle size that was used. That will make re-swatching unnecessary should the project not be started immediately.
It's possible to try different sizes of needles on the same swatch, as shown in the picture. That way, the knitter can see what the project would look like in various gauges.
Correct Measuring of Swatch
Instead of measuring knitting swatches flat on a table, get a more accurate picture of "the real world" by measuring the swatch upright. Garments are worn in a vertical position, so measure the swatch upright as well.
This is known as a “hung gauge,” a method by which knitters let gravity take its toll. Use pushpins to place the swatch up to a corkboard, or use straight pins to fasten the swatch to a hanging towel on a towel rack. The swatch can be held up to a wall using masking tape or duct tape. Again, this emulates "real life," and the gauge may change in this position. This is the position used to match the dimensions of the pattern.
Sometimes it's not enough to let a swatch hang. If using an inelastic yarn such as cotton or silk or rayon, if the gauge is on the loose side and the fabric is not firm, or if the yarn is very heavy and bulky, use clothespins along the bottom of the swatch to give a more accurate measurement.
Hung swatching is not only useful at the beginning of a project; it can also be used to decide how long an item should be before knitting is stopped. For example, when knitting a sweater, the sweater should be held up against the person who will be wearing it to determine how long it should be.
Always, always swatch.
Related Article: Purpose of Knit Gauge
RESOURCES: Knit and Crochet With Beads
By Lily Chin
2004, Interweave Press
Interweave Press Inc.
Website: www.interweave.com
