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18 April, 2010

a lesson about gauge

i have been knitting for many, many years.  i know the importance of gauge.*

* gauge is a measurement of the number of stitches and rows per inch of knitting.

i always check my gauge.  always.*

* except if it is a yarn and needle combo i use constantly. like, for example, blue moon fiber arts socks that rock in lightweight = size 1 needles (addi turbos or addi turbo lace needles). 

now, maybe, maybe sometimes, i get a little hopeful with my gauge. like, for example, when i knit a gauge swatch flat and get 3 1/2 stitches per inch and think, "well, when i knit in the round, my gauge will definitely be tigher, so that probably counts as 4 stitches per inch." 

guess what? it doesn't work that way:


and you might end up with a hat that is 2 times bigger than your head.  it does look kinda okay from some angles:


but not at all from others:


have we learned our lesson yet?  check your gauge.  be honest.  you're only hurting yourself.  

4 comments:

  1. Hi Parna,
    I like your blog! Hey, if I knit 19 stitches per 4 inches and the pattern calls for a gauge of 18 stitches, what will happen? Will my sweater turn out a little snugger?
    Katie Jo

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  2. I haven't seen it in person, but I think the hat looks really cute, even though it turned out larger than expected!

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  3. hi katie jo! yes, if your gauge is MORE stitches per inch, your sweater will be smaller. It will be about 1 inch smaller for every 16 inches or so. so, if your sweater is meant to be a 32in bust, it will likely turn into about a 30in bust.

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