Knit Talk - Ep 40 - My Best Practices for Swatching and Planning for a Project 

Once again thank you for such a detailed explanation of a technique that will help us get a better fit with our garments. I found the last part extremely helpful in determining how much extra yarn is needed to lengthen a garment. I usually just take an educated guess, but after learning from you, I will be able to make a mathematical determination.

Thank you for this thorough explanation. I’ve been knitting for about a year, so it was really helpful. I have been using pins to help count stitches, but making the swatches larger and measuring multiple locations makes sense. Also, taking the time to actually knit a swatch in the round. Looking forward to the next episode to learn how to steam block 😊

What a great and informative video Meaghan. Thank you for taking the time to create it. I never thought of using the t-pins to mark the stitches. I've always struggled with finding the best way to count my stitches especially when using a darker colour yarn and the t-pins will definitely make it easier.

I find a small swatch vs a bigger my gauge is always a bit different. The speed swatching I have the same experience, it’s fast but not exactly accurate. Myself a swatch is a great tool and then when your sweater gets a bit of wear you have yarn for repairs in a handy swatch that’s easy to store and the yarn feries can’t tangle when we are not looking 😂 I label the swatch with all the technical information and then what pattern I used it for, it then goes into a photo storage box. My swatches have saved a few sweaters of mine now.

Thank you for such a detailed explanation! This is the most perfect and disciplined swatch-making I've ever seen! 👍 I watch YT videos and follow knitters on social media and I notice that fabric tension is an ongoing concern for many knitters, even those who've been making advanced projects and knit multiple garments over the years. I have a theory about that: knitters who use styles that require a larger amplitude of motion (English, continental) have a higher chance of creating less consistent tension, especially when dealing with new variables: thinner/thicker yarns, multi-strand knitting, two/three-color pattern, or less familiar (smaller/larger) needle size. I noticed that Scandinavian knitters rarely have these problems - they use the Norwegian knitting method. This method uses a much smaller amplitude of motion and allows to use all 10 fingers to hold the fabric and use small, economical movements to make new stitches; no fingers are "sticking out" and working yarn does not stretch too far between needles and fingers, thus increasing a risk of inconsistent tension. For knitters who frequently worry about their tension despite years of practice, I recommend looking at the Norwegian method (at least for high-stakes projects where you want predictable excellent results). I am a lifelong (20+ years) Norwegian method knitter. The last time I had tension issues was probably in the first year of knitting when I was still figuring it out. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging (I'm really not), but knowing that my tension is always on point, I can make 1.5x1.5" swatches to check my total garment measurements and get all the info I need just from that. Obviously, designers and tech editors need more extensive swatching and measuring to make sure the patterns are successful! The more they swatch and focus on details, the less we need to do to enjoy a pattern.

This was great. I use just about the same methods to knit and block my swatches, and to take average stitch and row gauges. But now I will use T-pins and stitch makers as I go! Thanks for sharing!

This might sound off the wall , but instead of a sink, I use those sifting cat litter boxes from the local dept store. :P It comes with two pans big enough for a sweater and a sifter , I place one pan and sifter in my kitchen sink . after a soak it is easy to lift the sifter out of the water , without messing with the sweater too much , allowing the initial water to just drain .

Thank you! I’ve picked up some great tips for improving my swatching. What I’m wondering is what do you do when your swatch doesn’t meet the pattern’s gauge? When would you change the needle size without swatching again, and at what point would you decide to swatch again?

Super helpful....thank you!

Great info. The details you explain are so helpful. I have a question for next week. I have a sweater that is almost finished. The sleeves are done down to the ribbing and are on cords and the hem with ribbing is on cords. The neck is done (It’s the metamorphic sweater by Andrea Mowry). I want to steam it at this point and then try it on for fit before I finish. One of the yarns is a superwash wool and the other is not. I have a steamer but have been afraid to use it. So hooray for next week’s video. My question is: I plan to do a normal soak and block of the finished sweater. Will the steam block results be similar enough to the final regular block results for me to base my sizing decisions on? Thank you,

This is excellent information. Thank you. I’m wondering, does the weight of say a garment, affect the stitch gauge or possibly the row gauge more so? Is this something we have to consider? Possibly depends on fiber content?

Since you like the larger swatch in the round but is there a problem if you wash and block then rip it out so we can reuse the yarn?

If the swatch is washed and blocked before it’s measured, does this mean I need to wash and block my sweater before measuring length for making the armholes, or decreasing or other pattern options that require you to knit a certain number of inches?