One of the most common frustrations with knitting is spending many hours and resources on a project only to find out that it doesn’t really fit once finished. Hands up if this happened to you, too? When finished measurements just aren’t quite right, this often has to do with your gauge. But even if you carefully swatched (more on swatching here) and got the correct gauge (more on why gauge is so very important here), there are a few things worth thinking about before casting on to make sure your finished handknits fits perfectly!

You learned everything about gauge and why it’s so important, and now you’re ready to make a swatch? Here’s what you should know about swatching!

A swatch is a first trial, a little preview of the project you’re about to begin, if you will. We make them for different reasons: to try out new needles or a new yarn; to see how specific stitch patterns, stitch pattern combinations, colourwork motifs or construction methods knit up when designing, improvising or customising; or to determine our gauge. Remember: the way you hold and tension your yarn, the style you knit, the needle size and material you use and many other factors all affect your gauge! There’s of course always the option of intentionally working at a different gauge than what the pattern states, be it because you prefer the fabric knit up at a different gauge or to customise the finished piece’s size (we’ll get to that later this month!), but for now, we’ll assume that you’re working from a knitting pattern that specifies a gauge you’re aiming to meet.

Today, we’re launching a new blog series on working with knitting patterns to help you get through what might seem like a jungle of information, especially if it’s your first time using a knitting pattern. Based on our knitting patterns, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, and you’re more than welcome to let us know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like us to cover. There’s no such thing as a silly question!