I’m trying to swatch and need 19 sts and 28 rows = 4 inches using worsted weight. Pattern called for size 5 needles but I knew that would come out too small. Tried swatching with size 6 needles and came out 4 inches long but 1/8 inch short on the width. Tried swatching with size 7 needles and came out 4 inches wide but 1/8 inch long on the length.
Any tips? Thanks in advance!
How many stitches are you casting on for your swatch? To get an accurate measurement you need a piece of knitting that is larger than 4" x 4" and to take your gauge several stitches from the edges. I would cast on at least 36 stitches and work it more than 4" long. Gauge can change after an inch or so and the edge stitches are generally going to be a different gauge from the center stitches. Stitch gauge is more important generally than row gauge. If you get stitch gauge but not row gauge you can make adjustments for the difference in row gauge more easily. Washing, drying, blocking the swatch as you expect to treat the finished piece can change gauge also.
Thanks I probably do need to try knitting a bigger swatch. In the long run its only going to make about an inch of difference in the width of my garment so I probably shouldn’t sweat it that much.