I think that I have the silliest question ever asked. When checking gauge for a pattern and using the long tail cast on method; is the first row that I purl considered the second row?
& for those who have not sighed and closed this window already: when a pattern states “13 sts/18 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch" does this mean both vertical and horizontal?
I am a self taught knitter and trying to read someones pattern, not very well as you may see. I think I will be alot better off once I can get this gauge type thing down.
lol i don’t think too many of us sigh and close windows around here…at least we don’t talk about it if we do! 
You really shouldn’t use that first row for measuring for gauge anyway. My first row always seems a little tighter than the rest of my rows. Takes a bit of time for work to get settled in so you have a proper gauge.
13 sts is the “left to right” measurement and 18 rows is the top to bottom. so basically you should have about 1-1/4 stitches per inch from left to right and 4.5 rows per inch top to bottom. That being said, in most cases the top to bottom (row) gauge isn’t as important as the stitch count. you can usually add more rows but the stitch count isn’t going to change much.
hope that makes sense.
Alas! My 4th grade teacher told me this day would come. The day that math would actually be used in something i enjoy. Drat!
Thank you very much for the info. It makes complete sense to me. I will attempt this sweater pattern again. Its my first time to knit anything that is not flat. Wooo look at me I am growing! Time to step up to the big people I guess
Also, when you knit a gauge swatch, you should make it larger than 4 inches, though you can do alright with only knitting it for 2 inches long. The reason is, the edge stitches are a little different than the middle stitch. So CO 20 stitches and knit for about 8 rows and measure the center stitches. That ought to give you a good idea of your gauge. And when using a long tail CO, the first row is the first row; the cast on is the cast on.
sue
Zanne,
I’m self taught as well and I’m glad you asked that question. I was never quite sure myself and have discovered some great tips, thanks to this thread.
[size=2]Gauge doesn’t sound like gag. It sounds like “mage” with a hard G at the beginning.[/size]
[/English major dorkiness] :oops:
okay i sense this thread about to be hijacked.
Isn’t the hard A one that sounds like…well… hijacked? (i was going to say mad but it was right there…)
No, it’s pronounced with a long A, like “page”.
whew…i was wondering if i was showing my midwestern again by pronouncing a word funky…lol
There was another thread on knitters review about washing your gauge swatch. Assuming you’re going to wash whatever item it is at some point, you might want to know the gauge once the item has been washed, as many times that changes. so you might consider washing the swatch and measuring gauge at that point.
oh my - washing your gauge!!! I find it hard enough to do a gauge swatch at all let alone wash and block it :teehee: I’m too impatient - I always want to start knitting the project STRAIGHT AWAY … (I’m naughty I know … and I have several unwearable items too because of this :pout: )
Amanda, when I bother to do a gauge I don’t bind it off…then I frog it and cast-on with my swatch yarn. 