GLAD TO JOIN. OPPOSTE PROBLEM FROM MOST PEOPLE, WITH MY GAUGE

PLEASE! Could someone please help to explain and what I can do about it Am I that neurodivergent lol

I have read books, searched forums, even google is stumped. Everything I read about gauge problems when knitting in the round is that people have a smaller gauge and it seems to be widely known that people purl looser than they knit. Well I am the complete opposite. When I knit in the round, both my gauge swatch and my knitting is way too big. No one in 3 years has been able to explain why. All the literature goes back to people knitting too small in the round. Does anyone else in the world have this problem. The only thing I can come up with on my own (for lack of any normal answer) Could it be, because I am a LEFTIE knitting right-handed? Idon’t see why but not one book, forum or group has ever even seemed to come across that issue. If anyone out there could shed somel light I would be forever grateful. Thanking you in advance. p.s. also tie my shoe laces wrong LOL. Kathy

Welcome to the forum!
There are generalizations about gauge but they seem to be based on anecdotes not data. The ideal is to have the same gauge for knits and purls. If not, maybe the purls aren’t to blame. Maybe the problem is that the knits are too tight?
If you’re a usually a loose knitter or only knit loosely in the round then maybe you’re just relaxing as you knit, an aim of knitting for many. Dropping a needle size or two should help.
How do you knit, throwing the yarn, picking it Continental, combination or something else?

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thanks. Throwing the yarn. Everyone else seems to have the opposite problem. Even going down a half size, it’s to big.

For me the answer is not what everyone else does but what I need/want to do.
It doesn’t matter how many needle sizes you need to go down, it only matters if
a) you can get the correct gauge for a pattern you want to make so you can get the size you want
b) you like the resulting fabric, it’s firmness or drape, how the stitches look, how the fabric feels and moves
c) you can enjoy the knitting without trying to knit tighter, looser, or stressing over it

It really makes no difference if you’re left or right handed, which way you prefer to knit or how you tie your shoe laces (so long as they don’t fall off, although i like to tie mine so i can kick them off without untying, and push them back on without tying up, that’s me, my feet still stay dry when I’m out in the rain).

You said you’ve read everything about gauge, have you seen this?
https://yarnsub.com/articles/gauge-variation/
It answers pretty clearly that we all knit at different gauges.
One of the members here (I think @kushami) has previously linked to a fabulous piece about gauge with a brilliant graphic on the size range, but I can’t find that page just now.

This is quite helpful one how to make a more useful swatch
https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/does-your-gauge-change-or-do-swatches-lie/

I think the answer to ‘why do I knit to a different gauge?’ Is, because I’m human. It’s totally normal to get a different gauge and focusing on why doesn’t help as much as focusing on how to acheive a size and look that you want to enable you to knit happily.

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Seconding @Creations who gave a pretty perfect answer.

I’ve got a friend who’s a leftie knitting right-handed, and she’s an extremely tight knitter, so it’s not that. :smiley:

We’re all different, that’s why we need to do gauge swatches. I’ll likely get a very different gauge than you do, and we’ll end up using different needles for any given yarn/project combo. It’s not a failing, it’s just how people are. The challenge is to find the best way for YOU to knit!

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Intertesting gauge article. thank you

that last article about 4"swatches lying was fantastic. Thank you

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You’re very welcome.

Do you have a project you are currently working on, or want to start? Or maybe something you want to frog and remake because it came out the wrong size? We’d be happy to offer thoughts on swatches, gauge, and so on if there is a specific project you want to acheive.

I will say, swatches are a great starting point and I consider them just about vital if I want something to turn out in an expected way, but there are times that I don’t get exactly the information I need from a swatch and I know this is because I am still learning, every project is a new learning experience.

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