Guage, trying to do it right

How-to Questions
1

I am hoping for a bit of help for someone - me - who is returning to sweater knitting after 25 years of scarfs and non guage critical projects. I have knitted a swatch and the number of stitches seems to be right on but the number of rows seems to create a slight rectangle rather than a square.

I know if I was small or large in both directions I should consider changing my needle size but since my length is only a row or so generous can I go ahead?

I am doing a simple cardigan from a Paton pattern. I would appreciate some advice. Thanks in advance.

2

If it’s the sort of pattern where it says something to the effect of “knit until back meaures 25 inches”. Then being off so little on the row gauge doesn’t matter. Because you just knit however many rows you need to, to get to the specified measurement.

If it were me, I would just go ahead.

3

The row gauge is very hard for most people to match, and most patterns usually say ‘knit for X inches’ so just get the st gauge and go by measurement on the length.