I am trying to begin the Purl Soho top down circular yoke sweater using their recommended plein air yarn. So that I begin correctly, I swatched a 4 in square on both size 4 (accidentally) and size 6 circulars. The sz 4 measured 18 stitches in 4 inches. The sz 6 measured 17 stitches in 4 in. I blocked both the same way.
The directions say gauge is “21-23 stitches in = 4 inches. US size 5-7 needles.”
Ugh. Size 4 needle swatch show I don’t even make gauge! This is my first time to ever knit a sweater but I’ve knit lots of color work socks. Wish I’d just stuck with that but I’ve bought yarn and pattern. I’ve watched two tutoring videos. You’re my last resort! Do I really go down to a US 3 circular? Isn’t that what the tedious swatch making indicates?
It may not solve the gauge problem but you should be measuring over the middle 4 inches of say, a 6 inch square. You might measure over the middle 2 inches of your gauge swatches and double the number of sts.
What type needles are you using? Wood, bamboo or metal can all alter the gauge you knit at one way or the other. It’s worth experimenting with a different needle compostion.
Which size are you making?
Can you work a smaller size in the sweater. Decreasing the number of sts in the smaller size may be enough to give you the size you want at your gauge.
Thank you so much for responding! I hadn’t thought about needles. My needles are all metal (Zing). But I had considered going down in size on the pattern! I’m glad you suggested that option.
See if changing size works with your gauge on the size 4s.
If you could buy or borrow a wood or bamboo needle it might be worth seeing what happens with gauge.
There’ll undoubtedly be other suggestions so stay tuned.
Swatching might be tedious but when you’re investing time and effort (and the cost of the yarn and pattern) into a larger project like a T-shirt or sweater, it is really worthwhile.
I would try a larger swatch and smaller needle size. Also bare in mind when the sweater is finished it will have all of its own weight pulling on the stitches which can also effect gauge. Some people weigh down the swatch and hang it to imitate the pull on the stitches. When fabric is hung and weighed down (or just pulled a bit by hand) the stitches elongate making more sts per cm/inch, and the rows become fewer per cm/inch. This can be frustrating as it’s something of an unknown but you might find this helps you as your swatch might be closer to gauge if you put some yarn weight on it.
Another aspect of swatching is to see if you like the fabric produced. I can get gauge of a pattern but I might not like the drape and might prefer a more open, softer, fabric than the gauge of the pattern. When you do the next swatch really have a good feel of the fabric and choose the one you like even if it isn’t exactly the pattern gauge.
I see salmonmac suggested a smaller size. I have done this several times. I look at what size i want on the schematic (generally at the chest measurement), then I work out how many sts across (or around if working in the round) this would be in my gauge, then I look at the pattern and find the stitch counts for the chest and see which one is the closest to the count i need. There is usually one very close which helps me feel more confident to make that size.
Don’t forget though, if you choose a small size for stitch count you will need to check the row counts work too. If the pattern says to work to a certain length you can alter those lengths if needed.
And yet another factor–if you’ll be knitting in the round, you should swatch in the round, as most people have a large gauge when purling. There are several tricks for “fake” in-the-round swatches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE63enNDV8k