Help! I’m a new knitter and as expected, I knit very tightly. I’m trying to figure out how to get the write gauge on #4 yarn. My pattern indicates 17 stitches in st is 4" but I have to use a size 9 needle to get to that gauge. Is that okay to do? Although the yarn is a 4, it doesn’t look good when I knit with large needles. Help! :whoosh:
Yes, use whichever needle size you have to for matching the gauge. Many people like you knit tight and need to go up 2 or 3 or 4 sizes to get the gauge right; others knit loose and may have to go down 2 or 3 sizes. A 9 isn’t a super large needle, you might try washing your piece and see how the sts look and what they measure after that. When a yarn gets wet it can relax or tighten up.
Thanks, Sue! I never thought of that. I guess I was paying attention to the books that indicate the needles that should be used for certain yarns. You know, nothing higher than a 8 for worsted weight…thanks again
Pay no attention to those books or the needles used on the yarn labels. Those sizes are for ‘average’ knitters who have neither tight or loose tension, and to specify a weight class for the yarns. Use whatever you need to get gauge, or knit to your own gauge. I’m ‘average’ but don’t like the denseness of a worsted knit on size 8s, just too stiff; so I usually knit it on a size 10½ or 7mm and like that fabric.