I have been reading articles about how important row gauge is and I have never really paid much attention to that. Boy have I been wrong but the articale really does not say how to get the right row gauge. If my stitch count per inch is correct and my row is to short how can I knit looser or use a bigger needle because then my stitch per inch will be bigger too. How do you change your row length without affecting your stitch count?
You just made me remember something, which I often don’t think about, but probably should… when designers write patterns, the row gauge given is usually based on the finished product. A lot of times, this number won’t match the swatch because the weight of the garment will affect the measurement. I’ve read that for things where row gauge matters (often times, it won’t), you can get a more accurate measurement by adding some weight to the bottom of your swatch and measuring it vertically (so it’s not laying flat, but the way the fabric will actually fall when the garment is worn). Hanging a skein of yarn from the bottom of the swatch is a method I’ve seen mentioned, but I bet using something like clothespins or binder clips would probably do (and would be easier). If your row gauge is still way off, you can use a calculator like this one to make adjustments.
When does row gauge matter? From this knitty article on swatching:
“Row gauge is absolutely critical if you are knitting any raglan garment or a fully-fashioned sleeve, if the pattern is Fair Isle, other colorwork, or certain Aran designs, where the charted design constitutes the entire garment piece and dictates the finished length. Always analyze your pattern to see if row gauge is critical to the finished garment or not. Most of the time row gauge will not matter too much but make sure you know when it does.”
Lucia also discusses row gauge in greater detail here and here.
THanks for the article but is there not a way to change your row gauge as you knit. I mean maybe pull up on the stitch as your transfer it or something like that without changing you stitch gauge.
Try the calculator. The link is in the middle of the post so maybe you missed it. It will tell you how much you need to change your row counts based on the ratio between the pattern gauge and your actual gauge. You are not actually changing the row gauge here, but adjusting the number of rows so that when you knit at your gauge, it will match the pattern specifications.
Ok, now I understand I thought I had to knit differently somehow.
I ran into this problem with a sweater I recently finished. I was knitting in a rib-like pattern that was essentially garter; the pattern assumed stockinette (it didn’t even give a row gauge). Garter is much more compact vertically than stockinette. I should have made adjustments for that, but I didn’t, and as a result my neck shaping is off. I’ve just unravelled down to the armhole shaping to start again.
Ah well – it was fun knitting it the first time, it will be fun the second as well, right?
Your right, you will have even more fun the second time
I just wanted to add this link as a good resource for learning about gauge, including the relationship between stitch and row gauge.
thanks I am going to keep that handy for reference