Swatching and gauge

Hi, I wanted to start knitting a sweater but am having trouble with making my first swatch to get gauge. This is my first swatch. The pattern says gauge is 22 stitches in 30 rows knitted in the round in stocking stitch with a size 4 needle. I didn’t have a size 4 so I started with a size 5 just to see where I was, and after about 10 rows I am at 32 stitches in a 4" space. I’m using the same yarn as the designer. I’m not sure if this is normal. I can understand being off by a few, but not 10 and a whole needle size larger already. If I start again with bigger and bigger needles, that will make a more open fabric which I do not want. Should I just go with a bigger size pattern? Thanks for any help!

What pattern are you using? That’s a huge difference. Does the pattern say to use two strands held together/

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I’m a new knitter and I thought so too but wasn’t sure. It is the Glacial Jumper by thepetiteknitter. Maybe a typo? From what I understand it looks like just one strand using Cardiff Cashmere which is a DK yarn.

I see on ravelry it says a US size 4, or 3.5mm needle for this pattern at 22 sts per 10 cm but when I look up this yarn it is suggested to be a 4mm needle (US 6) for 22 sts.
Taking this into account I woukd expect the US 5 that you tried to be too small to get gauge with the yarn and might make a firmer fabric.
I think try to the larger needle if you have one.
This sweater has stranded colour work too and often stranded work needs a bigger needle to get gauge, it could be a full mm or more bigger than the needle needed for the single colour part of the sweater (US size 8 or higher perhaps).
Does the pattern suggest changing needle size for the stranded compared to the plain stockinette section?

Also, did you do the swatch in the round (it can be different to flat as the yarn travels differently) and have you tried a wash/block of the swatch to see how it responds to that? The gauge can change with washing.

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Okay, thank you so much for your reply! I am just now starting with a US 6 and am swatching in the round, but will do a full swatch and wash and block it. There is no instruction about changing needle sizes for the stranded work. This is another thing I have to learn about! Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it!

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How have you worked your swatch? Here’s a tutorial for a simple way to work a swatch in the round so that you can measure over the middle 4 inches. It’s important to be able to measure over those middle sts and not edge sts. You may have already done this but it would be good to know.

Typically, going up a US needle size will only change the gauge by 2sts per 4 inches. That’s not going to be enough to put you near the pattern gauge.

I recently discovered this method of faking in-the-round swatches. It doesn’t leave those long strands trailing across the back of the swatch, and so uses up less yarn. Plus, you can easily unravel the swatch later if you need to!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE63enNDV8k&ab_channel=RoxanneRichardson

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Thank you for the link. I love Roxanne and will be trying this method for my next sweater project.

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I have started using a size 6, as Grumpy Grandma pointed out that was the recommended gauge for this yarn. I am using the method with the strings along the back. Thank you for the needle size/stitch ratio, this is great info! I am about 10 rows along and already see that the fabric may be too open and see through, so I would like to go down to the size 5 needle again and choose a larger size pattern to see how that turns out. I’ve also read that cashmere grows, so this is really going to be an experiment! Thanks so much for your reply!

I just watched it! this is a great video! Thank you!

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The swatch is a guide to needle size but importantly also a way of determining whether you like the knit fabric. That in itself is a big help in moving forward with this lovely sweater.
I like your idea of going to a larger size. That should work well. Keep in mind that you may not need the lengths used in the larger size. The extra width is what you’re after.
Keep us updated as you knit, please!

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Glad you liked it! Also… be sure to swatch both the plain section and the 2-color section, as most of us need a different size for stranded colorwork.

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