I found a pattern I wanted to knit…and a yarn colour that is perfect for the project.
According to the yarn label…it recommends 3-4mm needles, and for a 10x10 cm square it claims 21st x 28 rows.
So I dug out my 4mm needles, CO 21stitches…and got started on a gauge swatch.
21 stitches across = perfect 10 cm
Did the requisite 28 rows…and was no where near 10 cm…?
Kept going, for a total of 40 rows before I got to 10 cm
What did I do wrong?
Yarn label claims it be 3-ply…but it looks, feels & knits like all the other double-knit yarns I use…? I thought 3-ply would be very thin & delicate?
And just to further complicate my woes…dug out the pattern, and it states it wants a gauge of 16st / 26 rows for 10x10 cm…using worsted (double-knit right?) and 3.5mm needles.
So what do I do now…knit teeny-tiny unbearably tight stitches? bin the pattern? buy new needles? number crunch on the calculator? …help! :hair:
Most people don’t get both row and stitch gauge, but for the majority of patterns, the stitch gauge is more important. Length is usually given by measurement, not rows.
You need to match the pattern gauge though, not what’s on the label; that’s just there to show which weight class the yarn belongs in. Yours is double knit which is a little lighter than worsted, so that should work okay. Do another swatch to match the pattern gauge, but Cast on at least 20 sts, knit it with the 3.5mm needles and measure over the center. The edge sts shouldn’t be included because they’re different than the ones in the middle and curl up. It’s also a good idea to wash the swatch the same way you will the finished item in case the yarn grows or shrinks up when wet.
Your yarn is a bit lighter than worsted, and 16 sts = 4 inches is a pretty big gauge for worsted. Not all yarns called worsted or rated #4 are the same. I have some Patons Classic Merino that is rated #4 and it says 20 sts=4" Vanna’s Choice is rated #4 and it says 16 sts=4".
But it sounds like your yarn is working for you for the st gauge. Row gauge is hard to get. If you tried to get the row gauge you would not be getting st gauge anymore. Hopefully your pattern works by inches and not a certain number of patterns or something like that.
Is the fabric you are getting a good one for your project? If it is and you can deal with the rows another way you are good.
Thanks guys - I went in to town and bought a pair of 3.5mm needles…so I’ll try an other swatch with those and see what maths I can pull on the project guage :mrgreen:
OK…I cast 20 sts on to 3.5mm needles to start another gauge swatch…and 10 rows in and 20 sts is barely pushing 8 cm - so, with some quick number crunching, in this yarn, with my stitches…I’d need 25 sts to get 10 cm across.
Yet pattern [U]gauge[/U] calls for 16 sts to 10 cm across
Pattern stats off with CO 42 stitches, and proceed in 3x3 rib
If I understand that correctly, and to use my chosen yarn I assume I need to add mores stitches to the project, and because of the 3x3 rib, increases need to be in multiples of 6 sts, yes?
If you can follow my maths…does this make sense:
16 sts (pattern) = 10 cm = 25 sts (me)
CO42 stitches (pattern) = 26.25 cm = CO66 stitches (me)
Or am I barking up completely the wrong tree here?
I think the yarn is a bit thicker than yours so would come out with a little larger gauge unless the needle size is listed wrong. Try going up in size to a 4 or 4.5 mm and see what you get. You may not be able to match the 16sts per 4" (that’s usually what you get on a 5.5mm needle with worsted yarn), so you’ll have see how many sts/inch you get with the yarn and needle size that gives you a fabric you like. Then if there’s different sizes for the pattern, figure out which larger one will end up with the right measurement for you. Or if there’s just one size, it sounds like you’ve figured the measurement the item is supposed to be from the pattern gauge and multiplied that measurement times your gauge to get the sts. And yes, it should be a multiple of 6.
Its not overly complicated…so I may just cast on the 3.5mm needles with 66 sts and see what happens. At the end of the day,as long as a regular sized wine bottle fits in I’m happy :mrgreen:
Have a baby blanket on the 5mm needles at the mo, and the 4mm needles didn’t match up to the required gauge either
Okay I see, they’ve take a worsted yarn and knit it on tiny needles. It’s possible you can double your yarn and make it work that way just following the pattern. Try that.
