Swatching

Although I was born on August 23 and am therefore technically (if only just) a Virgo, precision has never been my thing. I’m more of a mudpie kinda gal, sloshing around and having fun in the world of “it’s good enough.”

But I’ve knit enough sweaters in my time that have NOT FIT well, and this is a huge waste of time and resources. So I’ve learned to embrace swatching.

Swatches are notoriously untruthful, so it’s best to make a large swatch in the pattern you mean to use, and measure how many stitches per centimeter/inch you end up with, calculated over at least a 4”/10cm width and breadth. Measuring the entire swatch and then weighing it will give additional information such as yardage required. So I’ve done all this. (My mudpie-self is looking at me incredulously.)

My sister would like me to make a tunic vest for her based on a commercial one she bought. I’m sending her all these swatches to make her decide which yarn, pattern, and fabric she likes. Once she chooses there will be more calculations to make, difficult for those of us in mudpie-land, but for now a huge shoutout to Norman of Nimble Needles whose video tutorials are so impressive I’ve gone ahead and supported him on Patreon. I’ve learned so much about knitting in the past month or so (and I consider myself an advanced knitter).