What is sweater gauge

You may need to use a different needle to achieve gauge in stranded colourwork than you do for stockinette. We explore various swatching methods in this post. The nature of stockinette fabric is that each and every stitch is a loop. So the the fabric has leeway to stretch in a very accommodating way. This is why knitted fabric is such a lovely medium to work with, and why knit fabrics are used to make t-shirts and the like, due to their innate stretch and drape, which is so different from that of woven fabrics.

Stranded colourwork has a different quality than simple stockinette. Stranded patterns are formed by working two or more colours at one time, in a single row. A few stitches are knit in one colour, then a few stitches in the other, and this forms the colourful pattern, stitch by stitch. The yarn not in use is carried behind the working yarn, at the back of the work, to the point at which it is used once more.

Because these floats are essentially straight lines of yarn which short-cut across the back of knitted stitches, they prevent the fabric from stretching as readily as plain stockinette would. Stranded colourwork, with floats confining the horizontal spread of the fabric, tends to have a stitch gauge is compressed relative to its round gauge; the stitches tend to be closer to square.

In order to achieve a comfortable fit in an all-over colourwork garment, you must choose a size with more positive ease than you would if the sweater body were in stretchy stockinette. When it comes to integrating stranded colourwork and stockinette, there are situations when matching up stitch gauge REALLY matters, and situations in which it is less important. It can cause a problem if your gauge tightens up at hem colourwork.

This may inform into your decision about what size to knit. If you choose a size with negative ease at the hip, and the design includes a colourwork band at the hip, you will likely find that the colourwork will not stretch in the same gracious way that a stockinette hem would. Just like in an all-over sweater, when colourwork extends over the bust, which is often the largest part of the torso, it is critical that the gauge for the colourwork section matches that of the surrounding stockinette.

Also, as we mentioned above, it is generally a good idea to choose a size with more positive ease than you would for a stockinette body, as the stranded colourwork fabric will not stretch as much as stockinette would. This is because there are a lot of dimensions changing in a yoke; the stitch count is changing quite rapidly from a small number at the neckline to a much larger number to fit over the shoulders.

This is a point of flexibility. The bottom line is that it really depends WHERE your colourwork is located within the design as to how important matching gauge exactly will be. All of your sweaters are so nice. Just wondering which, if any, have the short rows before I purchase them.

Great post! I am much more of an accessory than garment knitter, but do enjoy knitting for my 3 year old DD, who keeps getting bigger, so fit is more of an issue.

Anyway, I almost always have a smaller row gauge than the pattern states when I match the stitch gauge. This is, hands down, the greatest tip I have ever ever read. So clearly explained and such freaking valuable information! I think you just made my whole life a tiny bit easier. Great post and information. Pingback: How to knit the right size sweater Fringe Association.

Pingback: Top posts of Fringe Association. Is it do-able to make a smaller size? There are a couple of different ways to look at it: 1 Stitch count ratio: 20 divided by 22 is. Easy, right? Share this:. Brillant post! I assume row gauge is also important to raglan shaping? Thanks, Karen! Absolutely brilliant article. Thank you Karen! Thanks so much for this post. It has been so helpful! What a handy post! Great post and I needed to read this!

Keep up the good work. How did you get so smart? Just the information I have been waiting for in an article on gauge. The higher the gauge number, the lighter the knit. Did you know? Gauge is the number of stitches per inch on a piece of knitwear. In general, the fatter the yarn, the fatter the needle you should use with it, the bigger the stitches it will make, and so you will need fewer of them.

The thinner the yarn, the thinner the needle you should use with it, the smaller the stitches, so you need more of them. The gauge of our garments varies, from chunky hand-knits, to our signature cashmere and merino wool pieces, and then ultra-fine knits.