Hello again friends!
Welcome to day 2 of Gauge Week! Today’s post covers a basic gauge swatch – one that’s worked flat, in rows, back and forth. A plain and simple gauge swatch is what most patterns call for so that is where we are going to start!
A flat gauge swatch like we’re going to learn today can be done in 5-20 minutes depending on the weight of the yarn/hook size you are using, and can save you from creating a whole piece that ends up being ill-fitting. I know, I know we’re all super excited when we find the perfect pattern and the squishiest yarn that we just want to hop right in, but gauging first can save you a LOT of frogging later.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, when working with thinner yarn and smaller hooks the designer (myself included) will give you a 2 x 2 inch or 5 x 5 centimetre gauge instead of the full 4 x 4 inch or 10 x 10 centimetre gauge!
My number 1 suggestion when gauging is to ALWAYS make your swatch 4-6 stitches wider and 2-4 rows higher than is called for in the gauge in the pattern.
BUT, WHY??? That sounds like more work!
I say to add the extra stitches and rows because the foundation chains, as well as the turning chains can significantly affect the size of the stitches close to them. In creating a swatch that is slightly larger, you’re then able to measure the inside stitches, eliminating some of that push/pull that can happen from the chains. And let’s be real - it takes a few seconds to do a couple extra stitches, you’re here and gauging already, just do it! It’s worth it!
So here is my formula:
Chain the number of stitches listed in the gauge + 4 + the number of chains needed to get the stitch height (e.g. SC = 1, HDC = 2, DC = 2 or 3, TC = 3 or 4)
For my sample I needed to achieve a gauge of 15 stitches by 9 rows in double crochet. So I chained 15 + 4 + 2 = 21. Then I worked a double crochet into the 3rd chain from my hook and each chain across. I like to use 2 chains for my double crochets because especially when swatching, I don’t count the chains as a stitch. This is up to you and how you like to crochet. As long as you have those 4 extra stitches the chains don’t really matter. Alternatively, you could look at the pattern and see how many chains it recommends as turning chains.
The rows in my swatch were worked as a chain 2, turn, double crochet across. I worked a total of 11 rows, which is 2 more row than is called for in the pattern gauge.
Once my swatch was done I wet blocked it! Yes, you read that right – I WET BLOCK my SWATCHES (more on this on Friday 😉)!!
Then it’s time to measure your stitches. Using a gauge ruler (like my one from Muster Pattern), a tape measure, or a standard ruler, measure the centre of your swatch. I made sure to line up my gauge ruler with 2 stitches on each side and one row above and below – measuring those centre 15 stitches and 9 rows.
Now you’re either going to be really happy because you got gauge on the first try, or really sad because it is off and you have to try again. No matter what, do not get discouraged. Having to do another swatch until you get it right is worth it in the end (see yesterdays blog post for how drastically being 1 stitch off can affect the fit of a sweater). Stay tuned for more information on how to adjust your gauge – coming this Thursday to the blog and Instagram reels!
If you missed yesterday blog post check it out by clicking below (all the others will be linked after they go live).
Day 1: What is “gauge” and why do we do it?
Day 2: How to create a basic flat swatch
Day 3: How to gauge in the round (2 different techniques)
Day 4: How to adjust your gauge – beyond just changing hooks
Day 5: The importance of blocking your swatches
See you tomorrow loves!
Happy swatching,
Courtney
Items used in this blog post (click each for the link):
- Gauge ruler from Muster Pattern
- Furls Streamline Crochet Hook
- The Hook Nook Small Stuff Yarn