Benefits Of Swatching
Experience the yarn: Knitting a swatch is the best way to explore and get to know your new yarn.
Knitting a swatch with a newly acquired ball of yarn allows you to dive right in, even if you don't have any plans for the yarn. The exercise will give you a first-hand experience with the yarn—Does it grip the needles or is the yarn slippery? Does it look great in stockinette or garter stitch? Or is the fiber better intended for cable work? Knit a swatch, say hello to your new yarn, and discover everything you didn't know when you saw it at the local yarn shop in a ball, hank, skein, or cake.
See with your eyes if you like the yarn: swatching lets you work with the new yarn and possibly a new stitch pattern and visually see if you like it or not.
The drape: happens to all of us; a garment grows when wearing it, especially with knits - the gravity is to blame here and not the cake you enjoyed yesterday.
This is called "the drape" or "the drop of fabric." The drape varies on the stitch pattern, the fiber type, the density of the fabric, and the final weight and size of the garment. The drop of the fabric needs to be taken into account to knit a garment that will fit just right when worn. To do so, we start by measuring the weighted gauge, using the standard flat gauge, and adding weight to the swatch while calculating simulates the conditions of the garment worn.
We can measure the weighted gauge by weaving knitting needles through your swatch's top stitches, and the bottom rows stretched out between them. Use a ball or more yarn as weights and tie the yarn balls to the bottom knitting needle. Have help holding the top knitting needle while measuring the stitch and the row gauge of the weighted swatch. The difference between a weighted gauge and a flat gauge is the drop of the fabric, giving you an idea of how the gauge is affected by gravity. How much weight to add will depend on the project. If the project requires five balls of yarn, use the weight of five balls.
See if the yarn bleeds: While swatching, you may find that the color choices for colorwork are not as expected. This is the time to swap them out before starting the project until you decide on the combination you like. Also some colors may bleed when they get wet and discolor the others in your item. Many times the given gauge will recommend wet blocking before measuring your stitches for gauge. Some yarns bloom (or fluff up), some bleed, some stay just as they were when dry. If wet blocking is recommended in the pattern’s given gauge, you should wet block your swatch before measuring.
Test gauge: Are you achieving the correct gauge with the pattern designer's intended needles?
The main reason knitters swatch is to measure the gauge of their own knitting with the yarn and given needles as compared to the designer’s recommendation. Typically the gauge will be listed like this:
20 stitches and 30 rows in 4 inches using US 8 needles in stockinette stitch
We recommend starting by casting on 5-10 stitches more than the given gauge and knitting until your piece measures at least four inches. The gauge will depend on the yarn's weight, the size of the knitting needles and the tension, the fiber of the yarn, the needle material and whether you are knitting in the round or flat. You will often have to adjust needle size to match the gauge given. If your stitch count is too high, go up in needle size and reswatch. If your stitch count is too low, go down in needle size and reswatch. Continue this method until you have achieved the given gauge.
Decide the needle material:
Perhaps you prefer knitting needles made from bamboo, but the pattern maker uses brass, and your friend working on the same project prefers birch. Knitting a swatch will help you find a perfect match between your knitting needles and yarn, and the result of swatching is a pleasant knitting experience. Whichever needle you achieved gauge with should be the needle you use for the project. So if you used a wood needle, then use wood needles throughout this project.Practice a new technique: knitting a swatch is the best way to learn new knitting techniques.
So, what haven't you tried yet? Perhaps you tend to use the same increases; why not try a new increase, maybe a lifted increase? If you have been dreaming about advanced colorwork techniques like double knitting, fair isle, or such intarsia, but it seems daunting, a swatch is a perfect way to explore without the big commitment! Cutting the steek is not as scary as you might think if you knit a swatch and cut it. These practice pieces are the gateway to many new projects and techniques for you, as you will build confidence.
Practice a new technique: knitting a swatch is the best way to learn new knitting techniques.
So, what haven't you tried yet? Perhaps you tend to use the same increases; why not try a new increase, maybe a lifted increase? If you have been dreaming about advanced colorwork techniques like double knitting, fair isle, or such intarsia, but it seems daunting, a swatch is a perfect way to explore without the big commitment! Cutting the steek is not as scary as you might think if you knit a swatch and cut it. These practice pieces are the gateway to many new projects and techniques for you, as you will build confidence.
If you have done a project with the same yarn before, you may be able to use the previous swatch as a reference if the gauge given is the same. If the stitch recommended or the needles are different, you will still need to swatch for this new project.
You always need to make a swatch with the yarn and needles you intend to use for doing your project. If you swatched withalpaca yarn, do the project with the same yarn. If you made your swatch with bamboo needles, you should use bamboo needles to make the item; switching to metal needles may change your gauge. Also, keep in mind that the type of needle (wood, steel, bamboo, acrylic) can have different gauges with the same yarn.