Gauge
How do you make sure that you project will come out
as directed? Check the gauge before you start! This is
the one place in knitting that you should not take a
shortcut with. Because everyone knits differently, the
gauge of the loom is not that important. If you knit
tighter or looser than the author does, your project
will not come out the same. Many different things can
effect the gauge including stitch pattern, yarn, color
of yarn and even your mood. There are times when you
may be able to get away with not knitting a swatch but
only if the project does not need to fit perfectly,
e.g., a blanket, shawl, etc. But when size is crucial,
it's not worth taking the chance. Blocking can correct
some gauge problems but there is no gaurantee. It's
easier to know the gauge upfront and change the pattern
accordingly instead of trying to fix it afterwards.
So exactly what is gauge? Merriam Webster defines gauge
as:
The fineness of a knitted fabric expressed by the number of loops per unit width.To determine the gauge, you need to knit a swatch. It may seem tedious and boring but once you understand its importance, hopefully you will not think of it that way.
How important is the gauge? If you are off just 1/2 stitch per a couple of inches and are making a fitted item, it won't fit. Don't learn it the hard way, by spending a lot of money on that beautiful yarn and knit a sweater for yourself just to have to give it to someone else. Knit the swatch!
See the links section of resources for links to articles on gauge.
- Type of pegs: If you work up a
swatch with metal pegs, don't change to nylon
or rubber and expect the same gauge, even if
you use the same gauge loom.
- Your mood: It's best not to knit a
swatch when you're tense or upset or your
knitting will be much tighter.
- Yarn color: Due to the color dying
process, yarn of different colors, even from
the same brand, can be different.
- The weather: Much like it effects your joints, the weather also effects your yarn. Humidity and barometer changes make the yarn expand and contract. You may not think by much but by enough to change the gauge. So, if your weather is different than normal for your area, don't knit a swatch that day, work on something else instead.
- The more experience you have as a knitter,
the better you will be able to judge the the
gauge loom and number of stitches you'll need
for four inches across. Until you've had enough
experience, use the label on your yarn as a
starting point. Remember that knitting swatches
is not an exact science — play around and have
fun. If you start to get bored, use your
imagination with the swatch and think about how
your final project will look.
- Start and end the swatch with 4-6 rows of
the garter stitch and knit 2-4 stitches at the
beginning and end of each row. You want your
swatch to stay as flat as possible for
measuring and if you don't put on this border,
there's a good chance that your swatch will
roll.
- It is best to knit at least 6 inches
squared of the stitch in your chosen pattern.
While some manuals will suggest 4, the larger
the swatch, the more accurate gauge you will
have.
- The loom gauge noted in the pattern is a
good place to start for figuring out which loom
to use but do not get married to it. The more
you knit, the better idea you will have of how
your knitting compares to what is noted in
patterns and which loom gauge (+/-) will work
for you. Remember that which type of peg you
use on your loom will effect the gauge.
Knitting with metal pegs, nylon pegs and rubber
pegs may all come out differently even if the
loom gauge is the same.
- Once you've knitted your swatch, check the
area on the pattern that states the gauge. If
you do not come out with that number of
stitches per inch, you will need to reknit the
swatch with a different loom gauge or possibly
with different pegs. Rule of thumb: too few
stitches per inch, use a smaller gauge loom;
too many stitches per inch, use a larger gauge
loom. Do not frog the swatch and reuse it to
knit the new swatch or the gauge will not come
out accurately (see below).
- Measuring should happen only after you
bind-off, not while on the loom. Your stitches
will be distorted if you leave your work on the
loom.
- Don't frog the swatch to reuse in your
project or on a new swatch. It will be
stretched and will knit differently. Instead,
safety-pin a tag on it with the project, label
of the yarn and other swatch information and
store it in a box for later use.
- Use your swatch to test finishing and blocking techniques. This will give you a true picture of the gauge for the final project.
Tips for Measuring
First and foremost, it's important to measure carefully when determining the number of stitches per inch. Here are some ways to make sure that you do.
- Place your work on a hard, flat surface. For example, do not put it on a paperback book on your lap to measure the swatch.
- Do not use a measuring tape. Instead use a plastic, wooden or metal ruler. Better yet, buy a knitting gauge rule. They are not expensive and are easy to use.
Determining the Gauge
To figure out the gauge, count the number of stitches across several inches and then divide the number of stitches by the number of inches. It's OK to end up with decimals. The more accurate you can be, the better. Here are two examples:
- If your swatch is 4 inches wide and there are 20 stitches across, you'd have a gauge of 5 stitches per inch.
- If you swatch is 4 inches wide and there are 14 stitches across, you'd have a gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch.
All of the looms noted here were measured from the center of one peg to the center of the next peg.
Provocraft's Knifty Knitters are the most commonly used looms today. Below are the gauge measurements for each of their looms. All of these looms are considered large-to-extra large gauge in size and have an approximate US 10-13 equivalent needle size. General yarn recommendations are for a tight stitch are
- 1 strand of Super Bulky (6)
- 1 strand of Bulky (5)
- 2 strands of Medium (4)
Looms that can be used as a knitting board have the pegs on each side of the board noted.
| Knifty Knitter Loom Gauges | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | Peg Dist. | Total No.
of Pegs |
Pegs
Each Side |
| Spool | 3/4" | 5 | |
| Spool | 11/16" | 8 | |
| Flo wer Round Loom | 3/4" | 12 | |
| Blue Round Loom | 5/8" | 24 | |
| Red Round Loom | 11/16" | 31 | |
| Green Round Loom | 3/4" | 36 | |
| Yellow Round Loom | 7/8" | 41 | |
| Pink Long Loom | 11/16" | 26 | 12 |
| Yellow Long Loom | 11/16" | 38 | 18 |
| Green Long Loom | 11/16" | 50 | 24 |
| Blue Long Loom | 11/16" | 62 | 30 |
| Purple Long Loom | 13/16" | 18 | |
In the Attic Flexilooms are another commonly used looms. Below are the gauge measurements for each of their looms. All of these looms are considered large-to- extra large gauge in size and have an approximate US 10-13 equivalent needle size. General yarn recommendations are for a tight stitch are
- 1 strand of Super Bulky (6)
- 1 strand of Bulky (5)
- 2 strands of Medium (4)
| Flexiloom Loom Gauges | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | Peg Dist. | Total No.
of Pegs |
|
| Thumb Loom | 1/2" | 12 | |
| Mitten Loom | 11/16" | 18 | |
| Yellow Loom | 11/16" | 23 | |
| Red Loom | 3/4" | 31 | |
| Green Loom | 3/4" | 36 | |
| Blue Loom | 3/4" | 41 | |
Decor Accents, Inc. hand
makes their looms. Below are the general gauge
measurements for their looms and the yarn
recommendations for each.
| Loom Gauges | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauge | Peg Dist. | Stitches
per Inch |
Yarn Recommendations | Equiv. Needle |
| Large | 5/8" | 2.5 | 1 strand of Super Bulky (6)
1 strand of Bulky (5) 2 strands of Medium (4) |
10-13 |
| Regular | 1/2" | 3 | 1 strand of Bulky (5)
2 strands of Medium (4) |
8-10 |
| Small | 4/9" | 3.5 | 1 strand of Medium (4)
2 strands of Light (3) |
6-8 |
| Extra Small | 3/8" | 4 | 1 strand of Medium (4)
2 strands of Light (3) |
5-7 |
| Fine | 1/4" | 5 | 1 strand of Light (3)
1-2 strands of Fine (2) 2 strands of Super Fine (1) |
3-6 |
| Extra Fine | 3/16" | 7-8 | 1 strand of Fine (2)
1 strand of Super Fine (1) |
1-3 |
