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Gauge Is NOT A Four Letter Word – New Article From Creative Knitting Magazine!

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Creative Knitting is a wonderful magazine. Not only are the patterns varied, but the articles are good too.

This latest issue includes an article about how important gauge is.

“Like any creative endeavor, knitting is rife with the potential for individual choices. Colors, yarns and styles abound. We can follow a pattern exactly, alter bits and pieces according to our personal preference, or design our own garments. But there is one thing that none of us can challenge: Gauge determines size.”

Click HERE to read the rest of the article, and then sign up for their FREE newsletter!

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Comments

  1. Okay, I read the article and totally agree. Gauge is very important … BUT … I still struggle with it. For example, I counted the stitches in all 3 of there swatches and did not see how they came up wit the numbers they did. Two of the swatches had the required 5 stitches that they said did not have them … when I counted them they did.

    I just still don’t understand HOW to actually COUNT the stitches.

  2. Hi Nicole,

    You’re right, gauge can be tricky. And, I agree with you that it’s difficult to count the stitches in the swatches they’ve shown in the article. I think part of the challenge is that it’s hard to accurately count the knit stitch (aka the Vs) and get a good count looking at a website photo. Plus, I don’t think that the pictures are very good in swatches #2 and #3. The gauge counter looks a little crooked in the photo, so I’m sure that in person the gauge would have been more obvious. That being said…

    If you’re having problems with your own gauge I have a couple of suggestions. First, I find it easier to count over 1″, rather than 2″ like they’ve outlined in the article. Second, if the gauge on the first swatch is “questionable”, then do 2 more swatches. Just like in the article, you would knit one swatch in the recommended needle size, one swatch with a larger needle and one swatch with a smaller needle. Once you have all 3 swatches to test and compare to each other it may be easier for you to determine which swatch has the correct gauge for you.

    Good luck and happy knitting!

Have you read?

Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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