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A Lot of Wisdom About Swatching

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importance of swatching knittingI was wandering around on Twitter the other day when I found a link to this post from Shibaguyz Design about the importance of swatching. It’s called a tangential post because originally it was supposed to be about blocking, but it ended up being about swatching.

No matter where it started, it ended up in a really good place.

You probably know that I’m pretty passionate about swatching and I know a lot of people aren’t, but it’s really, really important if you want to knit garments that fit.

This post talks about common complaints about swatching/reasons people say they don’t swatch — they don’t have time, it’s a waste of expensive yarn, they always get gauge, etc. — and provides great arguments against them.

I particularly love the idea of knitting a swatch in your luxury yarn, not binding off, blocking it and then unraveling the swatch to use for the cast on edge or for sewing seams. Such a smart idea and no “waste.”

There’s also a really great story about how “I always get gauge” can backfire. This is a post you should definitely read if you’re in the no-swatch camp, and if you do swatch it will give you some great ammunition the next time someone tells you they don’t.

Which side of the swatch battle are you on? I’d love to hear why.

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Comments

  1. I think swatches are important but I can never get it right then I can never count the stitches. I wish I knew the secret. This is why I make scarves and afghans. They don’t have to be any certain size. I will have to read some more about how to do swatches.

Have you read?

A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit

I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn. 

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done. 

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit. 

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips. 

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit. 

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

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