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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!

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?

Beyond Basic Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork. 

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn. 

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look. 

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me. 

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. 

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.