Do you really need to knit a gauge swatch?

I have a love hate relationship with gauge swatches.

On the one hand I know I probably should knit them…

On the other hand…

Well I would rather just start knitting.

The problem is, if you want your project to fit, knitting a good swatch is actually pretty important.

3 Reasons You Need to Swatch (that aren’t about measuring your stitches)

There are actually A TON of reasons why swatching is beneficial but we’re not going to talk about all of them here.

Instead here are 3 of the most important ones:

Reason 1: Getting to know your yarn

If this is the first time working with a specific yarn, this is a great opportunity to try it out.

You may find that you don’t like the fabric or color as much as you thought.

Or maybe you love it MORE than you thought.

Perhaps the drape is too stiff, or the yarn splits easily.

You might even find the color bleeds when blocking it.

These are important things to know before you start knitting a bigger project.

Reason 2: Practice, Practice, Practice

Often gauge swatches are knit in stockinette, but many patterns have you measure gauge using a specific stitch pattern.

Knitting a swatch gives you the opportunity to practice new skill, techniques, or stitch patterns you haven’t tried before.

You may also decide that the pattern doesn’t look right in the yarn you chose, or that you just don’t enjoy knitting it.

Reasons 3: It saves time in the long run

Usually we want to skip swatching because we don’t want to take the extra time to do it.

But this will almost always bite you in the end.

It’s A LOT more work to have to start over because your hat will only fit a giant.

As Abe Lincoln used to say “If you give me 5 hours to chop down a tree, I’ll spend the first 4 sharpening my axe.”

Swatching is all about being PREPARED to knit.

BONUS Reason: Knitting WITHOUT a Pattern

Mastering gauge swatches will put you on the path to knitting without set patterns.

With the right frameworks and a good gauge swatch, you can knit almost anything from hats, to socks, to a sweater!

A lot of knitting is basic math, and a swatch gives you many of the numbers you’ll need to start making your own custom knits. 😉

Conclusion

As I mentioned there a many more reasons why you should swatch before you start.

In fact I teach a session on this VERY TOPIC at the Fearless Knitter Summit.

I’ll discuss what things a swatch can teach you, as well as different ways to make and measure one.

Make sure to grab your FREE ticket now using the button below…