DIY Network

Swatch and Gauge Secrets Lily Chin has hints to help with that all-important swatch. From "Knitty Gritty" episode DKNG-308

You've made a swatch and put it aside for a while. Now you pick it back up--and you can't remember what size needles you used to knit it! Don't worry: Lily Chin has a foolproof solution. The next time you knit a swatch, follow these simple instructions. Then relax: you'll never again forget the needle size because the swatch hides a secret message that indicates what size needle you used. Just remember the two secret words: Yo KaTuTog (yo k2tog).

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Immediately after casting on for a swatch, build the size of needle that you used into this swatch. For the number size of your needle, work [yo, k2tog] that many times (figure A). In other words, if you used a U.S. size 6 needle, work yarn-over, knit 2 together 6 times. This makes 6 holes, or eyelets, so that you will not forget your needle size used, should you not start the project immediately, even if you've swatched for it already.

Figure A

Breaking the code: 8 eyelets (top) = #8 needles; 10 eyelets (bottom) = #10 needles.

Correct Measuring of Swatch

Instead of measuring your swatch and your knitting flat on a table, why not get a more accurate picture of "the real world"? That is, you'd wear your sweaters in a vertical position, so why not measure the swatch and sweater upright as well?

This is known as a hung gauge, a method by which you let gravity take its toll. Use pushpins to place the swatch up to a corkboard, or use straight pins to fasten the swatch to a hanging towel on the towel rack. I've even taped the swatch up to a wall using masking tape or duct tape. Again, this emulates "real life," and the gauge may change in this position. This is the position use to match the dimensions of the pattern.

Weight With Clothespins

Figure B

Sometimes it's not enough to let a swatch hang. If it's inelastic yarn such as cotton or silk or rayon, or if the gauge is on the loose side and the fabric is not firm, or if the yarn is very heavy and bulky, use clothespins along the bottom of the swatch to give a more accurate measurement (figure B).

Seeing the Light

If you're using a hairy or bumpy or very textured yarn such as eyelash or mohair or thick-and-thin slub, you can't even see the stitches. How can you tell where you may have dropped a stitch? Try holding the knitting up to a light source, such as a window: your backlit stitches will magically appear!

RESOURCES :

Knit and Crochet With Beads
By Lily Chin
2004, Interweave Press
Interweave Press Inc.
Website: www.interweave.com

Aurora Bulky Yarn from Karabella Yarns
E-mail: info@karabellayarns.com
Website: www.karabellayarns.com

GUESTS :

Lily Chin
Author, knitting expert
Website: www.lilychinsignaturecollection.com