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Many new knitters find themselves disappointed because at the end of their hard work, items don't fit, or live up to the promise that the pattern appeared to offer. In their eagerness to get on with the knitting, they forgot the significance of gauge. While experienced knitters can play around with gauge and make adjustments to patterns to allow for different thicknesses of wool, a new knitter will face problems that their inexperience cannot overcome.

*Gauge
*The significance of gauge
*How to test for gauge
*How to adjust gauge
*The end result justifies the means.

GAUGE

On the market these days, there are so many different thicknesses of wools and needles that some standard had to be reached so that pattern makers could guarantee some kind of standard result from the use of a knitting pattern. Gauge was introduced to standardize the size of knitted garments, so that pattern producers could provide patterns for all the sizes from child to grown up in an accurate way that did not disappoint the knitter.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GAUGE

What gauge does is to set a standard measurement over a series of stitches knitted with a set needle size with a set thickness of yarn. This means that no matter what the garment you choose to knit, your results will be a success and will turn out to the size anticipated. Pattern makers include a little test for gauge in knitting patterns, and this is very significant. Using the recommended yarn and needle size, one can determine if the individual knitting style fits the gauge of the pattern, because every knitter has their own individual tension, and by providing some standard of sizing and testing of the knitter's skill with tension, the gauge allows knitters to knit to size.

HOW TO TEST FOR GAUGE

Most patterns will give instructions asking the knitter to cast on a set amount of stitches. It is wise to make your gauge swatch the same size as recommended by the pattern makers as they have taken into account the intricacy of the pattern, the thickness of the wool and the tension at which the work will be best performed.

When you have knitted the swatch required, test your knitting with a tape measure and see if a set amount of stitches measures the same as is indicated in the pattern. Looking at one of my patterns, an item called TENSION tells me that on No. 4 mm needles and the recommended yarn, I should produce 22 stitches and 30 rows to a 10 cm square in stocking stitch.

HOW TO ADJUST GAUGE

Having done the test piece that really is worth doing to ensure great results, if you find that there are too many stitches to 10 cm, your tension is too tight, and you should change to a larger size of needle to produce the correct results. If conversely, your tension means there are too few stitches to 10 sm, your work is too loose, and a smaller pair of needles should be used.

THE END RESULTS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS

When you start to experiment with knitting, understanding gauge enables you to widen the scope of your knitting experience, to experiment with finer wools or thicker wools, to adjust patterns by adding or detracting stitches.

The experience of learning about tension opens up all kinds of ideas about adjusting your work to suit your materials, and is a lesson very worthy of learning because at the same time as understanding the significance of gauge, you also get instant feedback as to whether your knitting style is too loose or too tight, and can adjust the way you work to arrive at a standard that fits the patterns and produces accurately measured knitwear.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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