bad gauge will tank your pattern fast

It’s easy to get wrong, not as easy to fix once the cat is out of the bag. Talking of course about your pattern’s gauge, your design gauge, or your sample gauge, or what? Ideally they will all be the same gauge, and yet . . .

It’s true that I am super opinionated about knitting pattern topics, and can get a little fired up. Sometimes I feel a little 😬😬😬 like maybe I made my soapbox too tall and I should cower for a while (and I often do!). But after working with patterns and everyone involved in their use and production this long, I feel confident in effectively shouting that precise gauge is 100%, no ifs ands or buts, guaranteed the most important element to get right in a pattern. Which makes getting it wrong equally as impactful (bad!).

What’s riding on your gauge.

The finished measurements of a pattern are so important. They are what knitters are expecting to have at the end of the day, so that the item will fit. And they will base their yarn and needle choices, to achieve those measurements, on the gauge given in the pattern. They will swatch it out, and, based on the gauge they get, and the gauge given in the pattern, decide what needles and yarn to use, and expect to get those measurements with them. And shouldn’t they?

If their gauge matches the gauge in the pattern, they should get those measurements in the end. If their gauge doesn’t match the pattern, they are still using your gauge information as truth to make all their decisions.

When the knitter has done their bit and still the measurements don’t turn out, it is usually because the pattern’s gauge wasn’t correct. And that’s not on them. ✨The consequences of a pattern not producing the measurements it promised can be devastating, to you and the knitter.

Getting it right.

Starting off on the right track to prevent this ever going wrong is the way to go. How are you measuring your items and swatches to determine your gauges? First, make sure those swatches are big, folks; that there is a large area of unburdened fabric to measure in, without borders or stretching or curling. (I am feeling no sheepishness in my shouting this. 😉 - Swatches need to be big.)

Here is an excellent suggestion of exactly how you should be measuring your gauge (of your giant swath of knitted fabric), from amyherzogdesigns.com:

“Measure your gauge. The smart way, not the standardized way. Knitting patterns give you swatch information by the 4”/10 cm increments, but that doesn’t mean you need to measure that way!

I recommend marking out the maximum number of stitches and rows you think give you an accurate gauge measurement, then measuring a WHOLE number of stitches and rows precisely. A ruler can help you estimate a fraction of an inch. Nothing can help you estimate a fraction of a stitch.

Measuring this way will give you the most accurate gauge estimation you’ve ever had.”

Telling the truth.

After you have measured your swatch this way, you can then more accurately calculate your 4-inch gauge that will go on your pattern. Because we need those numbers to be right, this is a really good idea (for designers and knitters). Be sure to use a straight ruler, not a fabric measuring tape or gauge square, to be most accurate, and measure as large an area as you can, no less than 4”/10 cm (more! more!).

To make sure the knitter gets the proper result, we need to be sure the measurements are correct, and that means the gauge has to be right. When your TE tech edits your pattern, we check all measurements against the gauge given for 1 inch, and 1 cm. We do the math and check everything based on those numbers. You need to be sure that those gauge numbers are correct and match your sample or your design plan; that they are indeed the gauge measurements you designed with.

Blocking it out.

Also be sure that your sample or any swatch you worked from (they should be treated and measured in the same way) has been washed, laid flat to dry, and that the gauge you take from it is the final gauge after that process is complete. Yarn will measure quite differently before it’s washed, while it’s wet, and after it’s dry. We want the washed and dried measurement. (If your item isn’t meant to be washed, then you would skip that, and give the measurements after it’s worked). Lace shawls, for example, will have much different dimensions before they are blocked than after, and the knitter needs to know the blocked gauge.

For a sweater or a hat, blocking it with pins isn’t necessary for measuring, and can even be disastrous. Just let it dry on its own, without manipulation. When the gauge is taken matters, and if your project needs to be washed or blocked, then after that is the time to measure it out.

When measurements are off in a pattern, 9 times out of 10 . . . it’s a gauge issue. Button it up tight before you write. If things need adjusting, don’t forget to account for gauge then too.

So, before you send your pattern off to the tech editor, please double check the gauge, because it is the basis for all of the measurements in the pattern, and that’s huge. If you find a gauge mistake, or your TE comes back to you with one, you’ll have some decisions to make to get the pattern back in shape. That’s a pain, that’s true, but it sucks a lot less than a published pattern with bad measurements.