Yes, you’re right… swatching is a waste of time… that is, unless you treat it as a science experiment!
Effective swatching tests the same combination of variables as will be used in finished knitted garment: same yarn, needles, construction method, blocking… just smaller (not too small!). Changing one or more variables will impact the final result of your handknit sweater: the look, feel and gauge reading will all be affected. Unless you treat your swatch as a science experiment, you cannot rely on the results to make informed decisions about your knitted garment.
1. Yarn
This one seems easy: swatch with yarn from the same bundle of balls/ skeins you bought for the project. This also means a swatch in the “same yarn” from two years ago is not reliable… Yarn companies may change their spinning mill, their clip may have slightly changed, and the may even they use a different base for their lighter and darker colours.
2. Needles
Your needles can have a big impact on your gauge. Use the same needle/ needle tips for your swatch as you will for the garment. I use interchangeable needles and use the same 10cm/ 4″ tips with a 20cm/ 8″ cord to work a 50cm/ 20″ circumference swatch (ie. beanie/ cowl if you want to make it “wearable”).
3. Construction method
If the garment is knit flat, the swatch must be knit flat. If the garment is knit in the round, you need to swatch in the round. Both? Swatch both. Your tension when kniitting in the round is more than likely different to knitting in rows, partly because your purl and knit stitch will never be 100% the same. Also, Magic Loop is not the same as knitting in the round- you have to break regularly to reset your cord and stitches, and therefore can’t recreate the speed and tension of knitting your garment in the round. If you are going to work the sleeves using Magic Loop, test that too, but don’t swatch using Magic Loop instead of knitting in the round.
4. Blocking
You must block your swatch the same way you intend to block your garment to see how the fibres bloom and set after being wet/ damp and then dried. If your method is chucking the garment in the washing machine, do that to your swatch. If it’s handwashing it with wool wash, do that. If it will only ever be steamed, do that. Unless it is lace, don’t pin it aggressively… just arrange it and let it fully dry in place before measuring it at the centre of the swatch with a ruler.
5. Swatch Size
You need a swatch that is big enough to analyse the look and feel: the stitch definintion, the drape, and to be able to measure in the centre of your swatch, without the selvedge or cast on/ bind off edges influencing your reading. I recommend working a swatch three times the stitch and row gauge for items knit flat, and five times the stitch, two to three times the round gauge when knitting in the round (this is you can knit on a 40cm / 16″ circular).
6. Analysis
Once you have concluded your experiment, use your “test results” to consider:
- Do I like the look and feel of the yarn at this gauge?
- Is this the best yarn choice for this project?
- Is there another pattern in my library/ queue this yarn might be better suited to?
- What adjustments, if any, will I need to make to the pattern with this stitch and row/ round gauge to get the size I want?
Final Thoughts: Art vs Science
I know you may still have doubts. You’re thinking, this sounds too scientific. But we are essentially engineering a 3D shell stitch by stitch…
…and great composers, conductors, patisserie chefs all require precision to create great art!
Of course, more free methods produce great art too… whatever you do, just keep making!