Gauge Drama

[dawn0684]

So, I'd consider myself to be an intermediate knitter. I've been knitting for several years and I've knit sweaters, socks, hats, you name it. However, gauge has just always been one of those things that alludes me. I don't know why, or how.. even if I'm following a pattern and I have the right yarn and needle size, the gauge is still wrong. I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue, just figured I'd bring it up since I'm working on a beanie hat that seems to be sized for a fashionable elephant.

[MaggieMo]

lol I have a problem with this too sometimes. If I'm following a pattern with the correct yarn and needle tho, I don't have a problem its when I go it alone I have this problem. Do you make your test swatch with the yarn you picked? Sometimes I'm OK with it, sometimes it simply doesn't work.

[soozeq]

The 'right' needle size is the one that gives you the gauge given, even if it's a different one than used in the pattern. No 2 knitters get the same gauge with the same yarn and needle size, everyone has a different tension due to how they hold and wrap the yarn. So you need to match the gauge that's given, with whatever needle makes it. That entails knitting a sample that has several more stiches than the gauge says for 4". Then measure 4" across it without including the edge stitches since they're a different size than the ones in the center of the row.

If the hat is knit in the round then you do the sample in the round too because most of us purl looser or tighter than we knit so if you knit all stitches in the round you don't make purls and that will change from your flat gauge. You can cast on for the pattern and work a few inches then measure to see how close it is. Or you can fake it by casting on 20-30 sts, knit 1 row then slide the sts back to the beginning of the needle and knit another row leaving a very long loop of yarn across the back. Continue until you have about 3-4" then you can measure your sts per inch. Another thing about hats is they should be an inch or 2 smaller than the head size because they stretch.