Author: Deborah E. Burger
Original Publishing Date: October 20, 2008, Winter 2008 issue<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first tip I like to share with my crochet students is one that starts with a \u201cdirty word\u201d\u2026. it\u2019s swatching<\/em>! Most patterns include a little section at the beginning about \u201cTake time to measure your gauge.\u201d Many crocheters routinely ignore this, then use the stated hook even if substituting yarn. Here\u2019s a secret: the designer is only telling you what hook and yarn he\/she used, and what size stitches that made. It is NOT a magic formula, guaranteeing that if you use that hook and yarn yours will look the same. And then if you change yarns, even among the same stated \u201cweight\u201d of yarn, you move from \u201cno guarantee\u201d to \u201canybody\u2019s guess.\u201d You hold the hook and yarn differently, in a different set of hands with different musculature than the designer; your hook may be fractionally a different size, depending on brand; your yarn may be a different fiber. Even the same fiber content and same weight can be spun differently in different brands. All these differences make up the need for swatching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re substituting yarn, working a gauge swatch is a fun way to \u201cget to know\u201d the yarn you\u2019ve chosen. If you\u2019re using a different kind of fiber (e.g. acrylic, silk or alpaca instead of wool) it will behave differently: it will have a different amount of stretch or give in each stitch, which can affect the size and shape of the stitches. Even if you are using the same yarn as the designer, you are using YOUR hands, not his\/hers! You are holding the hook and yarn the way YOU hold them. This will also make a difference in the size and shape of your stitches. When you swatch, you give yourself a chance to find out those differences before your project \u201clooks funny.\u201d I encourage yarn substitutions, and often substitute myself\u2026. but there ARE some yarns that just won\u2019t work to the gauge specified for some patterns, without changing the texture or thickness of the fabric too much for the finished object to look right. It\u2019s best to find that out in a small square swatch, rather than after working for hours on a gift!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swatching is definitely not wasted time. In addition to getting to know the yarn, you get to know your own stitches, and how they compare to the designer\u2019s. For example, I tend to make taller, more slender stitches than most people. That means that it may take fewer rows than a pattern specifies, to reach the intended measurement. That\u2019s FINE as long as I know it! Before I knew this fact about my stitches, I habitually made sweaters that had sleeves long enough for gorillas! Cuffs are great, but gee whiz, enough is enough! Now, I swatch and make note of the difference between my stitches and the designer\u2019s and write myself a little note in the pattern, to remind me of changes I\u2019ll need to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also not wasted time if you are using the swatch to practice the \u201ctricky\u201d or new patterns of stitches that make up the texture. If you\u2019re going to spend some time struggling with split stitches, working a bit and frogging\/reworking it, it\u2019s so much less frustrating if you can keep saying to yourself, \u201cThat\u2019s okay, this swatch is just for practice anyway.\u201d Then when you come upon those bits in the pattern, you are not slowed down by doing the first task of deciphering and experimentation. You approach the tricky pattern stitches with confidence, reading and executing the pattern more accurately. I usually swatch all pattern stitches I have not worked before, even if they are NOT the part of the pattern specified for measuring gauge. It\u2019s a different kind of swatch and as useful as the gauge swatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swatching is not a waste of yarn, because you can make both of the above swatches with the same yarn, frogging the first to make the second. When that\u2019s finished, frog it again and use it in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we are crocheting because we love the act itself, rather than for efficient production of garments, then it seems natural that we would jump for joy at the suggestion that a bit of yarn can be productively used TWICE or even three times before it\u2019s gone forever into a finished object.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Author: Deborah E. BurgerOriginal Publishing Date: October 20, 2008, Winter 2008 issue The first tip I like to share with my crochet students is one that starts with a \u201cdirty word\u201d\u2026. it\u2019s swatching! Most patterns include a little section at the beginning about \u201cTake time to measure your gauge.\u201d Many crocheters routinely ignore this, then<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-editorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=440"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions\/444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/crochetuncut.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}