Swatching... not just for gauge.
In preparation for our fall adventure to Vermont for the Sheep and Wool Festival, I put together a free, downloadable Yarn Fest Planner! Because I don't know about you, but I don't like to do math under pressure... or math in a busy, endorphin-fueled festival atmosphere.
Better to take some time in advance to research the big projects you'll be shopping for, take a close look at the yarn the pattern calls for, how much yardage you'll need, and "math out" the yards to ounces — which the yarn fest planner walks you through. It helps make it easier for you on Festival Day! But sometimes, even with our best efforts to prepare, you might STILL end up with a little surprise.
I fell in love with an armload of Weekend Wool by Green Mountain Spinnery, a woolen-spun blend of American-grown wool in a beautiful creamy white. I dutifully had my yarn fest planner along with me, and I'd filled it out for Andrea Mowry's Winter's Beach Cardi.
I compared the weight to yardage ratio and convinced myself that it was close enough to work. (Question: Have you ever convinced yourself that something in knitting "would work"? Did it actually??) The original yarn was a worsted-spun DK yarn and I still felt confident — especially as I hugged my pile of woollen-spun, creamy, squishy yarn — that I could finagle the gauge by experimenting with needle size.
Could I have gone online to see more of a description of the wool at the GMS website or Ravelry? No. The cellular service at the Tunbridge World's Fairgrounds is spotty at best. Could I have inquired of a salesperson about my intentions with this yarn to get their opinion? Also, no. They were all seriously overrun with eager customers and we were packed into the booth like sardines. If I had been able to do any of these things, I might have realized that I didn't have a match for the pattern. Would I have bought it anyway? Probably yes, because I was in love!
The title of this post includes that word GAUGE which makes some of you recoil — Betsy and others may have just scrolled right on by. If you're still here reading, and if you're up for it, take a look at one of my most-read posts on the Cashmere Goat's blog from 2022, "Take your yarn on a date — Why swatching is sexy." That post is about swatching for GAUGE.
But your swatch also tells you about the FABRIC.
Barbarina Heyerdahl was a guest teacher at the Vermont retreat — she and I are dear friends and knitting friends from WAY, way back. She's an amazing educator, now a knitting instructor, and we both delight in deep, nerdy conversations about all things knitting. One of our familiar conversational rabbit holes is Why do so many knitters hate swatching so much?? And how can we help them see the light?!!
Swatching for gauge is about achieving the correct fit for your garment — which Barbarina and I firmly believe is worth it, by the way. Swatching for fabric is how to determine whether the yarn you've selected is the right yarn for the project. Sure, you can adjust your needle size up and down to get to the pattern gauge.
But the real kicker is: when you've achieved that pattern gauge, do you like the fabric that's produced?
When I got home, I swatched for the Winter's Beach with my glorious, sumptuous Mountain Wool, I had to size down on my needle. I couldn't match the gauge exactly, but I was close enough and considered how this would impact my intended size. My stitches already seemed crowded and the fabric was a bit dense. I also couldn't imaging squishing this yarn into an even smaller needle size. Winter's Beach has lots of cables, I told myself, I want a fabric with some oomph!
I WAS STILL UNDETERRED AND UNDAUNTED.
I decided to cast on for the ribbing — which called for TWO needle sizes down from the main needle, so I was down to US 3s. Knitting the ribbing was a physical activity. I had to actively PUSH my stitches to advance them on my Chiaogoo cord. Each stitch felt like a workout.
I had to admit to myself that this was no fun. Even though eventually I'd be back on the main needles I used to get gauge, was knitting this fabric pleasurable? Not really, no. My beautiful creamy American wool deserved better, and so did I for the hours I'd spend knitting this garment.
It was time to pivot. As always, when I try to convince myself of something in my knitting, it usually means I already know that it's not quite right. If it's not a 100% YES, it's a no. This is apparently a lesson that needs repeating for me!
Why didn't the yarn "work" for the pattern, despite that the yardage to weight ratio was comparable? It's all in the spinning. A woolen spun yarn is loftier and with more air in it, so can end up being much thicker in the hand even though it's a similar weight in ounces to a worsted spun yarn. Check out this post by Jillian Moreno on the MDK blog for a much more detailed explanation!
I selected a newer pattern by Andrea Mowry, the DRK Everyday Saddle — which hey, calls for worsted weight yarn and a gauge and needle size that felt entirely appropriate and achievable for this yarn!
That's what I love about the craft of knitting. We are always learning.
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