October 25, 2024
Ash Slipover KAL - Swatch It!
Our Ash Slipover KAL launched this week with a Swatch Party on Zoom which was great fun! The KAL runs until 16th December 2024 so you have plenty of time to choose your yarn bundle and join in!
Prior to our Zoom call, I recorded a video for participants discussing why swatching for your project is particularly useful when making a garment. If you want to be confident of ending up with something that fits it's always a good idea to start with a swatch!
During the Zoom meeting, a few questions came up so if after watching the video you have a question, have a look to see if it's answered below. And if it's not, drop me an email: info@allabouttheyarn.co.uk
Swatching Q & A
Q: Do I swatch with both yarns held together?
A: Yes - we are swatching to find out how our finished fabric will behave so it is important to swatch with both yarns held together.
A: Yes - we are swatching to find out how our finished fabric will behave so it is important to swatch with both yarns held together.
Q: Do I wash and dry my swatch?
A: Yes - the recommended gauge in the pattern is after you have blocked your yarn. If you are going to soak your slipover at the end to block your work, you should soak your swatch. I like to measure the gauge of my swatch before I block it as well so when I'm knitting the actual project, I can check my gauge is still comparable to my swatch.
Q: Do I have to swatch in the round?
A: I have chosen to do this as that is how most of the garment is knit (please see my swatch video for a tip about knitting in the round). However, the garment starts with flat knitting so either choice is valid. Whichever way you swatch, if you have measured it before blocking you can compare this to your work as you go to see if your flat/in-the-round tension is very different (in which case you may want to change needle size accordingly).
Q: Can I re-use the yarn from my swatch?
A: Yes - you can either cut the tail and keep your swatch aside in case of a yarn emergency at the end (unlikely as designers should leave an allowance for swatching in their meterage requirements) or, as Janet does, leave the yarn attached to the balls, just put the swatch in to soak and leave it to dry and, if you're happy with the gauge, pull it out and start your project (or start another swatch on another needle size if you need to adjust). Re-using the yarn won't effect the gauge of your finished project.
Q: Why do you recommend making a larger swatch than 10cm square?
A: The stitch and row count will be most accurate in the middle area of your swatch, the stitches at the sides and edges tend to distort a bit. It also gives you a chance to get into a nice rhythm and a larger swatch gives you a much better idea of how the fabric is going to feel and drape.
Q: Should I give my swatch a garter stitch edging to help it lie flat?
A: I personally wouldn't as this will potentially effect the gauge - particularly if you use it up the vertical edges. Garter stitch rows sit closer together than stocking stitch rows so they can pull the row tension out. If your swatch is large enough, the curling edges won't get in your way.
Q: Do I have to do a long-tail cast on?
A: The designer has specified this as it a fairly stretchy cast-on. I would recommend you have a look at my Long-Tail Cast-On YouTube tutorial. I've also recorded a tutorial for a German Twisted Cast-On as an alternative as it based on a long-tail cast-on but is even stretchier - great if you tend to cast-on tight like me. If you really want to use your own "go-to" cast on, just make sure it's nice and loose - again, using a needle one or two sizes bigger just for the cast-on can help. Although, as Juanita said on Monday night, why not take it as an opportunity to challenge yourself and try something new? After all, we're here for advice if you get stuck and a swatch is a great opportunity to practise!
Q: What if I can get the stitch gauge but my row gauge is out?
A: In most garment patterns, the stitch gauge is more important than the row gauge. We knit a specified number of stitches which will dictate the width but, generally, garment patterns specify knitting for a certain length (so knit to x-cm or inches) which means if that takes you more or fewer rows to get there, that's ok. However, if your stitch gauge is spot on but your row gauge is out, I would consider swatching again with a different needle size. Sometimes (surprisingly) a change of needle can effect stitches or rows but not both. You can even try changing the needle material - swapping between wood and metal needles can slightly alter your gauge. Parts of this pattern involve knitting for a set amount of rows so if your row gauge is out, this could effect the overall fit of the garment. If you can't get the exact row gauge on any needle size, then yes, prioritise the stitch gauge.
If you have any other questions, ping them over, although if you haven't watched the Swatch It video have a look at that first as your question might be answered in there :).
If you would like to see the first tutorial videos to get an idea of what sort of support participants receive, you can see all the KAL videos on my YouTube channel here.
Our regular weekly Zoom meeting "WIP Wednesdays" are 7pm - 8pm every Wednesday, links are emailed to participants every week. We are also having two face-to-face meet-ups at Chesterblade Hills on 16th November and 14th December.