Knitting Tenacity & Knitting Samples

Knitting tension is about how much the stitches you knit fill up. If you follow the knitting tension stated in your pattern, your finished work will be the size you knit to. It is therefore very important to follow the knitting tension so that you don't end up spending a lot of time on something that you can't fit.

When you need to check your knitting tension, you should make a knitting sample. The knitting sample should always be in the same pattern as in your pattern. It can be, for example, stockinette stitch or double pearl rib. The knitting sample should measure a little more than 10 cm in width and height, so that you can measure 10 cm on it without measuring the outermost stitches. If you knit in a yarn or in a pattern that changes when washed, it may be a good idea to wash and possibly also block your knitting sample before measuring it. When you measure your knitting tension, you should measure how many stitches there are in 10 cm.

If you get too many stitches on 10 cm, use a larger needle.

If you get too few stitches on 10 cm, use a smaller needle.

Once you have found the needle you need to reach the gauge, you know that is the size needle you should be knitting with. Everyone's gauge is different, and you will therefore not necessarily reach the gauge with the same needle as stated in the pattern.

When you follow the gauge, you know that your finished piece will be the right size. If not, your piece will end up being too big or too small.

Should you wash and block your knitting sample?

If you want a realistic measurement, wash and block your swatch if you want to do the same with your finished project. This way you will get the most accurate measurement – ​​and avoid unpleasant surprises.