Happy Monday, dear T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! We’ve touched on gauge a bit in the past, but we felt that we wanted to reiterate how truly crucial it is to be knowledgeable of your own personal tension when crafting a garment. We generally ask for most of our finished garments to be sized for an average American adult. Even if you are following your chosen pattern’s suggested cast-on stitches, needles/hooks size, and even the recommended yarn, it is still entirely possible to end up with a garment that is either too loose or too tight/stiff. This is where knowing your personal tension comes into play.
Most of us have a rough idea about our individual crafting tension (i.e. whether we’re tight knitters/crocheters or loose knitters/crocheters). This is a great start, but it doesn’t always paint the full picture. When you look at a pattern for a garment that you would like to make, the designer has a specific denoted gauge that is required to achieve the optimal fit and look of that finished garment. This is actually really important to take note of, and in order for the garment to fit correctly and look like it does on the model, it is good practice to adhere to the designer’s requested gauge.
Thus, it is crucial to knit or crochet a gauge swatch with your chosen needles/hooks and yarn. This is a really good way to gauge (ha ha, pun intended) whether you are crafting true to the pattern designer’s gauge or not. If you find that your tension is too loose or too tight, don’t change yourself – change your tools! If you are too tight, move up a needle/hook size to attain the correct gauge. If you are too loose, move down a needle/hook size.