You'd better Swatch Out!

Yup, it's me talking about swatching - or the lack of it - again! I know swatching's not fun. At least that's what some of you say. I love swatching. A new yarn arrives in the shop, BANG, out come the needles and I'm swatching. I cast on thirty to forty stitches and do my regular no brainer swatch - 6 rows garter 40 rows stockinette bordered on both edges with 3 garter stitches. After 15 minutes I know if I will love this yarn. Or not. This little swatching time allows me to dream about what this yarn might become. A hat, a scarf, a sweater? I try out different needle sizes and types of needles - bamboo, metal, casein - just to see how the yarn behaves with each of them.

I just can't understand why some most knitters are so opposed to swatching. The following story and photo is here with the permission of the knitter.

Last week at knitting, a sock in progress was on the table, and we were admiring the yarn (Victoriana from the Universal North Pole collection). When asked what pattern the knitter was using, she showed us. The photo of the sock had a teeny tiny garter stitch lace edging that was possibly 1 inch wide.  The sock is from

Next Steps Four - Socks and Slippers

Pattern Book # 500861

copyright Paton's Yarns

The sock on the table had a huge loose garter stitch ruffled edging, about 2 1/2  inches wide. I questioned her about swatching. Nope, no swatch. I expressed my concern about the difference between the photo and the actual, but she soldiered on and started the cuff of said sock. After an hour or so of knitting, I kinda sorta said that the sock would fit an elephant and grabbed it from her asked if I could check the gauge for her. The gauge in the pattern was 32 stitches to 4 inches. She was getting 22 stitches to 4 inches. The sock was more than 12 inches around. Seriously. I am not kidding. 12 inches. Most socks have a circumference of 8 inches. I suggested she try swatching with some smaller needles (which I kindly forced into her hands!) and off she went to swatch. This is the result.

The bottom half is 18 cm wide knit with 2.75 mm needles, the top half is 13 cm wide, knit with 2 mm needles. And the top half is smack on perfect gauge. 

I usually don't say too much about people's knitting for fear of offending them. I just couldn't keep quiet this time. I hope she forgives me.