Swatching

This is a task that many yarn crafters dread. I have met so many experienced knitters and crocheters who refuse to do it - and then they wonder why their garments don’t fit! Making a swatch sometimes isn’t enough. Why is your swatch different in size to somebody else’s when they’ve used the same hook and yarn? Why doesn’t the swatch sit as nicely as a larger piece of fabric? What is blocking and what is it for?

Whether you are a beginner or experienced yarn crafter, having some technical knowledge is invaluable so that garments are the expected size and fit and finished objects drape beautifully.  

Gauge 

The vast majority of crochet and knitting patterns will have a section about gauge. So will the labels on many commercial yarns. They might say something like: Using a 5.5mm hook make 14 sts x 16 rows of dc (US sc) = 10x10cm. 

On yarn labels these instructions could be a simple little picture. If a yarn label does have gauge instructions, knitting gauges are most often given. Crochet gauge instructions are less frequently printed on them (although they're getting better!). Regardless, it is more important to pay attention to the designer’s gauge instructions than the yarn label. For a design with a more complicated stitch pattern, the designer may provide a specific tutorial on how to make the gauge swatch. 

What happens when you make a swatch using the same or similar yarn and hook as the pattern or yarn label, but your measurements are different? 

Firstly – always block your swatch. Don’t just finish making the swatch and get a ruler out to count your stitches, especially when you’re making a garment. Do you plan on wearing and washing your garment? It is inevitable that wear and washing will change the properties of your garment and the same principal applies to gauge swatches. 

Blocking a swatch is as simple as wetting it thoroughly, squeezing out all the excess water and gently laying the swatch out on a towel to fully dry. There is no need to drastically stretch or pin a swatch out. Just gently tug into the correct shape and sit it flat. Once the swatch is completely dry, count how many stitches in a row measure 10cm across and how many rows high measures 10cm. 

Do you have a different stitch or row count for that 10cm? There are a few options to correct this. The most common option is to change the hook size. If you have less stitches than stated in the gauge instructions, it means your stitches are bigger than the designer’s, so go down a hook size. If you have more stitches, your stitches are smaller than the designer’s, so go up a hook size. Again, block your swatch before measuring. 

Secondly - double check the yarn you’re using and compare it to what the designer used. Have a look at the meterage per 100g. For example, not all 4 ply yarns (also known as fingering or super fine or 1) are the same – they can range anywhere between 260m and 500m per 100g. Most Australian 4 ply yarns are in the vicinity of 400m per 100g but some more obscure yarns can be really different. If your yarn is drastically different, consider changing yarns to something that is closer to the designer’s yarn. 

What if your measurement is still different after changing hook size? And what if it’s only the height (row count) that is different, not the number of stitches? Your tension could be the culprit. 

Tension

Most designers don’t discuss in their patterns how they crochet or knit. I’m talking about how they hold their hooks or needles and whether they work loosely or tightly. This is more of an issue for crocheters than for knitters, because there are normally more steps in a crochet stitch than in a knitting stitch and there are more opportunities for crocheters to change the height of a part of a stitch. It really helps to know what kind of crocheter you are. 

There are three types of crochet tensions: 

• Yanker: the working yarn is pulled or ‘yanked’ behind the work at regular intervals (sometimes after every movement). This results in short stitches.
• Rider: the hook stays close to the last row of stitches without ‘yanking’ down on the working yarn to tighten it. 
• Lifter: the working loops are pulled up higher than the crochet piece. If the crocheter lifts the working loop up at every step, their stitches will be very tall. Some lifters also don’t put any tension on the working yarn.

Some crocheters do a combination of tension techniques. I am somewhere between a Yanker and a Rider, depending on what kind of stitch I am making. This means that as a garment designer, I explain that my row tension is often shorter than many others due to my natural technique. 

If you want to know what your technique is, see if you can film your hands while you make your stitches and watch it back slowly. You will see how you naturally hold the yarn and whether you pull on the loops, the working yarn or not at all when you crochet.

It is possible to consciously change your tension. Try this on small objects until it feels comfortable and your stitches are uniform. Ultimately making drastic changes to your natural tension is not necessary unless it becomes a hindrance to making garments that fit and homewares that are actually useful. 

Tempted to skip the swatch?

There are no crochet police - you can skip the swatch if you want to. If you’re making amigurumi, blankets and small homewares, you may never need to swatch! 

Here are a few points to consider before you skip the swatch in your next garment project:

• The designer has probably calculated yardage based on the gauge of the project. This is how many skeins/balls/metres of yarn you’ll need to make something. You may run out of yarn if your tension is looser and you work to a bigger gauge than the intended design.
• Your finished product could be too big or too small for its intended purpose. It is pretty heartbreaking when a beautifully finished garment doesn’t fit the wearer.
• The stitch pattern may not suit the yarn you’re using. A swatch is a good way to test out whether the yarn is going to be suitable for the project.

Blocking

Blocking is a finishing step to many yarn crafts. Think of something like a big blanket or jumper that has been bundled up inside a project bag in between working on the project. It gets creased and out of shape. It might curl oddly and sit weirdly in some places. If your project has a lace pattern in it, you may not be able to appreciate the full effect of the lace pattern until you block it. Your project may also be dirty after being moved from place to place and could do with a wash. 

There are lots of different ways to block your work and it’s good to know a few techniques to choose the best one for your latest project. 

• Old clean towels
• Blocking mats – a yoga mat or more rigid foam mat available from hardware, camping or toy stores, sometimes coming in pieces that fit together
• Wool wash
• Blocking wires. A very effective cheaper alternative is whipper-snipper cord – cut lengths of it to suit. 
• Bucket or sink
• Pins or blocking pins
• Water spray bottle
• Steam iron

Blocking Methods

• Washing: A full wash block is perfect for acrylic yarn and most cotton yarns. You can simply throw the item in the washing machine and afterwards, lay it out somewhere flat to dry. Do not wash wool in the washing machine. Ever. It will shrink and you will be heartbroken.
• Hand Washing: Fill a bucket with lukewarm water and a good quality wool wash. Immerse the item and agitate with your hands. Rinse under cold water until any colour or soap suds have cleared. My favourite drying methods are:

1. Gently wring out the majority of water with my hands. Then I sandwich the item between two towels, roll the sandwich up like a big sushi roll and stomp on the roll. This will transfer most of the water to the towels. Then unroll and lay the item in the shade on a dry towel.
2. Spin cycle. Yep, I bundle the soaking wet project into my front loading washing machine and put it on the spin cycle. All this does is spin most of the water out of the project and means it will dry faster.

• Pin Blocking: Pin blocking is especially useful for shawls with delicate lace work that should sit in a particular shape. Either fully wet the item or use a water spray bottle to gently spritz the item. Carefully lay it out and gently pin to the correct shape until dry.
• Steam Blocking: Especially useful when making squares. Slightly dampen each square with a water spray bottle, pin to the correct shape and size on either a blocking mat or ironing board and steam with a steam iron.
• Iron Blocking: Using a conventional iron to block. I don’t recommend this method, but if you must iron, place the item upside down then put a tea towel over the top of it before applying heat. Don’t press too hard or you will flatten the stitches.

 Effective blocking can be the difference between your garment looking professionally finished or ‘just okay’. Not only does blocking make your item form the correct shape, but it can significantly change the drape of the fabric, especially with garments.