can't match gauge - what to do? any advice?

[Peace+Hope]

i'm on my third swatch to try to work towards this gauge for knitting picky pants (planning to do shorties): 18 sts and 24 rows.

these are my results:

size 8: 17 sts and 22 rows
size 7: 17 sts and 24 rows
size 6: 20 sts and 26 rows


ugh. i knitted larger than the recommended swatch, which is huge, so i feel good about my measurements (though i'm scratching my head over how i jumped from 17 to 20 sts - maybe i knit tighter on the smaller needles).

soooo.... i'm thinking that the 7s are my best bet? but this is my first time knitting a garment that needs to have correct proportions, AND, i like how tightly the fabric feels on the 6s - even the 7s seem to make a fabric that is too loose to be practical.

what would you experienced knitters do? can i adjust the pattern to fit my gauge? how would i do that?? other options?

any advice is welcome!! thank you!

[flapjack]

Wash your swatches and remeasure

[Peace+Hope]

what????? i pulled them all out! won't that shrink them a little bit or something? or wouldn't i have to knit up the whole ball and wash that before knitting the pants?

[MeepyCat]

No no, you don't have to wash the whole ball. The reason to wash the swatch and remeasure is that you can lie wet wool down and "adjust" it to be the size you want if it's close. (Also, yes, it may shrink a little or grow a little of it's own accord - just drop that sucker in cold water and then wring it out in a towel, don't agitate it so it felts. And then lay it flat and pat it into more or less the right shape and let it dry before you measure it again.) So if you are a little bit off in knitting gauge, you might be able to make it not matter by blocking the knitted item to the correct size.

[Knittin' in the Shade]

what yarn are you using? I'm wondering if it's a different weight than in the pattern?

[flapjack]

What MeepyCat said: but also, you add twist at every stage of the process from getting from sheep to longies- when you spin, when you knit or crochet- and washing and blocking lets the energy relax down and the yarn bloom and you can see what you're going to get. Seriously. I am a total hypocrite on this one, but if you're going to the trouble of knitting a swatch, you should really wash it too.

[Peace+Hope]

i have no problem w/ washing a swatch, i just wish i'd known about it before i knit three and ripped them all out.... wow, that sucks...

flapjack, i really appreciate your taking time to respond to my question, and for explaining how washing it works.... can you happen to offer your expertise, maybe offer an opinion about whether a gauge comes out slightly larger or smaller when a swatch has been washed?

fwiw, i am using worsted weight yarn, which the pattern calls for. i had help picking it out at my local knitting store. i think do knit more tightly as i go down in needle size, for some reason, which might be why there is a jump in gauge - odd that the rows adjust more than the sts per inch.

[flapjack]

For me, it depends on the yarn how it behaves- most of the time it shrinks, but my first project, I got gauge perfectly with fingering weight yarn and 4mm (size 6, I think) needles. As it was a baby cardigan, I seamed it, washed it, and by that point it was fit for nothing but catching fish in

I'm going to hazard a guess that on your size 7's, a blocked swatch is going to be almost exactly right, especially once you're knitting in the round.

[Peace+Hope]

Originally Posted by flapjack

For me, it depends on the yarn how it behaves- most of the time it shrinks, but my first project, I got gauge perfectly with fingering weight yarn and 4mm (size 6, I think) needles. As it was a baby cardigan, I seamed it, washed it, and by that point it was fit for nothing but catching fish in

I'm going to hazard a guess that on your size 7's, a blocked swatch is going to be almost exactly right, especially once you're knitting in the round.

thanks so much, flapjack. certainly can't imagine re-knitting all those swatches. i really appreciate your help!