Does anyone else knit crazy tight? (gauge problem) UPDATE: *facepalm* Oops, that was the wrong size!

[Fujiko]

I'm trying to start on a sweater project, and for the life of me I can't get the gauge. FTR I'm using the yarn that is suggested in the pattern, same brand and style. The pattern says it should be knitted with size 7 needles. Well, I knitted a gauge swatch in sizes 7, 8, 9, 10, and now I'm on size 10.5 needles. So far all of them have been too small.

12 st in St st should be 4" and it's more like 3" on size 7's.

Can anyone relate? Am I going to have to just relearn how to knit, looser? It doesn't feel too tight.

Update: see post #12. Someone pointed out the obvious and I re-read the pattern and yup, I'm just using the absolute wrong size to begin with!

[railyuh]

Could it be a mistake on the pattern or do you have this problem a lot? I'd try looking around online to see if the pattern has any errata just to make sure.

[lnupermom]

Three stitches to the inch on US 7s seems odd to me. If you're on Ravelry(and everyone should be, LOL!) look the pattern up there and read other people's comments.

Telling us the pattern name will help as well as someone maybe has knitted it or has the pattern.

That said, how are you measuring the swatch? Is it still on the needles? Are you making it 5-6" square so that you aren't measuring edge stitches? Did you wash/dry/block the swatch like you would the finished product?

[caiesmommy]

Im crazy tight too!!!..im slowly getting better, and lucky for me I have a dh whos a knitter so when I pick out a pattern he picks the right size needles for me cause without him I would be LOST!

[feest]

mee toooo! my big problem is fighting my stitches back up on to my needles from circulars skinny cord.

[Knittin' in the Shade]

Please don't be offended by this - but I've had students do this, so it's a possibility! Are you sure you're measuring the stitches correctly? One stitch is BOTH "legs" of the stitch - in stockinette, it looks like a V and one stitch is both parts of the V. I've had students who count each side of the v as one stitch, so they thought they were getting 8 stitches to the inch when really it was just 4 stitches.

[spero]

People always ask me how (as a relatively newbie knitter) I manage to not knit too tightly or too loosely. I learned to knit on knittinghelp.com and I've always held my yarn in the way shown there. Never have had an issue with too tight/too loose.

[Indigo73]

I am not a new knitter and my gauge is considered tight. I automatically go up at least 1 needle size from the size recommended for a yarn. I am using dpns, then up 2 sizes.

But that gauge sounds like it would be for a rather bulky yarn, not something done on US #7 needles. Is it a US pattern?

[MeepyCat]

I agree that three stitches per inch on size sevens seems a tad unlikely. Is the fabric supposed to be ribbed? Stitch gauge for ribbed things can be hard to get - the purl stitches can all but disappear between the knit ones, so they tell you to measure "slightly stretched", and it's anyone's guess how much stretching they mean.

If not, and if there are no pattern errata... just keep moving on up to bigger needles. Some pattern designers appear to knit very oddly, achieving gauges that sound either bizarrely loose or hand-crampingly tight. Sooner or later, you are guaranteed to run into a pattern that gives you the kind of trouble you are having right now. It is far better to have this headache over a recalcitrant swatch than it is to discover, when you're binding off, that you've made something that won't ever in a million years fit right.

[Fujiko]

Thanks for all of your replies!

Originally Posted by railyuh

Could it be a mistake on the pattern or do you have this problem a lot? I'd try looking around online to see if the pattern has any errata just to make sure.

No applicable errata (see below for link). I do seem to always knit tightly, but this is ridiculous. I've never knit something so big before, mostly baby stuff and scarves. I remember trying to knit a sweater for a knitting class years back when I was learning to knit. The master knitter lady never made us do gauge swatches, she just told us how many stitches to cast on. My sweater would have fit a small dog, and my teacher was just as confused as I was. I must have frogged and re-started that sweater five times before I gave up and dropped out.

Originally Posted by lnupermom

Three stitches to the inch on US 7s seems odd to me. If you're on Ravelry(and everyone should be, LOL!) look the pattern up there and read other people's comments.

Telling us the pattern name will help as well as someone maybe has knitted it or has the pattern.

That said, how are you measuring the swatch? Is it still on the needles? Are you making it 5-6" square so that you aren't measuring edge stitches? Did you wash/dry/block the swatch like you would the finished product?

Here's the ravelry link:
Green Gable Hoodie

I added 10 stitches to the # (22, because 12+10 is 22) so that I wouldn't be counting edge stitches. Then I knit over 15 rows, until I thought that any stretch from being on the needles would be gone, then I measured.

I can understand how a gauge would measure too big when it's still on the needles, but these stitches are too small. And does washing/drying stretch out the fabric? Maybe that's what it is...that i need to do that so it's bigger?

Originally Posted by Knittin' in the Shade

Please don't be offended by this - but I've had students do this, so it's a possibility! Are you sure you're measuring the stitches correctly? One stitch is BOTH "legs" of the stitch - in stockinette, it looks like a V and one stitch is both parts of the V. I've had students who count each side of the v as one stitch, so they thought they were getting 8 stitches to the inch when really it was just 4 stitches.

Haha, not offended, but yes, I am counting the whole "v" as one stitch.

Originally Posted by Indigo73

I am not a new knitter and my gauge is considered tight. I automatically go up at least 1 needle size from the size recommended for a yarn. I am using dpns, then up 2 sizes.

But that gauge sounds like it would be for a rather bulky yarn, not something done on US #7 needles. Is it a US pattern?

Yeah, I starting to realize that I will always at least need to go up one needle size.

Yup, it's chunky wool. Is it harder to get a proper guage with bulky yarn?
It's a Vogue Knitting pattern.

[Indigo73]

Ah ha, it's a 7mm needle which equals size 11 US, most of the time.

That is probably your issues.

[Fujiko]

Originally Posted by Indigo73

Ah ha, it's a 7mm needle which equals size 11 US, most of the time.

That is probably your issues.

Haaaaaaa....
Yeah, that's it. Actually, when I read your post I ran and got the pattern and re-read it, and I have NO IDEA where I pulled "size 7 needles" from. The pattern actually states to use size 10.5 needles. Plus, like I said earlier, I usually do need to go up a size anyway, so I'll probably be using size 11's.
So yeah. That explains a lot. Thank you so much!

[llamalluv]

Originally Posted by Fujiko

I'm trying to start on a sweater project, and for the life of me I can't get the gauge. FTR I'm using the yarn that is suggested in the pattern, same brand and style. The pattern says it should be knitted with size 7 needles. Well, I knitted a gauge swatch in sizes 7, 8, 9, 10, and now I'm on size 10.5 needles. So far all of them have been too small.

12 st in St st should be 4" and it's more like 3" on size 7's.

Can anyone relate? Am I going to have to just relearn how to knit, looser? It doesn't feel too tight.

Update: see post #12. Someone pointed out the obvious and I re-read the pattern and yup, I'm just using the absolute wrong size to begin with!

I have the opposite problem. I have a loose tension and wind up knitting worsted weight stuff on sock needles.