Lisa Toppin Knits

Back at my desk for the first time in about two weeks. Between a truly majestic allergy season and the ear infection I’ve been doing the minimum. Feels good to be back.

Measuring a swatch accurately is crucial. If I am off by just an eighth of an inch (3.175 mm to my metric folks), that’s going to result in my garment growing by several inches across an entire sweater.

My example swatch measured 4” across the width of a row of stitches. But when I measured the height of a column of stitches, my swatch measured 4 6/8 inches (12cm). This is fairly typical; we often achieve stitch gauge rather than row gauge.

If I were going to make a garment based on this swatch, I would have to knit fewer rows to reach the desired lengths.

We’re told that row gauge is not as important as stitch gauge. That 6/8 inch (1.9cm) difference in my row gauge would result in sleeves that were too long or a yoke that landed below my armpits.

Have you had length surprises in your knitting? Share your experience or tips in the comments below—let’s learn from each other!

Swatch Stats:
Yarn: Berocco Ultra Wool
Needle Size: 4.5mm
# Of Stitches: 26 = 4” (10cm)
# Of Rows: 27= 4 6/8” (12cm)