Knitting for Beginners!
Mr. Tokuko had a strong desire to have a gauge round, so in the fifth installment, the gauge is important! Get the gage! This is the story.
Youtube is here !
We are still accepting questions from beginners through the form .
Question 1: What made you want to talk more about Gage?
To be honest, there are a lot of people who don't pick up the gauge! Because I want you to understand the meaning of the game properly.
Taking the gauge is the work of knitting a swatch and checking how many rows there are in 10cm x 10cm.
When a designer writes a pattern, he always uses a gauge to determine how many stitches and rows he will knit, and then calculates the overall size based on that.
If you start knitting without a gauge, the tragedy will be that it will not be the ideal shape that the designer worked hard to create, and it will be too small or too big. Sad, isn't it?
Question 2: I find it troublesome to take gauges. Is it not okay to take a gauge of 5 cm x 5 cm and double it by calculation?
I understand how you feel, but let's start with a proper 10cm.
The stitches are not stable at the beginning of the knitting or at the edge of the knitted fabric, so if you want to be more certain, knit 15cm x 15cm and measure in the middle.
If you are used to it, 5cm x 5cm is fine.
Question 3: What should I do if either the number of stitches or the number of rows does not match?
It's hard to answer because it depends on the number of steps and the patterns.
For horizontal knitting designs, you need to match the number of rows tightly.
For top-down or bottom-up designs, you can adjust the number of rows while knitting.
However, if there is an increase or decrease, it is necessary to pay attention to the timing. If you blindly tweak the number of steps, the timing of the raglan stitches of the top-down sweater will not match, resulting in a strange shape, and the overall balance will be disturbed.
The only solution is to recalculate. Therefore, it is best to somehow match the number of stitches and the number of rows to the gauge.
Therefore, what I would like to recommend to beginners is to find a designer who matches your gauge.
There is bound to be a designer with a good chemistry that says, "This person always fits the gauge!"
In general, men are more powerful than women, so their hands are tighter. Also, the American style tends to be tighter than the French style. If you think, "I can't get a gauge this tight!", it's probably because the knitting method is different from mine. Unfortunately, I disagree with the designer. Level up, then challenge the person's design.
Question 4: When raising or lowering the number of needles to match the gauge, do you try changing by one number?
Since it doesn't change much around No. 1, I recommend that you try to change No. 2.
It's just a very unfortunate story, but there are almost no people who can knit according to the gauge even if they have taken the gauge. Because things change when you lose your temper.
Then there's no point in taking the game! It is said, but that is not the case.
I want you to take a gauge to know your habits .
I always find the actual knitted fabric looser than the gauge. Knitting a small square seems to make your hands tense and tight.
Therefore, I start knitting with the feeling that it will actually be one or two stitches looser than the result of removing the gauge.
The designated gauge was 22nd, and when the gauge was taken, it was 24th.
→ In this case, it will actually be 22, so I think there is no problem.
Taking the gauge every time is to know your own habits. By knowing the difference between the gauge and the actual knitted fabric, you will be able to make the size you want . Be sure to pick up the game! ! !
Question 5: Do you leave the gauged swatches unundone and compare them with the actual knitted fabric?
If it's something you design yourself, be sure to keep it.
When knitting other people's patterns, I will not leave.
I think it's safe to leave it at first, but it's okay if you don't get used to it. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to change the needles while you're knitting to get the gauge just right.
Question 6: Knitted swatches twirl. Should I garter the ends and lay them flat?
All you have to do is stretch and measure, so there is no problem even if you are spinning. I do not mind.
What you shouldn't do is make assumptions.
Try pulling it out a bit or shrinking it. There are many people who want to get closer to the designated gauge and move it just a little. But no! Leave it as it is and measure it as it is. That's the cardinal rule.
Question 7: Do the swatches drain and then gauge?
There is a thread that shrinks and stretches when water is passed through it.
When I write a pattern myself, if I use a thread that changes a lot when I run the water through it, I write an alert saying, "Because it shrinks, please measure both before and after running the water through it." If there is an alert, follow it obediently.
If it's a normal thread, it's a good idea to apply a steam iron to it and see how much it changes before and after applying it.
Lace patterns should be run through water and spread out to see how they look.
I don't like having to do a lot of work before knitting, but knitting takes a lot of time. Therefore, I would like you to assign one day to the game day.
Taking all possible measures is the first step to making a good product.
Question 8: For designs with multiple patterns, for example, do you knit both swatches for the knitted part and the patterned part?
I would really like to have both, but it's difficult.
If both gauges are on the pattern, basically I think that if you match the knitted one, the knitted gauge will also match.
Designs with different patterns for each part make it difficult even for designers to keep gauges properly. I think that it is safe to match even one place somewhere.
Question 9: If the design is knitted in a circle, such as socks, do you also knit the swatch in a circle?
Many people use different hands when knitting in a circle and when knitting back and forth.
If you know how much you change, double-knit swatches are fine.
I know my habit of knitting in a circle to make my hands tighter, so I start knitting assuming it will actually be tighter than the double-knit gauge.
And even if you knit a swatch with a loop smaller than the actual gauge, it's hard to say that you're knitting a definite gauge, because the swatches for knitting large and small loops are different.
If you don't cast on the number of stitches according to the pattern and knit it, you can't know the true gauge.
That's why I always keep statistics on what happens when I'm knitting a circle.
I think that improving your knitting means that you can knit from start to finish with the assumed gauge and finish it in a good shape .
In order to do so, we must accumulate data by observing what we have knitted every day .
Again, the act of taking the gauge first to know your habits is very important.
Question 10: Anything else left out?
It seems that some people think that it is not necessary to change the gauge if it is a specified thread, but the gauge will change if the hand changes. Whatever the thread, do your best to get the gauge.