Gauge
Gauge
The gauge in a knitted piece plays a very important role when choosing the right size in a pattern.
Sjöfn, our designer, knits very tightly herself and usually has to use a larger needle size than that specified for a particular gauge with the yarn in question. The needle size recommended in a pattern refers to the needle size that Sjöfn uses to achieve the correct gauge. Since we all knit differently tight or loose, we strongly recommend that you make a knitting sample at the beginning and use this sample to choose the right needle size or size in the pattern.
If you are experienced and know roughly what needle size you normally use for a certain wool, you can also use this as a guide. For example, I, the translator, knit rather loosely than Sjöfn and often use half a needle size less than the manufacturer recommends for a yarn - and so it happens that for the same knitted piece we use NS 3.0 and NS 3.0 once work with 4.5 and get the same result.
Here you can find a video from Drops - Garnstudio showing how to create and measure a swatch.
So always start by making a stitch sample.
If the gauge in a pattern is 16 stitches per 10 cm, this means:
32 stitches - 20 cm
48 stitches 30 cm
64 stitches 40 cm
80 stitches 50 cm
96 stitches 60 cm
112 stitches 70 cm
128 stitches 80 cm
144 stitches 90 cm
160 stitches 100 cm
So if Sjöfn wants to knit a jumper with a chest measurement of 100 cm, she expects 160 sts on the needle. If the sleeves should have a circumference of approx. 25 cm, you need approx. 40 stitches. To achieve this gauge, she uses NS 6 and also gives this as the recommended needle size in the pattern.
How many cm does 16 sts make for you? If you also get 10 cm, you have the same gauge as her and you can use the indicated needle size. If you get less than 4 inches, you're knitting tighter than them and you'll need to cast on more stitches to get the same size. If you have more than 10 cm, you will knit looser and cast on fewer stitches. Alternatively, you can also change the needle size. Try thinner needles if you get more than 4 inches and thicker needles if you get less than 4 inches.
