The short answer is that designers want you to finish with a project that you love and that meets your expectations. And because we know that tiny differences in gauge can make a big difference over a large project. Larger differences in gauge will make an enormous difference in a large project. Here are some quick examples of what I mean.
For the short version of my Starry Night Cowl, I have knitters cast on 100 stitches. The gauge for this pattern is 18 stitches per 4 inches or 4.5 stitches per inch.
The 100 stitches of the cowl divided by the 4.5 stitches per inch give you a finished cowl measurement of just over 22 inches around. (22.2 inches to be exact, I call it “about 22 inches” in the pattern). If you get a gauge that is actually a bit smaller than this (like 5 stitches per inch), then those same 100 stitches will give you a cowl that is about 20 inches around. And if you get a gauge that is a bit bigger (4 stitches per inch), then the same 100 stitches will give you a cowl that is 25 inches around. For a cowl, this really doesn’t matter all that much. We’re talking about a relatively few number of stitches and a low time commitment to finish a cowl. Plus, you can pretty much wear a cowl of any circumference you like and be happy with your finished project. Remember – that’s the goal for designers – we want you to finish with a project you love or would love to gift.
For larger projects like a sweater, these same small differences in gauge can make a much bigger difference. This is true for several reasons — a sweater generally has many more stitches around, larger projects also involve more yarn, more time, and more work. My Emma sweater uses the same gauge of 18 stitches per 4 inches or 4.5 stitches per inch.
I always make my sample garments in the Size L because that is the size I wear. In the Emma Sweater, the the Size L has 198 body stitches at the separation of sleeves and body. The 198 body stitches divided by the 4.5 stitches per inch give you a finished chest measurement of 44 inches around. If we imagine the same situation of a smaller gauge (5 stitches per inch), then those same 198 stitches will give you a finished chest measurement of about 39.5 inches. That’s a whopping 4.5 inches smaller around the chest than a knitter was expecting. For context, most sweater sizes are 3ish inches different. So, instead of the expected Size L sweater, a knitter will have a size M sweater. If we imagine the same situation of a bit bigger gauge (4 stitches per inch), the same 198 stitches will give you a finished chest measurement of about 49.5 inches or 5.5 inches larger around the chest than expected. Or a Size 1X sweater instead of the expected Size L.
Remember that designers always want a knitter to end with a project they love or would love to gift. A too-large sweater might still be loved. But a too-small sweater will probably go into timeout and leave a bad taste in your mouth. We’d rather you be happy and get the sweater you want…because we want you to be happy and also because we want you to like our patterns. That is why we REALLY want you to get gauge.
And that is why we say things like “in Pattern after blocking” on our patterns. We want to let you know exactly how seriously we take the gauge of a design. Not only would we really like for you to knit a test swatch, we would also love for you to knit the swatch in the exact yarn you plan to use, with the size of needle you plan to use, in the design pattern…and then we would like for you to wash and block it before taking your measurements.
I hope this look at gauge has shed some light on how important gauge is and why designers really want you to pay attention to it. There is a whole conversation to be had about test swatches here. I’m writing another blog post about that soon.
In the meantime, please be nice to yourself and others. And happy knitting (hopefully while getting gauge)!!!
