Just to be clear: You knit at a different gauge at your own risk.
One of the first lessons every knitter learns is that we’re supposed to knit a swatch to make sure we’re knitting the right number of stitches and rows per inch. A well-designed pattern will use gauge details to be sure that the final product will be the right size, shape, and feel. Yet every once in a while, you just have to break away from the pattern gauge and chart your own path.
[embed video]https://www.youtube.com/embed/sTIfB94Q08E?si=zKnS4lvA5gFsuQXv" To learn why and how to swatch, see Jenny Monteleone’s video tip How to Count Stitches in a Gauge Swatch.
Before you decide to go your own way gauge-wise, ask yourself: [DB: How do I make these circles instead of asterisks?]
* What problem am I trying to solve? Do I want a different fit, a different fabric, or a yarn substitution?
* Am I willing to do some math (and take good notes)?
* Does the pattern includes colorwork charts, cables, or other row-by-row instructions?
* Will I have enough yarn at my new gauge?
Here are my top 3 reasons you might choose to knit off-gauge—and what to watch out for if you do.
1. You want a different fabric.
I like my mittens to be bulletproof. When I pull them on my hands, I want them to keep out any breezes, and I want to pack snowballs without my hands getting wet! Some designers prefer a slouchier, more flexible fit in mittens. When I knit a swatch that feels a little too loosey-goosey for my winter needs, I go down a needle size and swatch at a tighter gauge, then work out the number of stitches and rows I’ll need to add (or see whether a larger size would work out to the right fit in a tighter gauge).
When I knitted Star Athena’s Columbia Mitts, I found that the fabric was a bit too open for my personal taste. For a pair that I could wear to shovel snow, I used the same High Desert yarn from the pattern with a size 6 needle instead of a size 8, casting on 4 extra stitches to make them large enough. The mittens knitted at the righter gauge were denser and more windproof.
Caution: When the fabric shrinks in length and width, it also gets thicker and less elastic. If it grows in length and width, it becomes thinner and drapier. Although we measure gauge in stitches and rows, knitted fabric is three-dimensional, so make sure you like the thickness of the fabric, too.
2. You want to change the fit.
If the pattern you love isn’t available in the size you need, you might be able to tweak the gauge to make it larger or smaller. In something as large as a sweater, a tiny change in the gauge can make a huge difference in fit.
Imagine a sweater that calls for 5 stitches per inch and the finished chest circumference is 40", or 200 stitches.
would make a 40" chest circumference; as little as .25 stitches more per inch would make a 38" chest circumference, and .25 fewer stitches per inch would make 42".
Caution: Knitters mainly focus on stitches per inch, but row gauge plays a big role as well—especially in patterns that say how many rows to knit in one part and how many inches in another. If the pattern has a schematic, note what other adjustments you will need to make to the length of gussets, hats, and sleeves. This is especially so for colorwork projects, which .
3. You’re using a different yarn.
When you want to substitute yarns, it can be tempting to force the new yarn into the original gauge. But just because you can knit bulky yarn at 5 stitches per inch doesn’t mean you should. Instead of choosing needles that will get you gauge at all costs, swatch to find the happiest combination of yarn, pattern, and needles, and adjust the pattern from there.
Caution: Your gauge isn’t the only thing that will change! Make sure you’ll have enough yarn to finish the project in your new gauge. For a small change to the gauge, you can buy the total weight of yarn needed for the original project, but buy some extra yarn insurance just in case. Keep in mind that if the new yarn is a different fiber or different structure, it may take more or less yarn to finish the project.