When you knit a large project like a sweater, can you keep the same gauge until the end?
For me, it is easy with winter wool. But with summer yarn, my gauge often changes. Sometimes the left and right parts look like they were made by different people!
Today, I will share tips on how to keep your gauge consistent and how to make two parts (like sleeves or front/back) exactly the same size.
Tips to Keep Your Gauge Consistent
First, let’s review the basic tips to keep your gauge consistent. (Especially for knitting with needles)
Keep the yarn tension the same
The most important thing is how you hold and pull the yarn. If you pull hard, the stitches become small. If you hold it loosely, they become large. Try to stay relaxed and keep the same tension.
Knit at the same part of the needle
Do you knit at the tip of the needle or the thicker part?
The size of the stitch changes depending on where you knit. Decide on one spot and always knit there.
Keep a steady speed
When I knit fast, my stitches tend to get loose. Try to find a comfortable rhythm and keep it.
Check your gauge every day
Our hand tension changes depending on our mood or how tired we are. Before you start knitting each day, compare your work with your gauge swatch.
A Great Way to Match Sizes: “Knitting Both Parts at the Same Time”
Even if we are careful, gauge can change. My best solution is this: Knit the same parts at the same time.
For example, if you are making a sweater:
- Knit 10 rows of the Front part.
- Then, knit 10 rows of the Back part.
Repeat this.
I actually tried this method. The image below shows how it looks:
With this method, if your gauge changes a little bit in the middle, both parts will change in the same way.
This means the Front and Back will still be the same size!
This is much better than finishing one part and then starting the other.
I finished this pullover using this method.
I was able to complete it without any noticeable difference in the size of the pieces.
Summary
At this point, I noticed something different about my routine. Usually, I work on a few things at once, but this time, I stayed focused only on this project. This is quite rare for me!
I believe “knitting both parts at the same time” is a very effective way, but staying focused on a single project also helped me a lot.
So, here is a summary of the tips to keep your gauge consistent and finish matching parts in the same size:
- Keep the yarn tension the same
- Knit at the same part of the needle
- Keep a steady speed
- Check your gauge every day
- Focus on one project at a time(Don’t have too many WIPs!) ← NEW!
