But how far off were you? The story of the gauge.

 The gauge. 

Sounds so scary and elusive. 

It's something that some may ignore. Others may deal with it, though annoying. And some may enjoy it, we call them liars (I kid..but really). 

Knitting to gauge is something that we are not often privy to until we try to knit a hat that ends up large enough to fit the circumference of a watermelon. And if you are still unsure of what I am referring to here's a hint, it's the small paragraph at the beginning of a pattern that tells you the size of the needle and the yarn that was used. This information is also found on most yarn labels from your big box stores, but it is often absent in the labels from Indie dyers. And if this information is missing we rely on the type of yarn, i.e. sock, sport, worsted, etc. 

Now you may ask yourself, why should I care about knitting to gauge? Can't I just wing it? 

Well you could...but just know that you aren't just half-assing it, you are full-assing it. This risky behavior is a gateway and eventually you will find yourself taking on bigger projects and buying expensive yarn only to find out that gauge was important all along. And worse yet, you just spent $100+ on something that you will not be able to use, never mind the hours that you put into it! It would be even worse if that thing that you made was a hat...no clue how you would spend $100 bucks on a hat, however you can't deny that it would be a nightmare. 

Knitting to gauge is also very important if you want to throw your name into the ring to test knit. Designers rely heavily on testers to be honest about their thoughts, findings, and concerns about a pattern. And if you are a test knitter who wings it then you, my friend, are not very nice. 

So now you may say, "okay I'm convinced, I'll do it. But will my knit always be in stockinette?" 

* Not necessarily. As you may have noticed there are a variety of different stitches that create a multitude of textures and designs. And once we incorporate stranded colorwork this adds yet another layer of issues that I hope has gauged your interest (mauahahaha). Many times you will notice that the pattern will tell you to gauge in pattern meaning that you will make the gauge in the pattern that predominates the design. Other times, such as Tamy Gores Design's, you will notice that she will ask you to gauge in the color work of the yoke. This is done because a lot of times we tend to have more tension in our color work vs our main color knit. 

So now you may ask, should I bind off? 

* This depends on who you ask, however Vogue knitting has argued that by binding off you taper off the knit and this can throw off your gauge. The answer to this is to simply run the loose end of the yarn through the active stitches and this will prevent the unnecessary taper. 

You bind off, now what? Do you block? 

* Again it depends. If you are using acrylics the answer is usually no. You don't expect acrylics to grow. However, if you want to try it for yourself, go for it. You can't hurt it, you may just waste some time. But I encourage you to explore for yourself. If you are messing with natural fibers then the answer will be a resounding yes. Figure out the best way to block i.e. wet block, steam block, spritzing block etc. and you do you queens/kings. Now the reason why you want to block is because your gauge will be off if you don't. Chances are, there may be no change. But what if there is a change!?! (yes it's my anxiety talking) But WHAT IF!?!?! So just do it. If you don't you may end up with this hot mess. 

So now you blocked and motherF*!?!?! you have too many or too few stitches, what do I do? 

* You knit another swatch. If you had too many stitches you go up a size. If you had too few stitches you go down. And you do this until you have achieved the gauge. Now you can proceed...or if you feel like you can achieve gauge by going up one size then go for it. Only this time it will be half-assing it. 

Now for you video learners I will show you my favorite video on how to block.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EnaF6gjuqM