Knitvent Day 9 – Tension Matters

In 2017, I noticed my own tension has changed over the years.  As a result, I MUST do gauge swatches for each pattern I decide to knit, and yet again if I substitute a yarn for a pattern.

Just like no-one’s handwriting is the same, using the same needle size as another knitter doesn’t mean the result will be the same.  When size matters, I have to be sure I match the pattern’s gauge to make sure what I knit ends up similar to the pattern.

So on top of the ripping back that I mentioned on day 4, I have ‘extra knitting’ for gauge swatches for each gift before I actually start knitting the gift!  But at the very least, I make sure the size is right!