Category Archives: Crochet Understanding

Gauge…sometimes referred to as a four letter word. But can open your world.

Posted on by

There is a dirty little secret that I believe more people practice then care to admit…that we don’t make a gauge swatch. I’ll be honest, I didn’t make any gauge swatches for years, I always skipped that part of the pattern, treating it as a page break at best. Yarn is precious, why would I waste any on a little scrap that has no purpose but measuring? Okay so there is my confession, but I’m sure I’m not alone. However none of us bring it up in public, because you do get the looks like “you’re crazy” (usually from knitters that have realized the importance years earlier).

So really what is gauge? Well the simple definition is that it is the number of stitches by number of rows to fit a desired measurement (like, 16 dc /6 rows=4”). Sounds simple, so why avoid it?…crochet is my relaxation, gauge sounds like work. In some respects it is, but in reality, I don’t think gauge is really important in a lot of crochet projects. Granted checking gauge on a couple of afghans in the past might have meant that I wouldn’t have over/under purchased enough yarn, but overall it has been pretty negligible.

I can see where in some fitted garments that it can make a difference, being an inch or so too big or too small in the bust could make or break a sweater. This becomes especially true when substituting a different yarn then the one the pattern was written for. Worsted weight is not the same in every yarn, granted they maybe ball park, but not exact (same is true for all the over weights as well) and the makeup of the yarn makes a difference. An acrylic yarn and a wool yarn of the same weight can behave differently in their appearance and effect the gauge as well. Not to mention everyone has a different hand in crocheting and no one does it the same as you.

Own your gauge, by understanding how it relates to you pattern you can determine if you really want to worry about it, if my scarf is a little wider then indented it isn’t going to be the end of the world, but I would want to know if that coat that I’m making for my 6 year old would come out fitting my 9 year old instead.

If you don’t want to do a gauge swatch, but want to make that sweater, start with a sleeve and when you get a little ways into it, stop and measure (Note: for a more true measurement don’t measure from edge to edge, but from a stitch to a stitch, or row to a row, in a larger worked piece, the turns of the edges can distort the measurement).

Measure in the body of the work and in the middle of the tape measure for more accuracy

Measure in the body of the work and in the middle of the tape measure for more accuracy

 

Since I am bearing my sole in this confession of a dirty little secret, I should admit, I will check gauge as I am working along on a garment to make sure it will fit in the end. So I don’t make with gauge swatch, but I check in my work before I finish (I’d rather rip out 2 days worth of work then make and measure a gauge swatch over  20 minutes…it is a pride thing), at least I know what I should do. Don’t let it intimidate you, it is a challenge that you can overcome and master. It is amazing how once we attempt and feel comfortable with a new skill/trait/challenge that the world opens up a little, and more things are possible.

If you want to understand more of the math behind the gauge, check out my tutorial, under the tab above.

Joining Right Along

Posted on by

Since crochet has always been a point of relaxation for me, I never have fully appreciated joining work together. Actually I have avoided it like the plague, granny squares looked lovely, but then I’d have to put them all together! That afghan made in strips is attractive, but then I have to find a tapestry needle and sew it together. Well that takes the relaxation out of my work with hooks. So I left them alone for a long time, then the world of join as you go opened up to me. This is the process of working a motif and on the last row you work through to edge of the ones already created and thus work them together, joining with my hook as I create the final row. Genius!! This has brought a new world of crochet to my hook.  Without this technique I would have never used some scraps to make the pillow see in the photo.Join as you go motif, pillow.

To get this to work for you here are the things to keep in mind. Where do the stitches come in contact with each other? Do you want an open join (kind of like lace) or a solid join? Are your motifs the same size? What shape are you joining together? The simplest to work out is putting together a square motif, or at least one with straight sides. If you are already using a motif based pattern then the attachment of the motifs has already been thought out, so you just have to modify it to allow you to work the last row with the ones already created. If there are spaces in that last row, it much easier to connecting point, but you can work around regular stitches or in between them.

You never know what interesting designs you find in bring two pieces together, and that applies to much more then crochet, and joining as you go is a good metaphor for the path of my life. I use to treat my life as chapters of a book, which I have closed one chapter to move on to another, but really I find myself reflecting on past “chapters”.  So using the metaphor of a “join as you go afghan” might be more appropriate, since they build on one another and are forever connected.

This has opened my thoughts and given a new direction with my hook to enjoy the classic crochet works of motifs, without the hassle. I hope you will investigate this option for yourself as well.