Day One - Gauge Swatch
On the first day, we start with learning the cast-on and bind-off by knitting a gauge swatch. Now, I know people are going to whine and moan and complain that they hate knitting these, but I don’t care. This simple task can make the difference between a properly fitting garment or something you need to give away.
You will need to gather supplies:
- 400 yards of sock or fingering weight yarn
- appropriately sized double-pointed needles; I prefer US2/2.75mm needles
- a soft measuring tape
- a darning needle
- stitch markers (minimum one; I usually have five or six)
- a notebook and a pencil
First, you are going to start by taking the measurements of your foot and leg. If you are making a sock, the length and width of your leg aren’t as necessary, but if you are making stockings that go above or below the knee, you will need measurements in more places along your leg. I will have a follow up set of instructions on how to measure and shape a stocking for your leg after this series is done.
The most important measurements are: around the largest part of your foot and the length of your foot from heel to toe. You can measure your leg, but the difference between your ankle and your foot will be negligible. And the socks are supposed to stretch.
As an example, we will use my foot. The widest part of my foot measures 9” (so does my ankle), the length of my foot is also 9”. My toes from the base of my foot measure 2”. This is important information for when we get to the toe. We are using inches instead of centimeters because most patterns use US terms, not UK terms.
The next step is making the gauge swatch (seriously, stop complaining and just do it).
Cast On 20 stitches with the Old Norwegian Cast On. This is also called a Twisted German Cast On. It is like a Long Tail Cast On, but it’s stretchier.
Knit 20 rows of Stockinette Stitch. This is where you knit one row, purl one row.
After 20 rows, do a stretchy cast off of your choice. I prefer Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off, which Knitty.com published in Fall of 2009.
You are going to take your measuring tape, lay everything on a flat surface, and count the number of stitches in an inch. You can also measure the entire piece and use the following formula to determine the number of stitches to an inch and the number of rows per inch. You will have to round to the nearest stitch, but it will give you the most accurate measurement.
To calculate rows: 22/Measurement = Rows in an inch
To calculate stitches: 20/Measurement = Stitches in an inch
You will need to round to the nearest stitch.
Now, you are going to soak the swatch, squeeze out the water, but DO NOT WRING IT. Then pin it to a surface and let it dry.
Then you are going to measure it again. Do the numbers match? Probably not.
For less experienced knitters, this number can differ by a stitch or two as you are still getting used to your tension. This is okay, and the reason we do a gauge swatch. If you used the measurement based on your unblocked swatch, the sock’s size will differ the first time you wash it. Blocking eases your stitches, forgives some mistakes, and sets your sock to the size you want.
Now, it’s time to determine how many stitches you need to cast on for your sock.
Before we do that, I am going to talk about “Ease”. “Ease” is how a knitted garment fits you and how it will stretch. “Zero Ease” means the garment fits you EXACTLY. It is made exactly to the measurements of your body. Items like tank tops, form-fitting sweaters and vests, and some t-shirts . “Positive Ease” means the item is bigger than the measurement, like a sweater or a cardigan. “Negative Ease” means the garment is smaller than the measurement of your body, like hats and socks.
So your socks are going to be made with a smaller measurement than the ones you just took.
I’m going to use my foot as an example to calculate this measurement.
Guage Swatch: 1” has 8 stitches
Foot Width: 9”
I like a negative ease of 1”, but if you want a tighter sock, reduce the size by 2”.
(9”-1”) x 8 stitches = 64 stitches
I like this number because I like my sock patterns divisible by 4 for math simplicity when we get to the heel and the toe.
I know to Cast On 64 stitches.
That is day one of the sock workshop, see you tomorrow!