Knitting a Gauge in Life

Every time I knit something that needs to be a certain size, like a sweater, I knit a sample first. Cast on 20 to 25 stitches, and knit three to four inches in stockinette stitch, and knit an additional three to four inches in the pattern stitch for the piece. Then I measure. Is this little piece the same gauge as the pattern? If the pattern says the gauge is 4.5 stitches per inch (sts/in), and this piece I made is 4.75 sts/in then the finished product, if I use these same needles and yarn, will be smaller than what the patten says it will be. It doesn't seem like a big difference, only ¼ inch. 198 sts makes a 44 inch around sweater, if my gauge is 4.5 sts/in. But when my gauge is off by ¼ in, then 198 sts only makes a 41 ½ inch sweater. That could be the difference between fitting, and not fitting. A sweater is a lot of knitting. It is better to knit another sample with bigger needles, or thicker yarn, and measure again, then to just forge ahead, and knit the sweater with the size needles the pattern calls for, and the yarn I picked.

Sometimes a gauge is not necessary in the beginning of a project, but is important as the project proceeds. For example, an afghan usually doesn't have to be a specific size. Approximately the same is good enough, but when the knitting changes direction, then gauge becomes important. Rarely is the number of sts/in the same as the number of rows/in. Something that has 4.5 sts/in may have 6 rows/in. If I need to pick up stitches along the edge to knit an edging, and I pick up one stitch in every row, the edge will have too many stitches, and ruffle. If a ruffled edge was my goal, then fine. However, if I want the piece to lay flat, then I need to (if I'm using the same needles, and same yarn, and same stitch as in the body of the afghan) measure what I've already knitted to determine how many sts/in and how many rows/in. But, if needles, or yarn, or pattern is to change in my edging, then I need to knit a little sample, and measure it for gauge. I will still need to measure the piece I want to add the edge to. If it is 49 in long, and my new gauge is 5 sts/in, I will need to pick up 245 sts. If my old gauge had 6 rows/in, then there are 294 rows. I can't just pick up one stitch in every row, or I'll have 49 sts extra. I'll have to pick up one stitch in each of five rows, then skip one row. I don't want to skip the last row, so I would split the first five into 2 + 3. Pick up two stitches, skip one row, *pick up five stitches, skip one row, repeat form * until the end, when I pick up the last 3 stitches. This probably doesn't mean anything to people who don't knit.

The point is, I would rather knit a sample and measure, so that when I pick up the stitches and knit the edge, it will be correct. Otherwise, I could just guess, pick up stitches, knit the edge, and hope it is correct. It probably won't be. Then I'll have to unravel all my edge work, start over with another guess, and chance unraveling again, or make a sample and measure.

This same thing applies for a lot of situations in my day to day life. I have a goal in mind, and I jump right in and do (which is better than never doing anything). But then I pause, look back at what I've started, and evaluate it. If I continue in this manner, will I accomplish what I want? If I change what I am doing, even just a little, will this proceed faster, or easier? Like knitting a sample, I start a small part of the project, and then measure my results. Am I getting the desired results? Is my process not quite right? Should I change any part of it? My original plan may be a good one, but stubbornly forging forward when it is not working out exactly as planned, won't make the results miraculously change into what I wanted.

The way the pattern says, or the way mom did it, or the way dad did it, or the way grandma did it, isn't always the best way. It was the best way for the person who originally knit the pattern. It was the best way for mom, dad, or grandma. But is it the best way for me? Yarns change. And I may knit tighter, or looser than the person who wrote the pattern. Times change. Situations change. Places change. I am not my mom, or my dad, or my grandma.

When I get a sample that I like, I must work the rest of the project with the same consistency that I put into the sample, or my sample making was in vain.

Gauge is important to more than just knitting.

Start.

Measure/Asses what is done so far.

Change something if needed.

Then proceed with the same consistency as when making the sample. 

The afghan with 245 sts on each edge is almost finished