The Key to Perfect Knitting: The Tension Swatch

In the world of knitting, starting a new project is always exciting. However, there is one crucial step that is often overlooked: the tension swatch. This simple practice can be the difference between a perfectly fitting garment and a disappointment when trying it on. Today, I will guide you step by step to make a tension swatch, both flat and circular, how to measure it, and how to apply it to ensure the success of your project.

Step 1: Preparing your Tension Swatch

The tension swatch is a square of fabric that you make before starting your project. First you must decide what materials to use: the yarn and the needles (or toothpicks).

About the yarn: the ideal is to try to use the same yarn as suggested in the pattern or one that has similar characteristics. This will help the final result to be similar to what you see in the photos showing the pattern. To look for a similar yarn, it is important to take into account the composition of that yarn and its characteristics (how many strands it consists of, if it is a carded or combed yarn or how it is twisted, for example). You can research this data by searching the yarn brand's website or Ravelry, which also has a good yarn database. If you don't want to go so deep into this, knowing what it is made of is enough. You also need to know the thickness of the yarn (if it is DK, fingering or lace, for example) or how many meters it yields per 100 grams. You can usually find this information on the yarn label. If you are knitting without a pattern, you can choose the yarn that best suits the result you want to obtain.

About the needles: if you are following a pattern, this tells you what size needles it is suggested to use. You can start by trying that size. If you are not following a pattern, you can use the needles recommended by the brand of yarn you are going to use. You can usually find this information on the yarn label. This is a starting point, because once you make the swatch, you may realize that you need to change needle size.

Step 2: How to Knit the swatch

The number of stitches to cast on must be that which allows you to exceed the width of 10 cm. If you are following a pattern, you must add the edge points to the number of points indicated for the tension swatch. For example, if the tension is 20 points in 10 cm, you must consider at least 5 more points at the beginning and at the end. This is due to the distortion that occurs at the edges of a tissue, which prevents obtaining measurements that can be extrapolated to a larger tissue.

This also applies to the length. This should also be greater than 10 cm. Many times we underestimate knowing how many runs or laps we have in 10 cm. But this depends on what design you are going to knit. In many designs the length can be adapted as you knit, but not in all designs. For example, some patterns have special instructions for shaping the neckline or armhole and for it to be tailored it is necessary that we also take into account the runs of our swatch.

If you are knitting the swatch in stocking stitch, it is not necessary to pay much more attention to the number of stitches we cast on. But if the swatch is in some fancy stitch, we must take into account the number of stitches that make up each repetition of the fancy stitch and cast on a quantity that is a multiple (without forgetting to add the stitches for the border). The more similar the swatch is to what we are going to knit, the better.

If what you want to knit is knitted in a circular pattern, it is recommended that the swatch be knitted that way as well. To simulate circular knitting, you can use the "magic loop" or double tip method to knit a small tube. Another way to make a circular swatch is to do it in a hybrid way: you knit your first row from the right side flat and at the end you pass the yarn through the wrong side of the fabric, taking care not to tighten the square you are knitting, and you start again another run again on the right side. At the end, you have the option of leaving it with those floating threads on the wrong side if it is not too tight, or you can cut those threads in the middle to be able to correctly stretch the swatch to measure.

Before measuring, it is convenient to block the swatch, just as we would do with our knitted garment. That is, we let it soak for a few minutes in water, then gently remove the excess water, to let it dry flat. If you use pins to shape the swatch, I suggest allowing a couple of days to pass before measuring, as the fabric tends to recover its measurement a little over time after we stretch it.

Step 3: Accurate Measurement

Once your swatch is ready and has rested for a day, proceed to measure it. Place your swatch on a flat, unstretched surface. Use a ruler or tape measure to count how many stitches and rows there are in 10 cm in both width and height. Remember to measure in the center of the fabric.

Step 4: Adjusting the Tension

If your swatch has more stitches than indicated, your tension is too tight: try larger size needles. If it has less, it is too loose: use smaller needles. If the difference is too much, so much so that even changing one or two needle sizes does not reach the required tension, consider that perhaps the yarn you want to use is not appropriate for that pattern.

Sometimes, using a yarn that is far from what is suggested in the pattern can be the beginning of a project in which you can add a lot of your personal touch, and the result can be divine. But don't expect the garment to look the same as the one shown in the pattern examples.

Step 5: Applying your Tension swatch

Your swatch is your guide to adjusting the pattern to your knitting style. If your measurements differ from the pattern, calculate how much to increase or decrease based on your tension. I reveal to you my greatest tool: mathematics.

By doing simple calculations I can know how many cm certain measurements of the pattern would be if I knitted it with my tension (and not with what the pattern indicates). For example, the measurement that we are generally most interested in knowing when knitting a sweater is the bust circumference. What I do is look in the pattern for the place where it indicates the stitches that are in that point, which is generally at the beginning if the sweater is knitted from the bottom up, or just after separating the sleeves and body, if the sweater It is woven from top to bottom. What you measure in the swatch is: x number of points per 10 cm. For example, if the swatch gave you 19 points in 10 cm, I can reduce it to 1.9 points per 1 cm. Then I find the number of stitches for the size I would normally make. Let's assume it's 200 points. I divide 200 by 1.9 and what I have is approximately 105 cm bust circumference. If this measurement is too much for me, I would do the same calculation with the points from the one before mine, if it is too small for me, I would calculate again with the points from the next size.

Most of the time this trick works, but it is important not to forget to take a look at other relevant measurements, such as the circumference of the arms or the length of the yoke (when it is just stockinette stitch it is easy to adapt, but if you have a special reason, It may not be so easy.)

The tension swatch is a step that you should not skip. Although it requires patience and perhaps a little math, it is the guarantee that your knitted garments fit perfectly. Remember, every weaver has their own unique tension – knowing and applying yours is the signature of a skilled craftsman.

Do you have any special techniques for your tension swatches? Any anecdotes to share? Let's continue this conversation on Instagram !