It's no secret that I love patterns that do not rely on gauge. I have no patience for gauge swatches. For me, knit and crochet are all about the quick fix, instant gratification, bang out a project and get it done, then move on to the next. Is it any wonder I found my niche in writing patterns with no size? I blame my lack of patience on the fact that I'm a Sagittarius and I'll leave it at that. Unfortunately for me, there are some fabulous patterns out there that do require a gauge swatch to be made and, thanks to my Ravelry pal, mom4rent, I've got a great tip to share with you.
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| Bread Basket Dish Cloth |
I generally end up frogging my gauge swatches and reusing the yarn in scrap projects or, if I didn't have to wash the swatch after I made it, I simply frog it and begin the project. That way I don't feel as though I've wasted the yarn, just my time. Well, mom4rent told me she usually uses her gauge swatches as dishcloths. Of course, if everyone did this I'd be out of business, so I'll share with you the other tip she gave me: Keep the gauge swatch and launder it every time you launder the finished object. That way you'll have several yards of yarn that show the same amount of wear as the garment just in case you need to make a repair. Brilliant, right? (It also means those swatches will not become washcloths and I'll continue to sell patterns.)
Much love and happy stitching!
I am totally with you on gauge swatches. I normally just figure it out as I go if I need to adjust anything. I don't know if it's your astrological sign (I'm a pisces so structure is such a no no for me) or maybe you can just look at the yarn, needles, size it up to the picture and go yeah...that works. who knows? happy winging it :)
ReplyDeleteI get the whole "no structure" thing. Routine is my worst enemy. That's why I've started pre-programming all of my posts. This way I can blog whenever it's convenient and still appear consistent... Ooops! Now my secret is out.
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