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Knitting Swatch Labels

Knitting Swatch Labels

Many knitters don't enjoy swatching, but you'll never regret keeping detailed notes that you can refer to later. All the necessary information about your swatch will be at your finger tips and it may even save you from swatching the same thing again later on.

The Big 4 of Swatch Knitting

There are 4 critical elements that you should always make note of – yarn, needles, stitch pattern and gauge. It's good to jot down the basic information. It's even better to include complete information so you don't have to track down yarn labels, look at needle size charts, or guess if your swatch changed size after blocking.

Yarn

  • Good - brand and type of yarn
  • Better - brand and type of yarn, fiber content, color and dye lot

Example: Hikoo CoBaSi, 55% cotton/16% bamboo/21% nylon/8% silk, color 007 lot 16

Needles

  • Good - US needles size
  • Better - US needles size (metric size), type of needle

Example: US 4 (3.5 mm), addiClick Rocket

Note: US Needle size can vary by manufacturer. Also the type of needle refers to the brand and possibly the material, not the style ( i.e straight, circular, dpn). Needle shape and material may impact your gauge, needle style likely will not.

Stitch Pattern

  • Good - name of stitch
  • Better - name of stitch, resource for the stitch pattern

Example: Farrow Rib, pg 34 of "750 Knitting Stitches"

Gauge

  • Good - number of sts and rows (or rnds) in 4 inches or 10 cm after blocking
  • Better - number of sts and rows (or rnds) in 4 inches or 10 cm both before and after blocking

The gauge before blocking should never be your only piece of gauge information. Knit fabric almost always changes when it is blocked (washed and dried in the same manner the finished piece will be washed and dried).

Also remember, if your project is knit in the round you should swatch in the round. Row gauge and round gauge may not be the same.


Free Printable for Knitters

Print it. Make notes. Attach it to your swatch.

Swatch Note Tags Preview

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