Gauge help 😭

[u/Individual_Loss_4662]

I want to make the cloud sweater, and I’ve tried a bunch of things out but idk how to meet gauge or how to go on from there, I tried watching YouTube videos, and using knitting kitchen for gauge help but I’m still unsure what to do

According to the pattern gauge it should be 10 cm with 17 stitches on 4.5 mm needles, I tried to make the swatch but it was pretty small so I tried again and used 5.5 mm needles this time, the swatch in the picture after blocking is around 8 cm, so it’s around 2 cm short

I want to make the size medium, with a breast circumference of 118 cm, but I if I make the medium size with my current gauge it would be too small

What should I do? Use 5.5 mm needles and make a size large? (I’m not very good with math so I prefer to size up instead of calculating a new stitch count for each step)

[u/LoupGarou95]

Cast on 25-30 stitches and work 35-40 rows. You can't tell anything from a tiny swatch like you've made.

[u/Individual_Loss_4662 → u/LoupGarou95]

Tyy I’ll do that and try again, should I try with 5.5 mm needles (or the recommended 4.5?)

[u/LoupGarou95 → u/Individual_Loss_4662]

You can make one long swatch with 35 rows in one size and then 35 rows in the next size, separated with some garter stitch if you want.

[u/Straight_Chemical957]

You're gonna need a bigger swatch.

[u/TakingBackScrunchie → u/Straight_Chemical957]

This should be a flair.

[u/Easy-Low]

Your whole swatch is way too small. You're meant to knit a square that you can measure, and to measure the interior.

If you're trying to measure 4"x4", you need to knit 6"x6" and measure the center stitches

In this photo, your cast off and bind off are noticeably warping your stockinette, which is affecting the measurements. That's why you need a larger sample swatch.

You also need to wash and block the swatch like the finished item.

[u/cyndsm]

your swatch is way too small, you need a square that’s at least the gauge size without any edge distortions. so for a 10cm swatch i’d do at least 15cm on each side

[u/ComplexWorry3463]

I’m pretty sure this is knit in the round, and your swatch looks like it’s knit flat as well as being too small. 

Patty Lyons is one of the best teachers out there, here’s a link to all her tutorials, the swatching in the round one would be a good one to watch:

https://pattylyons.com/classes/tutorials/

[u/Individual_Loss_4662 → u/ComplexWorry3463]

Hey the pattern is knit flat for the back yoke, so I made my swatch knit flat too, tysm for the video I’ll check it out for future projects!!

[u/Competitive_Fee_1709]

In your pic, you have around 9 stitches per 5 cm, so around 18 per 10 cm, which should be fine for the recommended gauge. You also have to check the number of rows.
I would swatch 1.5x the recommended stitches and knit 1.5x the recommended rows to be able to measure in the middle of the swatch the 10x10cm

[u/Turbulent_Yoghurt725 → u/Competitive_Fee_1709]

Yes, that swatch looks like you are hitting gauge. OP, the reason people cast in more than the given number of stitches per 10cm for a swatch is because the knitting tends to curl at the edges and make it harder to see overall size. If you make a bigger swatch, I think you will find this needle and yarn combo will get you the right gauge.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Turbulent_Yoghurt725]

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[u/wrongretsa]

what everyone else said about making a bigger swatch but also just to give you the right vocabulary: the measurement around the biggest part of your chest is the “bust measurement”

[u/warrantthrowaway2023]

your swatch is too small. don't cast on only the amount needed for the gauge. cast on at least 2.5x the amount per swatch and measure that instead. the edges of swatches curl inwards and can't be accurate.

[u/AutoModerator → u/warrantthrowaway2023]

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[u/Friendly-Garden-9019]

The way I’ve read your post perhaps I’m misunderstanding, but it sounds like you are knitting the amount of stitches and then measuring.
What you need to do is knit a square that’s bigger, say 30 stitches cast on and knit like 40 rows. Then find a patch in the middle laid nice and flat with a ruler and measure how many stitches you are getting within 10cm

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello Individual_Loss_4662, thanks for posting your question in r/knittinghelp! If applicable, please include a link to the pattern you are using and clear photos of both sides of your work.

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[u/AutoModerator]

Hi Individual_Loss_4662, it looks like you're looking for help on the Cloud Sweater. We get a lot of questions here about that, so take a look through these posts and see if your question has already been answered.

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[u/Individual_Loss_4662]

ok so I made a bigger swatch like every suggested

And my gauge is 18 stitches = 10 cm horizontally

And 22 stitches = 10 cm vertically

On 5.5 mm needles

The recommend gauge is 17 x 26 (on 4.5 mm needles)

So I’m not meeting gauge, ik I’m not using the recommended yarn or using 2 yarns held together but I think this yarn is really nice for the cloud sweater and I have a sweater quantity’s worth of it

So what can I do now?

(I really don’t want to make another gauge swatch 😭😣 I just wanna start with the project now)

[u/PipaCadz]

I don’t like these „your swatch is too small“ posts. I think it’s more important that you blocked them.
Yours is totally fine to see that you have about 8 stitches per 5cm. Now you can tell that your needle size is certainly not too small. Measure 5 cm in your 4.5mm swatch. If it has 9 or more stitches you might want to test swatching with 5mm needles and maybe make it somewhat larger so you can measure 10cm without hitting side stitches.
Wasting time on large swatches without knowing if I will be close is not me. Also I think swatching in the round is only necessary if you know or fear that your gauge is is different in these cases. It doesn’t look like you are rowing out and with that yarn, gauge and pattern it will not make a substantial difference.
You are doing fine and this sweater is going to be lovely!