One thing you will see in a lot of crochet patterns is a reference to the “gauge” of the item. Sometimes the pattern will say that gauge is not important because slight variations in gauge will not affect whether or not the finished piece is wearable or usable. However, there are just as many, if not more, patterns in which gauge is an essential component of the process.
Gauge is usually expressed as the number of stitches and rows that it takes to make a specified size “swatch” (usually 4 inches by 4 inches). Gauge also indicates you tension and somewhat the amount of stretch. It is important that gauge is correct because otherwise you could follow a pattern exactly, with the same yarn and hook, and end up with an item that is way too small or tight.
Now…why I am bringing all of this up when there are plenty of posts about the topic already? I wanted to give a first hand example of this and also correct a mistake I made a while ago. In the early summer of 2018, I was just venturing into the world of crochet wearables (garments and accessories), and I clearly had a lot of learning to do (and still do honestly – we can always be learning more about our craft). The perfect example of this was when I decided that the perfect summer project since I live in Florida, would be to make this awesome sunhat that had just been released by Ashleigh over at Sewrella. It’s called the June Sun Hat and the pattern can be found on her website here – I would 10/10 recommend making it because it really is a perfect summer project.
So back in 2018, I excitedly bought my yarn (Lion Brand Rewind) and prepared to start this hat. I did not do a gauge swatch (this will be important later) but started my hat right away. As I worked, I kept measuring and trying to figure out how close I was to the next part instead of just enjoying the making process. I finished all of the rows of the dome – but instead of measuring, I just kept going. In my defense, I was on an airplane while doing most of this, but still, I wish I could go back and yell at my past self for being a dummy. Fast forward to finishing the hat – it didn’t fit! Well – it didn’t fit the way Ashleigh’s did in the photos, and it certainly wasn’t comfortable, but luckily I have a small head and I was able to squish it on and pin it in place while pretending it was right.
Here’s a couple of photos from that adventure:
As you can see…it kind of works..but… it’s not great. I promptly posted some pictures and stuffed it in a “completed projects” bin under the bed to be ignored and mostly forgotten.
However, it kind of haunted me that it hadn’t worked, and with the amount that I’ve learned about crocheting in the past two years, this strange time of social distancing and staying at home seemed like the perfect time to revisit some old projects and either fix them or frog them (rip them out) to make them into something I actually like and can wear or use.
So that brings me to this – I took one final picture of the top down view of the first rendition of the June Sun Hat. And then I ripped it all out (being careful to remove the slip stitch rounds separately) and wound it all up.
Then I carefully restarted the process – measuring as I went this time. I realized a few rounds in to this attempt that my gauge was still wrong. This time however, I knew what to do about that and I promptly got a larger hook – from a 4mm to a 4.5mm. This hook switch and concentrating on relaxing my tension a bit was successful and I was able to meet gauge. The second rendition of this hat is sooo much better. I also apparently didn’t fully read the pattern last time around because I didn’t do the super important surface stitching on the brim the first time – I did one round at the edge of the dome and that was it. Having added the reinforcement this time, I can see that it made such a huge difference. With that change, and the correct gauge, it now actually fits and is comfortable and I can’t wait to wear it this summer (and beyond).
The moral of this story is two-fold in my opinion – first, always always pay attention to the gauge, and second, don’t be afraid to rip out the project if it’s just not working for you! The beauty of yarn crafts is that you can always rip it and restart it as long as you are careful to preserve the yarn neatly.
What do you think? Do you check your gauge? Do you swatch? And would you ever redo old projects to make them right?
