I have to admit that I love knitting practice swatches.
But it was not always this way.
Knitting a practice swatch does not have to suck. Would you believe me if I told you it is possible to actually look forward to swatch knitting? In fact swatching may even help you fall more in love with knitting (I know, as if that was even possible… because if you are reading this, you already love your knitting pretty hard.)
Once upon a time, I hated swatching. I avoided it like crazy.
I just figured I could just wing the gauge from the info on the yarn label, plug in the numbers and knit my sweater. Foolish me… Now granted getting gauge is not important when it comes to scarves and shawls, but sweaters? Swatching is just must for anything that needs to fit. I began to realized that taking an afternoon to swatch for gauge was far better than having to frog a months worth of work and $200 worth of yarn (or heaven forbid steek! be forewarned link contains graphic images not suitable for the faint of heart.) And if that weren’t bad enough, swatches lie!! I don’t know how many times I got gauge in the swatch, only to be horrifically off gauge in the garment.
Swatches lie.
Damn you, practice swatch!
Swatching becomes critical for a totally different reason when you are working with handspun yarns. There are so many more unknowns with handspun, you really have to swatch to get to know each one-of-a-kind skein of yarn. I swatch handspun not just for gauge, but to see how a yarn knits up for color patternng as well as texture.
Pro Tip
When knitting a swatch with hand spun yarn, DON”T CUT YOUR YARN. Every inch is super valuable and chances are you will need every inch. Take a picture, take copious amounts of notes and rip back to preserve your yarn.
Despite all the reasons to hate swatching, I gauge swatched every fitted knitwear project anyway. I suffering through knitting practice swatches even though I wanted to get right to the knitting my sweater. It was good for me, right? But guilt trip aside, how did I become okay with knitting practice swatches? How did I get to a place of absolute love of swatching?
Fiberista, here are my top 4 ways to fall in love with knitting practice swatches.
Began with yarn love.
Just like a good meal starts with awesome ingredients, for me a good sweater has a lot to do with color and yarn textures that I love. Don’t waste time working with yarn you do not absolutely love.
Set the stage.
Grab a good cup of coffee. Settle into your favorite chair. Pick up you favorite set of needles. Music? A good movie? Assume that you are going to enjoy knitting this practice swatch and set the stage for some yarn love.
Be in the moment.
Notice how awesome your yarn feels in your hands. Be visually mesmerized by the fabric as it unfolds stitch by stitch. Slow down and just zone out. This is why they say knitting is the new yoga. For me knitting a practice swatch is all about being in the moment enjoying the sensory parts of my knitting (hello, yarn sniffers). Take plenty of time to be in the moment.
Keep it in perspective.
Straight up you are doing something you love. Knitting is as much about the journey as it is about the clothes. Knitting a practice swatch is just that, practice. There is no presure. If you need to rip it out and try a new needle size you are only reworking about 20 minutes of work. But then again, you are getting to do more of what you love—knitting.
So, do you have a tip for knitting practice swatches? Or maybe a swatching gone wrong horror story to share? I would to hear them. Leave me a comment below.
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Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
Practice swatches can also be used to try new cast on or cast off techniques. Not a big commitment if you don’t like the stretch or look of it instead of commiting to the whole hem of a sweater.