When you start a new project the process of picking a pattern, combing through your yarn stash for the perfect skeins, and casting on your piece can be exciting. The pattern tells you what size needles and type of yarn to use, so you should be fine… right? Sometimes that works and other times you get what I ended up making. It has been getting chillier in these past few weeks so I wanted to make hat (you can find the pattern here). I had been saving some super bulky yarn for the occasion and was ready to use it!
Unfortunately, I made two critical errors:
Not checking yardage Typically your pattern will tell you approximately how many yards of yarn will be needed for your project. The number of yards per skein is printed on the label.
Not checking gauge Briefly, gauge is the number of stitches per inch in a project. Each knitter has slightly different tension which can impact how loosely or tightly a knitted fabric will be. You typically test for gauge by making a sample square and counting the number of stitches vertically and horizontally in a few inches.
So what happens if you don’t check your yardage and gauge? If you don’t check your yardage you may run out of yarn before you finish your project? No problem, I’ll just go to the craft store and pick up more or order it online. Well… sometimes the yarn you have been saving in your stash gets discontinued and it is no longer available. No problem, I’m flexible, instead of a hat I can make a headband. Well… if you haven’t checked your gauge then what should be a snug fitting headband becomes more like a loose cowl.
When I try this again I will use bulky (rather than super bulky) yarn and double check my gauge.