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Hi!

I am curious to see how many of my fellow crocheters actually do a guage swatch before starting to work on a afghan of any sort? I am fixing to start on a new afghan & I am very undecided about making a guage swatch or not.

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If it is not a wearable item, I don't bother with a gauge swatch. I'm a rebel like that.  ;)  If I were making a sweater or something that actually has to fit whoever it's meant for then yes, I definitely gauge swatch. But if it's not meant to be worn, or if it's just a shrug or shawl where size really is not so much of an issue, I just dive on in. 

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I just "plunge on in"!  The only time I make a gauge swatch is when it MUST be a certain size, and afghans usually don't matter that much!

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I'm a Swatcher...

 

Yep, I'll probably make 5 or 10 swatches before I start a "real" afghan, just to try out different patterns and see how they look. I like to fool around with the stitches and see how everything fits together, adding some of my own rows of favorite stitches, see how the colors or stripes will work, play with how the stitch pattern works for me, if I really like it,etc

 

I'll work these swatches until I find just what I'm looking for and then work on it a for few more rows until I have it memorized. While I'm working it out with hook and yarn, I'll sketch out a graph of the pattern to keep handy while I'm working on my afghan. I seldom go back to the written pattern, by the time I start the 'real' afghan, I pretty much know the pattern and how I want to work the color changes.

 

I often make swatches of patterns I see for interesting stitches I find online, too, not just afghans. I love trying new stitches and seeing how they all fit together to form a pattern, lots of fun, and when you throw in some color... wow!

 

Try it!

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No bother for me. I always make at least 1 or 2 swatches. Mostly because I hardly ever use the yarn/ thread recommended in the pattern. I make them only large enough to determine the stitch sizes. It saves a lot of grief, not having to go back to a store (online for me) for more yarn and frogging in the end. It's like counting stitches.... hate to do it but it saves a bunch of time and frustration.

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I do when I'm trying a new yarn or yarn and hook combination.  Other than that - I know which hooks I like with what yarns. 

 

I usually don't bother with a swatch for an afghan unless I'm changing the size of it.

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Not unless it is for a garment which I do very rarely.

 

I usually just start the afghan, since I tend to buy more yarn anyway, I am not that concerned if it is a tad bigger. Since a lot of mine are for charity and I tend to use those patterns that gives multiples, it doesn't matter. The ones that don't have multiples usually work out very well in the end without a gauge swatch. Personally, I hate doing them, only if absolutely, positively necessary.

 

LI Roe

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As I make mine up myself I often end up doing a test swatch to see if my idea is going to work.  I often rip out lots and restart then once I have it the way I want it I write up a few notes for future reference :)

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I make lapghans, and as most have said, it really doesn't matter so much. I will do though it when I am using a new ripple pattern, if I'm downsizing it from a full size afghan or just pulling one out my ripple stitch book, because with the hills/valleys, it's hard to predict how wide it will be once the pattern is really established. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Gage swatch what is that? :think   Only kidding.  No I do not, since I mostly do doll stuff, I usually have the doll next to me and I try the outfit one.

 

It also doesn't help if you are making something in thread that is normally made with yarn.

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I do a gauge swatch for an item that must come out a certain size.

 

For all other items, I only occasionally swatch. For example, if the hook size doesn't sound right for the yarn weight, I'll swatch it. Or maybe the picture doesn't seem right for the stated hook and yarn, I'll swatch it.

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I don't do swatches. I've found that some stitches come out bigger than others. Does this happen to anyone else? If I were doing a sweater, I'd do one. For afghans, the bigger the better.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

It completely depends on the project. When I make toys, definitely not. I don't usually for afghans either, I just use the same weight yarn and hook in the pattern. I ALWAYS swatch when making anything wearable.... Hats, mittens, clothes, etc. Always get swatched.

 

ETA: I do always swatch my own designs when I know I will be writing a pattern, even if gauge isn't important... I always like to include it in the pattern no matter what the project is.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I never gauge for anything. If I make anything wearable, the wearer is usually withing shouting distance, so I just drag them over, shove it over their head, and then make any necessary adjustments. Highly professional, I know. Heeheehee.

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