Got Gauge?

"Knit a swatch to make sure you are knitting to gauge."

Aside from a few folks who make dish- or wash- cloths from their swatches, I don't know many people who really like to make gauge samples.

If you GET gauge, there's the belief that you'd have already "gotten somewhere" if you had just started your project. A baby sweater might be equivalent to the swatch you need for a linebacker's fisherman knit. The urge to skip swatching is especially strong as Fall approaches and people realize they have impossibly long lists of knitted gifts to make before year's end.
If you do NOT get gauge, there is a period of high anxiety coupled with multiplication, fractions and proportions during which you decide how to alter the pattern to get the size and drape of knitting you and the pattern-designer had in mind.

Another way to talk about gauge is "tension." Everyone sees to have their own normal level of tension that is normal and works for them. My knitting gets overly loose if I am falling asleep while purling. It tightens up if I am watching Fright Night on the tube, or if I
am riled up about something.


In life, like knitting, it is important that you work at your natural, "best" tension level. I call my best tension level "alert" or mindful. I respond quickly and easily to my sensory intake. I think clearly, avoid most errors, correct them as quickly as possible and am satisfied with the results.

What does it take for you to be at your ideal tension level?