Swatching for our Spring KAL

While the official cast on date for our Spring Knit-a-long is this coming Saturday the 4th of March, we know there will be some very diligent knitters out there, swatching away in their chose yarns in preparation.  Others among you might be reluctant, or even uncomfortable, with the concept of swatching. How do you know how big a swatch should be? Or be sure that you are measuring it correctly? Well, luckily, we have two very informative blog posts from our archives to share with you today. One covers swatching for flat knitting and the other discusses swatches for knitting in the round. All of our KAL projects are knit on circular needles and so, ideally, your tension should be measured over a piece of fabric that has been knit in the round. You should still have a read over both tutorials though, as there are some basics covered in the first article and they are referred back to in the second post. Getting the tension right is an essential part of successful knitting but it's also very important to be sure that you like the fabric that is being created by your chosen yarn when it is knitted at that gauge. Do you think it will suit the design well? Do you want your fabric to be structured or flowing? Does the yarn show the stitch pattern well? Taking the time to ask these questions before actually casting on for a project is a really worthwhile exercise.  It's all about starting well, before you actually start... We're on hand to offer advice and opinions if you have queries about any aspect of your swatching experience. If you are attending the Cast On Party then please bring along your tension pieces. Otherwise feel free to post questions here in the comments, over on the Ravelry thread or on social media using the hashtag #TIKKAL17