how to work a gauge Swatch with crochet, an easy and fast method

CROCHET GAUGE SWATCH – THE LAZY, EASY METHOD 

Are you someone who doesn’t bother to work a gauge swatch before beginning a crochet pattern? 

I get it. Trust me. It’s an annoying little thing that keeps you from jumping into a project you have been waiting all day to begin. 

But…it’s truly necessary for sized projects. If you have worked a sized project in the past and had success, you are lucky! But you can keep your streak going by doing a lazy gauge swatch. It takes less than five minutes and can, at the very least,  put you in the ballpark so your sizing will work out. Because believe it or not, two people who work up the same project with the same yarn and same hook will not have the same sized project. My own gauge will change depending on whether I am stressed, tired or relaxed, so it’s very easy for gauge to change drastically from person to person. 

Enter the gauge swatch. 

This is how I do my own gauge swatches when beginning a new design, so I am begging you: before starting one of my patterns, please do a quick gauge swatch! 

HOW TO MAKE A GAUGE SWATCH (the quick and easy way!) :

Begin by making a chain a bit longer than you think you need (i. e. needing a 4″ gauge? make it 6 inches long. Need a 6″ gauge? Make it 8″)
Work back across the chain, working in the indicated stitches for the gauge (sc, dc, hdc, etc. the gauge or pattern will indicate which stitch). Work all the way across, then turn.  
To stabilize the measurement, work a second row across the foundation, one stitch in each. 

how to work a crochet gauge swatch, the easiest and fasted method

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Then, make sure you are using an accurate tape measure. As much as you treasure your grandma’s antique tape measure, it’s possible it has stretched out over the years, so make sure your tape is accurate.  Use the two loops on the tops of the stitches for your measurement. Put the tape exactly where the two loops begin to start the measurement. The ends of your measurement should be at the very end of the two loops on the last stitch of your measurement. For instance, if the gauge is 8 sc = 2″, you will begin on the 1st st, lining the measuring tape up with the top two loops, and end the measuring on the 8th st, at the end of the top two loops. 

Line the tape measure up with the stitches on your gauge swatch, just below the top loops. It should line up with the beginning of the two loops exactly: 

how to work a crochet gauge swatch, the easiest and fasted method


And end with the exact end of the stitch (the two loops on top). The measurement ends exactly at the 4″ mark. 
Count the stitches within your measurement to see what your current gauge is and if you need to make adjustments. 

how to work a crochet gauge swatch, the easiest and fasted method

FIXING YOUR GAUGE ISSUE:

So what if your gauge swatch has more stitches in the measurement? 
Go up a hook size. You need to fill the space will fewer stitches, so a larger hook is needed to create larger stitches. 

What if you have fewer stitches in the measurement? 
Go down a hook size. Your stitches are too large and filling up the space with less stitches. Going down a hook size will allow you to squeeze more stitches in to the space. 

👉 👉 👉 Remember, the hook size is a suggestion provided by the designer as a starting off point to find the correctly sized hook for your project.  Want more info on gauge differences? Read this article by Sincerely Pam. 

The lazy gauge swatch: super quick, super lazy but super effective. 
Please make a gauge swatch 🙏

Want more crochet tips? Check these out. 


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