Hello all,
My name is Arena, I am so happy to find this forum and learn from all the posts!
I'm just revitalizing my knitting skills and getting more and more drawn in. Currently working on the lace scarf on the cover of the winter Vogue Knitting. Anyway, I've got a question about gauge. Does it really matter? If one isn't making a garment that requires precise measurements isn't it okay if something is a 'little' bigger or smaller than the specified gauge?

D'pends on what you mean by "little". And how much yarn you bought:). If the gauge is off by 1 st per inch, say, you're getting 5 per inch instead of 4, it does add up. Across the long end of a shawl, that could cut off or add on almost a foot. If it's the latter, then you could run out of yarn.

With a scarf it may not matter so much because it doesn't have to be an exact fit. If the yarn in the pattern is thin and you have a really thick yarn, it will wind up a lot wider and not as long. And vice versa. But if you have a similar yarn, then you should be fine.

Not important if it's not fitting, like a scarf. As long as you're happy with it, go for it.:waving:

The responses have been helpful and are making me think. They make sense...especially the part about how much yarn since I'm using some expensive stuff!
Thanks