gauge woes

[boyforpele13]

so i did a gauge swatch, 14 st by 21 rows equals 4 inches on US 10 needles with yarn doubled in moss stitch. 10 was too small, 10-1/2 was too small, 11 was perfect. I then proceed 7 inches into the sweater before deciding to measure (duh) and it's 2 inches larger than it should be and is to be blocked to measurements at the end and i've ripped it out and now on 10s, it's perfect.... what did i do wrong? this keeps happening to me. i'm trying to do gauge like a good boy but it never works out. help please. :(

[losnana]

Did you make your swatch large enough before measuring? I think most advise about 4" X 4", then measure AFTER removing from the needles. The cast on edge is only about 80% of what the actual measurement will be, and the needles distort it somewhat also.

[knitasha]

Also, a lot of us have a tendency to knit our gauge swatches very carefully, which often means more tightly than we normally knit. Then, when we get into the actual knitting, we relax and the knitting loosens up. If this happens to you consistently, it would be helpful to measure your work after 2 inches and every couple of inches thereafter. If you notice it spreading out, switch to a smaller needle.

Remember: you're the boss of your knitting and you can make it do anything you want.

_______________________________________

[boyforpele13]

i actually wound up making the swatch enormous.... i started on 10s, did that for 4 inches, switched to 10-1/2, did that for like 3 and then did 11s for another 3. i think it may have been i was trying too hard with the swatch like knitasha said, but still SO IRRITATING! I love this:

Remember: you're the boss of your knitting and you can make it do anything you want.

but it's my first garment and 2-1/2 inches on each piece would have me drowning in it. otherwise, i'm totally with you on that.