This Gal's knitting quick tip: The Usefulness of KALs

As I've been stepping out of my knitting comfort zone over the past year, knit alongs have been an invaluable source of information. A knit along (KAL) is when a group of people, usually on the internet, picks a pattern and knits it at the same time. Usually a KAL has an organizer who sets deadlines for when each section of the pattern should be done. Then people will post their progress usually on a Ravelry board dedicated to the KAL. A lot of times, the organizer will post how-to guides on their blog for each part of the pattern, this is where you'll find a lot of useful information. Sometimes there are even prizes at the end. But the great thing about these KALs is that you don't have to participate in them to get all the great information they hold.

There are KALs for virtually any type of project you want to work on. Socks, sweaters, hats, dishcloths, you name and I can bet there's a KAL for it. Here are a few that I've recently found useful.

Useful KALs

Hands Occupied is always a great resource for knitting. Right now she has a scarf KAL going on. And in the past she's had some really great and informative sweater KAL. Here's a link to all of her KALs.

Veryshannon.com has an entire page filled with links to her annual KALs. And they are all full of great information.

Beginner's KAL is a Ravelry group that has monthly KALs targeted at beginners with a lot of support through each part of the project. I haven't gotten too far into this group, but from what I can tell it's going to be an invaluable resource for me.

I don't know if the Tasha's fitting series over on By Gum By Golly is technically a knit along, but the information in it has been indispensable for me while knitting my first sweaters. It's very much set up like a knit along so I'm going to include it here.

What are some of your favorite KALs that you've either participated in or have found useful in the past? Link them up in the comments and I'll add them to the list.

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Open letter to self about gauge

"I don't need to check gauge. It's never been a problem for me." I know you've read that countless times. The almighty knitter who has never had one problem with gauge. I myself have said that many a times. But up until recently I'd only knit things that the gauge wasn't all too important. Then I started knitting sweaters and it became apparent that gauge is in fact important. Below is a letter to myself that I will refer to anytime I knit a new sweater.

Dear this gal,

Honestly, what's one of the first things you learn when you're starting out garment knitting? It's important to knit a gauge swatch before you start knitting your garment. I know you've read this, I was there. But since I also know you need a refresher, I'm going to give it to you, all while debunking the reasons why you have in the past chosen not to do a gauge swatch.

What is gauge and why is it important?

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows a knitter makes per inch using a certain yarn and needles. Most yarn labels have the gauge and a suggested needle size, but it doesn't always mean that you'll get gauge with the same needles they suggest. You might have to go up or down needle sizes to get it. Gauge is important because it determines how your garment is going to fit. If you're just half a stitch off, your sweater won't fit.

Here's an example, remember when you started your Magical Mystery Tour vest? Remember how you guesstimated your gauge to be 6.5 stitches per inch? So, you cast on 216 stitches to get you roughly a 33 inch bust. But then it turned out your gauge was actually 6 stitches per inch, so you actually ended up with a sweater that had a 36 inch bust. Do you remember that? If you had just taken your gauge in the first place you would have known to either cast on fewer stitches, or you could have switched needle sizes to get the gauge you wanted.

But what if I run out of yarn?

I know how concerned you were when you started that vest, but let me remind you how much leftover yarn you had when you finished. Enough to knit a whole new vest at the correct gauge, resulting in a well fitting garment. I'd also like to remind you how much yarn you had left over after knitting your Christmas sweater. You had four skeins of red, one skein of white and one skein of green. Plus, in all honesty, if you think you're going to run out of yarn, buy an extra skein.

But it just takes too much time

Admittedly, it does take some time to knit a gauge swatch. But you have to think of the time it takes to knit an entire vest in the wrong size. Then how long it takes to knit an entire vest in the correct size. You could have knit two really great vests in that time had you taken the time to check to make sure everything was going to work out the way you had calculated. Take the time to save the time.

It's a concept literally as old as time, knitting time anyway. I doubt there's ever been a knitting book written that didn't include at least a small section on gauge/tension.

From Patons 665 from the 1960s

Required reading

Now, for my sake, and my sake alone, please read the following articles on the proper ways to swatch for gauge. I will not allow you to even consider knitting another sweater until you've done so.

Gauge Overview - earthguild.com
How to measure gauge - craftsy.com
Everything you need to know about gauge - knitty.com
How to check gauge - video from verypink.com

Sincerely,

Yourself

PS.
That measly thing above, it does not count as knitting a gauge swatch, nice try though. Why is your ribbing longer than the stitch pattern?



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