Not only have I knit a swatch, I knit three! This is really saying something since I hate to knit these things and usually skip this step. ~which could have a lot to do with why I am always surprised at the size of my finished projects, ya think?~ I also took the wild step of measuring my gauge before and after washing. And as if this incredible turn of events isn’t enough, one of the swatches was knit in the round! good grief – I hardly recognize myself!

here is a little tip for knitting gauges in the round. I got this from Susan, the wildly talented knitting mother of the wildly talented Kathleen – it is genetic! I was most likely belly aching about knitting a swatch in the round, saying that you would need to cast on loads of stitches and at that point it wasn’t a swatch anymore. She told me to cast on the normal amount of swatch stitches, but instead of doing a purl back row, simply slide the work to the other end of the needles (just like i-cord knitting) and knit the next row. I suppose I should mention that you need to do this on circulars or dpns. The swatch with the side fringes is the circular swatch – I snipped the traveling yarn in order to get an accurate measurement.

I don’t know if this picture is clear enough, but if it is please voice your opinion on your favorite swatch. I am holding fast to my favorite but am beginning to suspect I may be in the minority.