About gauge in Knitting (and Crocheting)

Primarily, I'm talking about knitting here. But these facts also apply to crocheting as well. Gauge is gauge.  And to do a proper gauge swatch, you're supposed to knit at least a 4"x4" (10cm x 10cm) swatch, wash and dry it like you will do the finished article and THEN do the gauge check.

Let's face it, most of us do NOT do a proper gauge swatch. Some of us are doing good to get the swatch done at all and then we measure it without bothering with the washing and drying part. I'm guilty of said practice.

A sad but true fact. Very few patterns will turn out the same size as written if you don't check the gauge.  If you're an experienced kniter, you may know that you traditionally have to go up or down and how many needle sizes you usually have to change. But even then, unless it's the same designer who's patterns you've used before, you may be off gauge. The person that wrote the pattern (that's done by knitting something and writing down what you do as you do it - and frogging - A LOT!),  may have a different gauge themselves. If they have the same gauge as you do and you change needle sizes as you'd normally have to do, you'd have something too big or too small.


There are two camps or ways of checking gauge and each camp thinks the other camp is crazy. One camp thinks that knitting a swatch takes less time and then you have a "sample" to keep of how you knit with that size needle and that weight/brand yarn and that pattern (seed stitch, ribbing, etc). They start out with one size needle, do their 4"x4" square and measure it. If it's not to gauge, they switch out needles, but keep on knitting on the already existing swatch for another 4", measure that and then correct again if needed. The advantage to this method is that you then have a ball park figure for the next time you knit with those combos IF YOU'VE WRITTEN DOWN what you've done and kept it WITH the swatch. (paste a corner of a piece of paper to the swatch and mark on the corner what you did and how you did it. The cons to this method is that you've got yarn sitting there that could be in an item and you've spent time that you could have spent knitting what you want on an otherwise useless sample. OR you can make your swatch larger and when it's finished you both have a sample of your work and a washcloth/dishcloth for use.

The other camp is the "start knitting it and then see what the gauge is" camp. The value of it is that, if things are right, you can just keep going. AND you have all of that skein of yarn available to work with. Down side is this - if it's NOT right, you've got to frog it all and start again. And if it's a big project, that's a LOT of time wasted.

What I tend to do is go ahead and start a small item - one that I'm not going to have to cast on a bunch of stitches to do and then check my gauge as I go along, with the foreknowledge that I MAY have to frog it. Toe-up socks and top-down hats and mittens, squares for an afghan all make good examples of something I'd just dive into and do, then check to see if I'm on gauge. Usually you have only a few stitches to start with, and as the stitches grow you can both see and try on the item as well as measure it to see if  the gauge and size are correct.

Brim-up hats, cuff-down socks and cuff-up mittens/gloves, as well as scarves are a toss up. My feelings are that by the time I've done a swatch, I've cast on almost as many stitches as I would making the item. So I may as well go ahead and start knitting - again keeping in the back of my mind that in an hour or so, it could be frog pond time.

Something large - one piece or large panel afghans, sweaters, coats  - BIG projects that take a LONG time to do, I'd swatch. Also if I make something that uses a very fine yarn - like lace or novelty yarns, where frogging can mess up the yarn, I would also swatch. There is one time that I would go ahead and knit a big project and that's if I was making something that has sleeves that are a separate piece, cuff-up (so there's not so many stitches), I would go ahead and knit a sleeve to see if I'm getting gauge in pattern on that sleeve.

Remember to do the swatch in pattern to make sure you have the same gauge as the designer calls for. Sometimes, the designer will tell you to have such-and-such a gauge in ribbing, stockinette or garter stitch. Mostly though, the gauge will be checked in the main pattern that the item will be knit in. And I've seen patterns with swatching called for in ribbing with one size needle and another swatch in another pattern with another size needle. So ALWAYS read the pattern ALL THE WAY THROUGH!

Three other things that I have found will affect my gauge. One is the yarn itself. I did 3 swatches of a plain scarf with some Red Heart or Vanna's Choice yarn. The scarf was a simple stockinette stitch with 3 garter stitches on each side and about 3 rows of garter stitch top and bottom to control the natural tendency of stockinette to roll up on you. Well, I got to knitting and that scarf just "grew" on me. It's WAY wider that the swatch showed it should be and it's way LONGER than what I intended. And yes, my swatch WAS accurate - in 4". The finished scarf was only supposed to be 12" wide, so even if the gauge was off, it wouldn't have grown to 18" wide. I guess as I made it the weight of the fabric it caused it to stretch out. Since it was for a kid to take to school, I didn't loose any sleep over it.

The second thing that has fouled me up was changing types and "style" of knitting. When I went from using DPN's and either "Bates" or "Boyle" needles to using Magic Loop and Addis Turbos needles, I had a HUGE gauge change. To the point that I had to completely frog one of the Fingerless gloves that I was working on. It was my own pattern for a fitted glove. I wrote down what I was doing as I did it. And I still had the DPN/Bates/Boyle glove WAY larger (and fitting the recipient) than the ML/Addis glove, which was too small. That was about 18 hrs of work off to the frog pond. My fault because I should have checked the gauge when I changed, but never dreamed there would be a difference. After all, it was the same yarn and the same size needles. It wasn't until I had DD try them on that I found they were WAY too tight. To the point that the stitches were stretched enough you could see her arm through the stitches.

Third thing that affects my guage is what's going on in my life as I knit. Perhaps other more experience knitters can control this, but if I'm watching something tense on TV, having a disagreement with a kid or I'm upset over something, my gauge tightens a LOT. Crazy thing is, it's doesn't "feel" any tighter on the needles as I'm knitting, but I can see the gauge is off as I look at what I've done. Like when knitting a pair of socks one at a time. They take me a LONG time to do and when done, I can "see" if I've been knitting while something is "bothering" me or if I'm in a good mood. I can see it in the fabric. Again, that may be because I'm not really a very experienced knitter. Mostly dish cloths, 1 pair of socks, a several of pairs of wrist warmers/gloves and a couple of scarves. And while blocking cures a multitude of sins in a wool/wool blend fabric, it doesn't always do much for synthetics.

What I'm working on is collecting patterns that are really just the math equations for knitting certain items. I have socks covered with my Crazy Heels and Toes book. I can choose any size needle and any size yarn and then make my socks fit the recipient. I may have the math figured out for brim-up hats too. But to do these kinds of things, you have to understand HOW gauge works and then either do swatches or be willing to frog items. Oh, and keep a record of how many stitches you get to an inch on certain brand & weight yarns with certain size/brand needles.

In the end, with all knitting that needs to "fit", you HAVE to know how many inches you're getting to an inch and how many inches you need on the finished item. If I need an item that goes around a 9" ankle, and I know that I'm getting 6 stitches to an inch, then I KNOW I'm going to have to have about 54 stitches to get around that ankle. Then you factor in such things as negative or positive ease and number of stitches needed for the chosen pattern. Then those figures are add or subtract for the stitch adjustment(s) to the base number of stitches. So using my 6 stitches/inch and 9" ankle I know I need 54 stitches as a base. Then, usually you want some negative ease in socks so they fit properly. Usually between 10% - 15% is a good negative ease starting number. So 54-10% (5.4 rounded down to 5 stitches) = 49 stitches. If I'm using a k2, p2 ribbing on the legs and top of foot, I need a number divisible by 4 (2 knit stitches + 2 purl stitches = 4 stitches in the pattern). So I will need either 48 or 52 stitches to have the proper number of stitches. In this case, I would go with 48 stitches. That would give me a negative ease of  about 11%, which would not be too tight. 

And the bigger the item or the more stitches the item requires, the more important 1/2 and even 1/4 stitches have to the final size of the item. 1/4 of a stitch makes an equivalent of adding an additional stitch every FOUR stitches. 1/2 stitch per inch and you'd have the equivalent of 1 stitch every 2 stitches. If the pattern calls for something to be 40" and you're SUPPOSED to be getting 10 stitches to an inch, you need 400 stitches cast on. But if YOU'RE you're getting 10.25 stitches, then you've added 1" to your project without meaning because you've cast on the equivalent of 410 stitches. And if you're getting 10.50 stitches to an inch, then you've added 2" to the size - again, without meaning to do so because it's like you've cast on 420 stitches. Those inches can mean the difference between looking good and looking like something is two sizes too big. It can mean the difference between something that is supposed to be "fitted" looking like it's fitted and something looking sloppy and ill-fitting. And the reverse is also true. Too FEW stitches per inch makes something too tight! 40" of 9.75 stitches per inch is like only casting on 390 stitches. 40" of 9.50 is like casting on 380 stitches. A loss of 1" for the missing 1/4 stitches and a loss of 2" for the missing 1/2 stitches. So that 40" is now down to 38". And that's an entire SIZE difference on some items and TWO sizes different on other items.

Moral to the story - at some point, preferably not too far into the project, check your gauge! It will save you being unhappy with the final fit the project.

New fingerless glove pattern

I just spent 2 days trying to knit the old pattern that I posted in Oct.
I tried it on dpns and ended up frogging it - several times.

Then I got to the last stitch on my circular needles (I use my circulars for flat knitting. I have better control with them), pulled the loop through and before cinching it down, decided to try on the glove to see how it fit. To say it didn't would be an understatement!

So....I frogged it back to bare yarn and started over. Tried to use the dpns again and again I frogged it. So after about 6 times of frogging this same blasted yarn, I went to my circulars, but changed size and knit the thing flat and then sewed up the seam. As I went, I changed the pattern so that it didn't end up with a huge bulge at the wrist. This new pattern is fitted and I liked how it turned out. Now if I can just get the second one done in time for Christmas - it's a present for someone and so I have a deadline. I've got the ribbing done on #2 and just started the glove itself, but since it's 2am, I'm going to go to bed. Well....after I finish this blog.

Here's the new pattern by yours truly:

Fingerless Gloves

Materals: approx. 2.5 oz worsted weight yarn - I used the Wallyworld $2 skein of acrylic - the big one and have enough to do several more pairs. Actually, this is left over from the slipper/socks that I flat knitted for my son for Christmas and still will have enough for a pair of these gloves.

Size 2 or 3 dpn or flat knitting is your choice. If you're not good at using dpns, do yourself a favor and knit it flat.

(The first time I did this pattern, I used size 5 and it turned out ok. I did decrease some stitches around where the ribbing and glove meet - to get rid of some of the bulk, but I do like the new pattern better.)

Gauge: I need to check this in daylight. The yarn is black and with my lighting, it's hard to count. Best I can see right now is 6 stitches to an inch and 9 rows to an inch. I think the gauge will change. For some reason, probably trying to learn to use dpns, my stitching was SO tight it was miserable to knit. With the second glove, I've loosened the stitching and it's going much better. I will measure both pieces when the sun comes up and get back to you. I'll also put "Edited" on the title so you know I've changed or confirmed the gauge.

Needle for finishing.

Cast on:

I used a size 2 needle and casted on 36 (and added 8 stitches at start of glove – after ribbing is done this shapes it to the hand so side isn't puckered or sticking out.)

Work in K1, P1 for 3" to 5" I do 5" because I like a longer cuff.

Begin glove:

Row 1 : K4, M1, K8, M1, K8, M1, K8, M1, K4 (To M1 (make 1) I knit the stitch like I would normally, then pulling the stitch up so it's a larger stitch than normal, I twist the needle so that it makes the yarn tight on the needle, then go back into the stitch I just used and reknit the stitch so that you've got two stitches from one knit stitch. The two stitches will look like a v with the needle going through the top of the v. Each leg of the v is a new stitch, the bottom of the v is from the row that is on the needle.

Row 2 : Purl

Row 3: K6, M1, K8, M1, K8, M1, K8, M1, K6

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: Knit

Row 6: Purl

Row 7: Knit (Optional - if you need more room before starting thumb gusset, which I do.)

Row 8: Purl (Optional - if you did a row 7, you need to do this as a purl row)

Row 7[9]: Knit 14/17/18/21 stitches. Place marker, K 2, Place Marker, Knit to end (If you used the optional two rows, then the bracketed number is the row you're on.)

Row 8[10]: Purl

Row 9[11]: K across to markers slip marker, Increase in each of the two stitches (4 stitches), slip marker, knit across.

Row 10 [12], Purl

Row 11 [13]: Knit to marker, slip marker, inc in first stitch, k in following stitches, inc in last stitch (6 stitches), knit across .

Row 12 [14]: Purl

Row 13 [15]: Knit to marker, slip marker, inc in first stitch, k in following stitches, inc in last stitch (8 stitches), knit across

Row 14 [16]: Purl to marker slip marker, knit 8, slip marker, Purl to end

Row 15 [17]: Knit to marker, slip marker, Increase in first stitch, knit to last stitch and increase (10 stitches), knit across row

Row 16 [18]: Purl across to marker, slip marker, Knit 10, slip marker, purl across

Row 17 [19]: Knit across to marker, slip marker, increase in first stitch, knit to last stitch and increase (12 stitches), slip marker, knit across

Row 18 [20]: Purl to marker, slip marker, knit 12, slip marker, purl across

Row 19 [21]: Knit to marker, remover marker, bind off 12 (knit first stitch, knit next stitch and then slide the first stitch over the second stitch). Do this to marker, remove marker, then slip that last stitch back on with the rest of the to-be-knit stitches, knit it and all the others to end. (This binding off and reknitting that last slipped stitch keeps a hole from forming in bound-off area.)

Row 20 [22]: Purl across stitches

*Row 21 [23], 23 [25]: Knit (25 is what I use, but I like the longer length)

*Rows 22 [24], 24 [26]: Purl (26 if you did 25, then you need to do this row too)

Repeat from* for number of rows you want for palm length(remember to include the 6 rows below in calculating your length), ending with purl row.

If you want a tighter top, do six rows in K1, P1 ribbing and bind off. I do the K1 P1 it keeps the end from rolling so much and so that it keeps its shape better.

Otherwise, knit six rows even and bind off.

Sew up side seam (if knitting flat) and fasten off end.

To do this in the round, just knit all the stitches on all the rows EXCEPT when, on the purl rows it tells you to knit those few stitches between the markers. Those between the markers you will purl, so it turns out looking right and having some support at the end of the thumb.

Fingerless Glove

Cold weather is acomin' and my one had gets really cold. So last winter, I made myself a Fingerless glove for my right hand. It worked out really well. I also made a pair for the kids to give to their dad (my ex.- yeah, I know, but the kids...) He's a carpenter and they were worried about him being cold while working. Anyway, here's the pattern I used with my modifications at the end. I really enjoy having it to wear.

Fingerless Gloves

Materals: approx. 2 oz worsted weight yarn

Size 6 and 8 needles (straights or double points)

Needle for finishing.

Cast on:

Child/Teen/Adults 30/36/38/44

Using size 6 needles, work in K1, P1 for 3" to 5"

Begin glove:

Row 1 ,3, 5,[7]: Knit [if you need to change length to thumb]

Row 2 , 4, 6,[8] : Purl [if you need to change length to thumb]

Row 7[9]: Knit 14/17/18/21 stitches. Place marker, K 2, Place Marker, Knit to end

Row 8[10]: Purl

Row 9[11]: K across to markers slip marker, Increase in each of the two stitches (4 stitches), slip marker, knit across

Row 10 [12], Purl

Row 11 [13]: Knit to marker, slip marker, inc in first stitch, k in following stitches, inc in last stitch (6 stitches), knit across

Row 12 [14]: Purl

Row 13 [15]: Knit to marker, slip marker, inc in first stitch, k in following stitches, inc in last stitch (8 stitches), knit across

Row 14 [16]: Purl to marker slip marker, knit 8, slip marker, Purl to end

Row 15 [17]: Knit to marker, slip marker, Increase in first stitch, knit to last stitch and increase (10 stitches), knit across row

Row 16 [18]: Purl across to marker, slip marker, Knit 10, slip marker, purl across

Row 17 [19]: Knit across to marker, slip marker, increase in first stitch, knit to last stitch and increase (12 stitches), slip marker, knit across

Row 18 [20]: Purl to marker, slip marker, knit 12, slip marker, purl across

Row 19 [21]: Knit to marker, remover marker, bind off 12 (knit first stitch, knit next stitch and then slide the first stitch over the second stitch). Do this to marker, remove marker, then slip that last stitch back on with the rest of the to-be-knit stitches, knit it and all the others to end. (This binding off and reknitting that last slipped stitch keeps a hole from forming in bound-off area.)

Row 20 [22]: Purl across stitches

*Row 21 [23], 23 [25]: Knit

*Rows 22 [24], 24 [26]: Purl

Repeat from* for number of rows you want for palm length(remember to include the 6 rows below in calculating your length), ending with purl row.

If you want a tighter top, do six rows in K1, P1 ribbing and bind off.

Otherwise, knit six rows even and bind off.

Sew up side seam (if using straight needles) and fasten off end.

Mine:

I used Size 2 needles to cast on and do the cuff

Cast on 47 stitches.

K1 P1 for 5” was how tall I made the palm.

How do I use different stitch patterns to make my project?

Have you ever wondered how people come up with a different pattern to use for washcloths, dishcloths, scarves and other straight stitched items?

These items are nothing more than large swatches of knitting and you can learn how to make them the size you want. Here's how:

First, pick out a stitch that you'd like to learn. Let's say I want to learn how to do a "moss stitch". (I think in some places this is also known as "seed stitch".)

Next decide on the weight yarn you'll use. The weight of the yarn will decide the approximate size of the needle. The smaller the yarn, the smaller the needle. The larger the yarn, the larger the needle.

Say I want to make dishcloths. I know that I want 100% cotton. It will hold up better and dry more quickly than acrylic yarns. 100% wool is more expensive, shrinks and will felt with use. It could be used, but most people don't want the expense, shrinking and felting. (And the felted ones will take long to dry.)

So anyway, I've gotten my pattern - moss stitch, I know I want make more dishcloths, I know I can use anywhere between a size 4 to a size 10 needle (3.50- 6.50mm) I will use a needle on the larger end of the scale - I want to get done more quickly and I don't need the denser stitch count of a smaller sized needle.

Truth be told, I'm going to just cast on enough stitches, probably about 40, to make the dishcloth. I'm not going to worry about exactness, it's not needed for this project. I'm just going to k1, p1 for 2 rows, then p1, k1 for two rows. I'll alternate this until my project is a square - because I like square dishcloths. How do I know when I'm about squared? I fold one corner on a diagonal. If it's square, it will make a triangle, nothing left over. If it's not squared, I will have a triangle with a rectangle on top of it. Now I can make a rectangle if I want it to be so. It's my choice. There are no dishcloth police gonna get you if it's a rectangle or even a circle. Whatever floats your boat!

But suppose I want a scarf or a table cloth. How can I make those come out with correct proportions?

Each pattern requires a certain number of stitches to make that pattern. The moss stitch is a multiple of two stitches. Divided Boxes need a multiple of 5 stitches. Each pattern has it's own number of stitches to make that pattern. So for the moss stitch I need to have an even number of stitches on the needle. For the Divided Boxes, I need to have a number divisible by 5. (so 25 stitches will work, but not 22.)

For that, you're going to have to make a test swatch or two even. So cast on enough stitches for your pattern to make a 4" or larger square. Knit until it's a square. (see above).

Then you're going to determine your gauge. Turn you swatch to the wrong side, lay it down flat and measure the number of stitches to the inch and rows to the inch. So you may have 4 1/4" per stitch and 8 rows per inch. Write these two numbers down, you'll use them in the next step.

Now to plan your project your going to need two more measurements to calculate how many to cast on and how many rows to knit. The next measurement you will need it to determine how wide you want the finished project to be. I want my dishcloth to be 6" wide.) Write that number down. Then the last measurement you will need is to determine how long you want it to be when your finished making your project. (I want it to be 6" long.) Write that number down. Get out your calculator and we'll do two equations to answer the questions how many stitches to cast on and how many rows do I knit.

How many stitches to cast on:
Multiply your desired width x the number of stitches in your swatch and you will have the number of stitches to cast on. So 6" wide x 4.25 stitches = 25.50 stitches. So I'll cast on 24 stitches for the moss stitch. (I need an even number required for this pattern.) If I wanted to do a Divided box stitch, I would have to cast on 25 stitches to be able to divide it by 5.)

How many rows will I knit:
Multiply your desired length x the number of rows in your swatch = number of rows to knit.
I want my cloths to be 6" long x 8 rows = 48 rows of knitting. That will work for the moss stitch, it doesn't care how many rows you do. But for the boxes to be square in the Divided Boxes, I'll need to do 50 rows (The divided box stitch is a pattern of square boxes. I guess I could choose to do only 48 rows, but the last squares won't be squares because you'll be 2 rows short of stitches.)

There you go. This is all it takes for a flat-patterned item - dishcloths, washcloths, table runners, tablecloths, towels, scarves, bedspreads, anything that's square or rectangular and that doesn't require cutouts or to be fitted. Fitted things like sweaters, dresses, etc. require a little more calculating. Since I don't do long-term items (ADHD strikes again), I can't tell you how to size these things. I do know that the principles are the same, but that there are other calculations you will have to take into consideration - armholes, neck-lines, curvature of the cap of the sleeve, etc. It's beyond my abilities to tell you how to do those adjustments.

Knitting Dishcloths

I thought that I wouldn't like to use a knit or crochet dishcloth. I thought that they would be too bulky to wash the dishes with, take too long to dry and in general be a pain to use. My hands hurt and cramp enough with a light-weight terry cloth dishcloth that the idea of using a bulky knit or crochet one was just dismissed out of hand as being too painful to bother with using. And why make an item that I wouldn't use?

This past week, I had invited the missionaries from my church to come over for dinner. We had a nice dinner prepared by my 15 yo old son. We listened to a talk on CD on the folly of trying to be perfect and the wisdom of doing your best, then realizing that if you've done your best, that's all you can do. We also just visited with each other. A nice time was had by all. The next day, they stopped by and dropped off a crochet dishcloth that Sister Burt had made.

There had been a lot of discussion on Rhonda Jean's blog "Down--to--earth" about knit dishcloths and people were singing their praises. They had even had a dishcloth swap. So I decided, what-the-heck, I'll try out my gift.

Far from being bulky and making my hands ache, it was a joy to use. It cleaned well and my hands didn't cramp like they do when I use a terry cloth dishcloth. Also, it dried more quickly than my cheap terry cloth ones do. I just hang mine over the edge of the sink to dry. I was really amazed.

About 5 or more years ago, I discovered that crocheting, which I had been doing for some 30 years was causing cramping and fatigue in my hands. So I retaught myself how to knit.

When I was about 10, my mom taught me how to knit. But my tension was SO tight, that I couldn't get the needle to go through the stitches very easily. I ended up with a sore finger-tip from forcing the needle through the bottom stitch. So I gave it up as something I "couldn't" do.

Some 9 years later, I had a friend teach me how to crochet, learned about controlling tension, and how to read a pattern.

I'm a person who likes to get through a project quickly, so most of my projects were and are simpler ones. Hats, mittens, scarves, doilies, etc.

Time moved on and I finally realized that my hands were hurting enough that it was no longer fun to crochet. But I still liked busy work. Something to keep my hands busy, so I didn't start snacking. Something that didn't cost a lot and that would leave me with something useful.

So I thought I'd retry knitting. I really needed some gloves, not mittens, and those patterns that I had available were all for knitting gloves. I was even able to find a glove pattern that doesn't require double-pointed needles to make. So off I went to get supplies.

A friend suggested that this time around, I try using circular needles. You can use circular needles without knitting in the round. All you have to do is, when you get to the end of the row, turn the needles around just as if you were using the straight kind. I find I like these MUCH better than the straight kind! They fit differently in my hand, the stitches don't seem to want to slip off the ends as easily, so I'm not dropping stitches and I like the fact that they want to curl up - it makes them easier to store. I did have to learn how to slightly twist the needles to uncoil them so they wouldn't be fighting me while I was actually knitting, but mostly that's not a problem. And when it is, it's obvious when you try to knit the first stitch and so it's easily remedied - just twist the needle with the stitches on it and it will unkink the connecting needle.

I've learned not to grip the yarn so tightly or pull too tightly on it. If I'm knitting two together (k2t), I've learned that after I've done that, I need to pull up just a little on the last loop I made, so that when I knit across it on the way back, the loop isn't too tight to allow the needle to pass into it. I've learned that at the end of a row, I need to tighten the stitch just a little to keep that last stitch from being too "loopy" and that when I then turn and restitch in it, to hold a bit of tension on it. The next stitches will all be done a little more loosely. If I do these things, my finished project will have uniform tension on it and will look good - provided I don't bungle the pattern. lol

Friday, I stopped by Wally world and picked up some 100% cotton yarn to make some dishcloths with. It cost me $1.27 for each 50gm ball. I also found a set of double-pointed needles - something that in 5 years I haven't been able to find locally - not in the three surrounding counties where I live.

I made two different patterns, using a size 10 (6.00mm) circular needles. (The diagonal pattern called for a 9-10 1/2 needles, 5.50-6.50mm)

The first pattern, done on the diagonal, is where you start knitting with 4 stitches, and do an increase each row (k2, yo, knit to end) until you have 40 stitches (50 for a washcloth), then you do a decrease each row(k1, k2t, yo, k2t, knit to end) until you're back to 4 stitches, then bind off. This pattern has an edge, then a small hole and then the rest of it has a garter stitch. The holes are small and decorative. The garter stitch gives it a textured surface to help remove food and grease from the dishes. This is a very easy pattern and didn't take too much yarn. In fact, I would have been able to get 3 dishcloths out of one ball if I hadn't need to use some of one ball with the other color. Also, it only takes about 2 hours from start to finish.

My second pattern was one I just made up in my head. I cast on about 40 stitches and did a garter stitch (k each row) until it was a square. Bind off and you're done. I used a yellow variegated yarn and ended up with a dishcloth that was only a row in one direction and about 2 stitches in the other direction bigger than the cloth done on the diagonal. I had more of the yellow, but decided that I'd go back to the diagonal style - I could see that it used less yarn. I was almost finished with the cloth, I think I had about 12-15 stitches left to go before I bound off 4, when I ran out of the yellow, so I just tied on the blue I used for the other cloth.

It turned out rather cute. I have a triangle of blue on top of the yellow. All I have to do is embroider eyes, nose and a mouth and I have a person wearing a hat. I'm not going to bother, but this is one way to make a face, especially a clown face! I'll keep that in the back of my mind. It would make a cute gift for a child.

I was able to get 1 3/4 cloths from the variegated yellow.

I learned that some patterns will use a great deal more yarn than others for the same size and density cloth. Since my money is at a premium, I'm probably going to stick to the diagonal pattern.