We have created a series of blog posts which address some of the most commonly asked questions which are known to really twist a yarn retailers stitches 

Help! My garment doesn’t fit, and I followed the pattern? 

Ever heard the immortal line “Did you swatch first?” 

The main reason that gauge or tension details within a pattern are included is to enable you to ensure you create a garment that fits. Swatching is like taking a peek into the future of your garment to ensure you are going to be happy with the result. Taking half an hour to complete a swatch can save you not only lost time, but a whole bunch of heartache later on. 

A swatch allows you to check that you are on track for sizing both in width and length, whether adjustments need to be made with the pattern and help give you valuable data if you are wishing to make your own modifications to customise the fit even more. 

Swatching also allows you to expand the boundaries of your fabric, what happens if you knit double knitting yarn on a larger needle? You can see if you like the texture or depth of a fabric, will it stretch? A swatch is literally a yarn encyclopedia in miniature. 

So now you know why the first words out of the mouth of your friendly yarn store assistant is “Did you swatch first?”