Sometimes you buy a yarn without any idea of what you'd like to do with it. Or maybe you have some handspun or a yarn without a ball band and you'd like to find the ideal size needles to work it with.
Or maybe you're not sure the yarn you've chosen for a project will look the same as the yarn in the published pattern, so you want to take it for a test drive before you dig into the project.
All of these are great reasons to knit what I call an exploratory swatch.
Other people call them "getting to know you" swatches or learning swatches; I'm sure there are other names. Whatever you call it, these little swatches are a great way to learn about a new yarn.
Making an Exploratory Swatch
Your swatch knitting will start in the same way you'd knit any other gauge swatch: with your chosen yarn and the needles that the ball band recommends or that you think might work for your chosen yarn. If you don't have a ball band, make a guess based on the weight of the yarn.
You'll also want to have a range of needles handy that are larger and smaller than the needles you're going to start with.
- Cast on enough stitches so that you will have more than four inches in width. I like using 25 stitches, but for very fine yarns that won't be enough. This will give you a swatch big enough so you can really see what's going on.
- Knit in stockinette stitch, or whatever stitch pattern your project calls for or that you want to try out, for about two inches.
- Change to a larger or smaller sized needle, depending on the look you are going for. A great way to keep track of what size needle you changed to is to purl a number of stitches on the knit side equal to the size of your needle. That way you can save the swatch and refer to it later and it will still make sense.
- Once you've changed your needles a couple of times, you will probably decide that you like the look of one needle size over the others. When you're ready to stop playing, bind off and weave in your ends.
Using Your Exploratory Swatch
It's a really good idea to launder your swatch the same way you would launder your finished garment. That means hand washing for wool and machine washing for cotton, acrylic and other fibers. But really a quick hand washing is sufficient for most swatches.
Pin your swatch so the sides are flat and allow to dry. Then just measure your gauge for the size needles you've decided you want to use and you're on your way.
