Swatching: The HOW

 There are two schools of thought about how to swatch.

School 1  Chain or cast on 4 inches of stitches.  Crochet or knit using the stitch pattern in the gauge of the pattern.  Work four inches of length.  Bind off or Fasten off.  Do you get the same number of stitches and rows as the pattern says you should?  No?  Change the size of the tool.  Too many stitches for the four inches? Increase the size of the tool.  Too few stitches for the four inches?  Decrease the size of the tool.

School 2 Chain or cast on at least 6 inches of stitches.  Using the stitch pattern listed in the gauge section of the pattern, work 6 inches or more of length.  Bind off or fasten off.  Now measure the center 4 inches in both directions.  Use pins to show where the center 4 inches are.  Too many? Too few?  Increase or decrease the size of the tool and try again.

Wash and block your swatch and remeasure the gauge.  Has the gauge changed?  Re swatch. 

OR

Make multiple swatches and on the first row make a different stitch for the number of the tool size.  So if you are using a 4 mm hook, do four stitches different on r 1.  If you are using a US 7 needle purl 7 stitches.  Or write on the swatch with a sharpie or embroider with a different color.

Now the analysis.

School 1 works very much to the skills of the experienced.  Edge stitches are notorious for being oversized in the beginner stitching.  Or for being missing altogether.  This form of swatch is looking for very even sttiches to form very even rows so that you get an accurate gauge.

School 2 works for every one but is a good friend to the beginner stitcher.  In this form of swatching, you measure the center four inches in each direction.  This is where the most even stitching is located. The edges can be wonky.  The chain edge or the  bind off edge can be tight and it won't affect gauge.  That is not to say you can keep it for the project you are swatching for, but it won't affect the stitch count.

So which way should you swatch?  Depends.  The larger swatch will work for everyone one of every skill level.  But before you hold your swatch to being accurate after stitching, wash and block the swatches.  Washing might not be completely necessary but saturation is.  Spraying and steaming will be helpful for blocking once the object is done but that isn't how you are going to clean it.  How will full saturation affect the yarn?  Does the ball band say it's machine washable?  How does full saturation and agitation affect the yarn?  Is it hang dry?  Lay fliat and dry?  Machine dry?  How do these affect the yarn and the swatch?  Be careful that you don't toss your non superwash wool into the washer and dryer.  They will felt and shrink.