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Gauge Swatching
25 Plays2 months ago
Gauge swatching: a thrilling debate! Join Andrew (Caliri Creations) and Kelly (Cocky Crocheter) as they dive into this sizzling topic in fiber arts.
Are you a dedicated gauge swatcher or do you love the thrill of jumping into projects without a swatch?
Music Credit: Break by Moavii | https://www.youtube.com/@MoaviiMusic Free To Use | https://freetouse.com/music Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
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Transcript
Introduction of Gauge Swatching Debate
00:00:13
Speaker
everyone, welcome back to another episode of 2cc's Fiber Arts. I'm Andrew with Kalliri Creations and I'm here with Kelly from Cocky Crochere. And today we have a potentially controversial topic we want to talk about and that is gauge swatching. So I know in the community, it is like a hot topic. Lots of people think you can't start any pattern without doing a gauge swatch. Other people say it's completely useless and you don't need it at all. So i have some definite um opinions here that I'm really interested to share with Kelly. And I'm definitely interested to hear
Importance of Gauge Swatching in Design
00:00:52
Speaker
Kelly's thoughts. So Kelly, do you do gauge swatching for your projects?
00:00:57
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Okay. I'm very excited about this because I did not know. You almost gave Kelly during the Granny Squares episode energy there with like, I've got some opinions about gauge swatches. I do have opinions. I am looking forward to hearing that.
00:01:13
Speaker
Yes. Okay. So, um all right. For me in general. So when I'll say from two perspectives about gauge swatching, One, as a designer, yes, it is imperative. I have to gauge swatch. I literally could not design if I did not gauge swatch. If I just started going with and saying, I'm just going to randomly decide on some numbers. um Even if I'm using the same yarn,
00:01:38
Speaker
for a like, you know, project or something like that, I'll still gauge swatch with it because I'm like, well, I might want to change something like, do I want it to be drapey or do I want a different hook size? Do I have a different like stitch pattern design in mind where like, you know, this is going to be using more of like kind of a ribbed look, whereas this one's more of a cable look and this one's more this and they're all going to gauge differently even with the exact same yarn and hook. So I'm like, it is imperative.
00:02:03
Speaker
That is how I get my calculations as a maker. hero is Most of the time, I do not you do a gauge swatch. ah Even...
00:02:15
Speaker
even for clothing items, where I feel like it's probably the most important one to do it, I will still sometimes not gauge swatch. I'll just start.
00:02:25
Speaker
Wow. Go from there. And I'll be like, you know what? I have designed something before, so I can use math reasoning to be like, you know what? If this is where my gauge is and this is where their gauge is supposed to be, i just need to grow everything up by that much.
00:02:42
Speaker
Because it's always grow. I'm always having to grow my gauge. Oh, yeah. Yeah, anyway. See, that I'm completely the opposite. because So I guess I'll agree with you on the patterns. Because I always gauge swatch for patterns, if anything, just so I have an accurate number to put on the pattern.
00:03:01
Speaker
So that I can say, like, hey, y'all, this is exactly what I did. Here's a picture of my gauge swatch. So you guys can literally count on my gauge swatch if you need to. I just like having that security because I'm like, I know I made the gauge swatch right.
00:03:15
Speaker
And I know if you use this gauge, you'll be able to make the pattern.
Comparing Swatching Approaches
00:03:19
Speaker
So it's like a sense of security for me there. um Now, coming onto the creator side of it, I used to just start all projects and just be like, doesn't matter. Like, I just want to start knitting or crocheting. Like, I don't need to gauge swatch or for anything.
00:03:37
Speaker
But I kind of learned the hard way. And um I have very loose tension. So my gauge is often very off, like very, very off. So for example, I recently made these semi-fingerless gloves. So these are gloves that have full fingers on the pinky and the ring finger. And then the thumb, the pointer finger, and the middle finger have an open hole at the end.
00:04:05
Speaker
um So if you're watching, can show you what they look like. ah ah So you can see like your two fingers are fully covered and then three are partially out. Anyway, I thought this was a cool design.
00:04:18
Speaker
But for the gauge, it says to use a size US 5 size knitting needle, ah double pointed needles for this. But anyway, I made my gauge swatch using that, and i was like more than a whole inch off.
00:04:32
Speaker
And so I was like, these gloves are not going to fit if I use the same needles. So I dropped down to a four, and I was still too large on my gauge. Then a three, and then a size two, and I didn't have needles smaller than that. And those honestly were already like two fixed.
00:04:48
Speaker
yeah so anyway i made this gauge swatch for the gloves and
Gauge Swatching for Color and Pattern Insights
00:04:53
Speaker
this gauge swatch is even still slightly too big so the way i got around that is what um instead of making a size large glove which is what i should have had to make i made a size medium glove but i only knew to do that because i did a gauge swatch So all of that to say, i think you can really learn from your gauge swatch, especially for wearable items. I kind of feel like it's critical to make a gauge swatch because you can understand how your gauge is different. And, you know, if you can't match the gauge, maybe you can adjust like the size that you make and that kind of thing, you know, that's.
00:05:33
Speaker
Okay, that's very interesting that you say that because for things as small as mittens, gloves, socks, hats, a lot of people,
00:05:45
Speaker
there at least in my like circle of people that I've talked to will generally be like, Oh, you don't have to gauge swatch for those. The gauge swatch is the project itself because by the time you make a gauge swatch, you would have might as well have made the project.
00:05:58
Speaker
But it's so funny that for you, you're like, no, i made you know several gauge swatches. for this single pair of these like semi fingerless gloves. And it's like, whereas most people would have been like, well, they're just gloves. I'll just make them. And if they don't fit, whatever, I'll make another pair because that first one was the gauge swatch itself. And you're like, okay, so that's interesting that, yeah, but you're right. Like that. great Okay. So,
Swatching and Fiber Arts Philosophies
00:06:24
Speaker
Well, okay, so I know what I say about, like, you know, I generally will not gauge swatch myself. um But it's because I'm also familiar with my own gauge a lot of the times. so you went through all those iterations.
00:06:38
Speaker
I would be like, you know what, I pretty much can tell that if I have a four millimeter hook or like a US six um with a certain weight of yarn, each of the different weights, I can generally tell if I'm going to be able to match gauge or if I know it's going to be a bit tighter. So then I'll already go ahead and bump up to be able to like help with that. um But then once I bump up, I'm pretty much like, I don't really need to do the gauge swatching. I just know i need to bump up by this much based on my past experience. So then I'll just start making it. So for me, I guess like, I don't always need a gauge swatch to know what my gauge is going to be.
00:07:16
Speaker
Uh-huh. So maybe that's like, yeah, I don't know. that That's just maybe like where i was thinking the difference between like wear making them for wearables. yeah You're right. They are pretty essential. Yeah.
00:07:29
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I've gotten burned like one too many times making a project without gauge swatching. Um, like I made a cardigan, a cabled cardigan, and I just picked the large size. Cause I was like, well, I wear a large, so this is my size. And I just like started knitting with the recommended needles and the recommended yarn.
00:07:49
Speaker
But it turns out I really should have probably gone down like two or three needle sizes because that cardigan ended up being like, like bat wings on me or something, you know, was like huge. I could have flown from a tree wearing it like a flying squirrel.
00:08:05
Speaker
So I'm like, I'm tired of getting to the end of the project and being like, man, I should have done this or i should have done that, you know? And so as I've gotten more advanced in knitting and crochet, I'm like super aware now of how important it is to actually do the gauge swatch beforehand. Yeah.
00:08:27
Speaker
Because not only like you know for for wearables, I think it's like really important. But I have also been doing them for shawls. And that's kind of one to make sure that like the yarn will look good. But also, if you're using multiple colors, that's your opportunity there to kind of use it as like a palette. you know Do these colors look good together?
00:08:49
Speaker
um and you can kind of get a a look into the future where by using a gauge swatch. So you're saying, so it sounds like you're like kind of almost thinking of gauge swatching for more than just measurement. You're like, it's getting you used to the stitch pattern itself, getting you used to how it feels, how it's going to look as you produce it. And then also your color paleting.
00:09:12
Speaker
i mean, that makes sense. Like if you're doing color work and you want to see how it's going to turn out with the colors you've chosen and doing that, you're like, well, the easiest way to do it is by testing it out with a gauge swatch before you spend all that time on a giant project.
00:09:26
Speaker
So yeah literally that probably kind of answered my question that I was going to ask about this was I was like, okay, well gauge watching for wearables makes sense, but for things like a shawl, they like, well, that's going to be flat.
00:09:37
Speaker
But then you made that you know sense of like, well, but I want to see how the colors are going to play and all that stuff. What about for blankets? What about for like, you know, Afghans, things like that, where I'm like the size, the end size doesn't necessarily matter as much.
00:09:52
Speaker
Would you still gauge swatch? Now I think I would. And this this is like a really recent development for me. And actually it's because um I made that Fair Isle stinking sweater earlier this year. I know I talk about that sweater all the time, but when I finished that sweater, it's a good sweater.
00:10:10
Speaker
um When I finished that project, I was like kind of disappointed with the fit. Like it does fit me really well, but that was kind of the moment where I was like, maybe I should have done a gauge swatch just because I felt like I got lucky at the end that it actually fit me.
00:10:30
Speaker
And so I was like, maybe I should have just made sure that it would fit by doing a gauge swatch so that I wouldn't have to feel disappointed at the end. ah Or feel like, oh, thank God it fit. You know what I mean?
00:10:43
Speaker
Right. Plus, I think one really cool thing that I would like to do is um take all my gauge swatches that I've saved at some point and do a project with those.
00:10:56
Speaker
ah whether that's like putting them all together as a blanket or i just had this idea recently to like take a gauge swatch like this, for example, and put it in like a scrapbook and then put like a picture of what I actually made with it, the pattern, any notes I had on the pattern, when I made it I thought it'd be pretty cute to have like a little scrapbook of all my gauge swatches, um especially for patterns that I've given away. Like I don't have it anymore. It'd be a nice way to kind of always remember like, oh, that's the shawl I gave to my grandma or my mom or something.
00:11:33
Speaker
Oh, that's really sweet. That actually, I've seen that idea in things like knitting journals or like crochet journals where you track your projects and you'll usually include like a little gauge swatch with it. So, but I mean, that would be a great use of it. You would just have to find a physical item that you could do that in because all those swatches are going to make it nice and thick. I know. you have But I think that that would be really cool to have that. It's on the page.
00:12:00
Speaker
Yes, exactly. Otherwise, it's like one corner of the book, like accordions out and like, ugh, I can't squish this in. But yeah, that sounds really cute. I
Swatching Techniques and Skills
00:12:10
Speaker
mean, that's a really cute idea, but I love that you keep your swatches.
00:12:15
Speaker
I throw mine away. i do not keep them. What? I know. i know. i'm like, I've got what I need out of this. I don't need to keep, I can't, I do not need to keep everything in my life. Like I will, I can't hoard everything. It's too much. I have too much stuff anyway. have too much yarn and too much like projects. the around I'm like, I can't also keep every single swatch that I've made, especially since being a designer. Like,
00:12:46
Speaker
A lot of my swatches were ones that I'm like, I scrapped that whole idea. Like I didn't like how it turned out or whatever. And so I just rip it off and then I'm like, okay, next one, I don't care to recover the yarn. So it' just, and then I'm like, well, then they're just piles of basically trash to me. So they're like, all right, toss it, dump it. It's gone.
00:13:09
Speaker
Wow. I mean, that I finish my gauge swatches. Like, I bind them off and everything. I do it in the the stitch that the pattern calls for, and then I bind it off. Because it also tells me, like, if the bind off is going to look good.
00:13:23
Speaker
um So, I mean, I'm talking all high and mighty as if I've been doing this my whole life. This is, like, very new. Like, past six months development. Oh, but it's just because I've seen the benefit of it.
00:13:36
Speaker
Um... So yeah, I mean, I think gauge swatching is like a really great way to learn about your project before you even begin. And for something like the MCAL, you know, you don't even have the pattern to start.
00:13:50
Speaker
You literally just know that you have the yarn and that they give you like a gauge swatch in the pattern. ah So it's like a way to kind of get a jumpstart on the project or get yourself excited about the project before you even have the pattern.
00:14:05
Speaker
So I don't know. It's kind of fun. yeah those Those are excellent. Well, no, no, those are like a really excellent points because I think like one thing i know that a lot of the reason why some people, including myself, skip the gauge swatch is because we just are so excited about the project. But I like that you kind of take the approach of the gauge swatch is like the way to get excited about the project.
00:14:32
Speaker
And I'm not going to get frustrated with the project later because the gauge swatch is where I figured all the parts out that I need to. And now the project itself is pure joy. um Yeah.
00:14:43
Speaker
That's a very nice edit it way of kind of like looking at that. Yeah. Yeah. That is a great way of putting it. Yeah, I think that kind of like the general idea of like when you engage in fiber arts, a lot of us are, okay, so you know how it's like a lot of times people will put themselves in the camp if they are a process knitter versus a product knitter?
00:15:06
Speaker
So ahha people who probably don't like to gauge swatch, I imagine lean more into the product knitter or crochet or maker um yeah category. Whereas the people who don't mind the gauge swatching, the frogging, the perfecting, all of this stuff, they're the process creators. So yeah, that's a good, I wonder if whether or not there's maybe something to it there.
00:15:30
Speaker
Perhaps. I mean, I definitely still love having a final product getting pushed out. You know, that's like kind of the whole point of making things, right? Is like you want the end product. But I think, ah you know, as nice as it would be for me to just sit and like pump out a bunch of products, well, it's not going to do me any good if it doesn't fit.
00:15:50
Speaker
You know, I want to make the product because I want to wear it and show it off and be like, look, I made this and look how nicely it fits. Like, You know, it's way more impressive if you knit something for yourself that actually fits you well.
00:16:04
Speaker
Because anyone could knit something that's like super baggy and, you know, doesn't conform to you. But if you get it to the point where it really fits you, it's like a whole nother layer of something to be impressed at.
00:16:17
Speaker
um So, yeah, I think... <unk> I'm like shifting away from the product knitter and into like the process because I just want to make sure that I'm doing it the right way so that I can actually have a product in the end and not just any product, but one that I can actually stand behind and wear and use.
00:16:38
Speaker
Otherwise I'm just basically knitting to throw it away in a month because it doesn't fit, you know? Yeah. Well, and I think that that kind of like connects to,
00:16:49
Speaker
almost like a philosophy of fiber arts where you're like, what am I using fiber arts for? Like, what is my purpose for this? yeah So if it really is just to produce and pump things out, even if it doesn't fit, because I know that there are some people who are like,
00:17:06
Speaker
I'm okay with that. I'm okay with throwing it away. I'm okay with it not coming out perfect or right. I just want to work on something. And so I'm not really concerned with that. So they're like pure process. That might be something where their approach to life is like, I'm just here to enjoy life, enjoy like things that I'm doing, where I'm like, I need just something to do with myself to keep calm or like to deal with, you know, things at home or just to have something to do. um And this feels productive. But then you're right. Like people, like I'm,
00:17:35
Speaker
I'm definitely like, i would say a hybrid of product and process because I do like the process, but a lot of times I'm also like, I'm really excited about what I'm making in the end. But the actual physical process itself is very soothing, very comforting. um And I think...
00:17:52
Speaker
where I was going with that was always like, I want to continue to get better. So maybe I don't make something perfect that first time, but it helps me learn something from it that I can then make better for my next one. And as a result, I have seen it as well. like even in my current project, my gosh, even with my projects that I've done in the past, they have improved as far as fit because of what I've learned from working on multiples of those. um And gauge swatching for each one of those actually helped a lot because i needed to know at the time, like, how is it going to fit? How's it going to drape? How am I going to get the measurements? And I even learned the difference between like the different types of swatches you had to do, like versus round and row and everything.
00:18:35
Speaker
And it helped me figure out why my sweaters were not coming out exactly the way that I wanted them to. So, yeah, well, especially with crochet, ah crochet in the round versus crochet flat, totally different way of laying. So you really would have to kind of understand the gauge swatching of circular versus flat because knitting isn't really that way. It's like basically the same flat and round, but crochet it like totally changes the way the stitches lay.
00:19:04
Speaker
Right, and I literally encountered that in one of my, um or a couple of my patterns where I was doing rows of single crochet in continuous rounds versus joining and turning. And I did notice my gauge tightened up so much. So I was thinking I was making this like, you know, positive ease sweater.
00:19:26
Speaker
i get down to the yoke and I'm like trying it on and I'm like, this is no ease. Like this is negative ease. How did this become such negative ease? Wow. well Because i properly I didn't even make the proper gauge swatch. So I think that's another thing is that I think some people, they might get like frustrated with a gauge swatch because they're like, my gauge swatches always lie.
00:19:45
Speaker
And it's like, well, but what kind of gauge swatch did you make? Did you practice as if you were going to work in the round versus in rows? Did you actually wash it and block it? um Did you make it big enough? Because I think some people, they're like, they make, they get so tired of making the gauge swatch that they're like this big. And it's like, that's not going to tell you anything.
00:20:04
Speaker
so yeah So when you're making gauge swatch gauge, watching itself is actually a skill. Like it's not just something anybody can do. They think like making a gauge swatch, we just assume, you know what that means. And it's like, but I've had people, even testers be like, well, how big do I make it? How many rows do I do? How many stitches? And I'm like,
00:20:22
Speaker
I don't think that matters. You just make it ah big enough to see your gauge. And they're like, well, I don't know how big that's going to be. And I'm like, oh, okay. So yeah true that in and of itself is something like I just take for granted that I'm like, we hear the words gauge swatch. We know exactly what you're supposed to do, but everybody kind of approaches it differently.
00:20:40
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, i agree. And I mean, sometimes it is like really intimidating when I open a pattern and it says to do like 40 stitches for 40 rows or something. And I'm like, really? That's a huge gauge swatch.
00:20:53
Speaker
But then I mean, you will get a sense of what the pattern will look like because the stuff in the middle is actually going to lay the right way. Because, you know, with knitting, like stockinette, um,
00:21:04
Speaker
sometimes like you can see on this gauge swatch or if you're familiar with stockinette you know that it curls like all over the place um but in the middle if you hold the swatch open like this you can kind of see like in the middle area oh this is how my pattern is going to lay so it is important to do a big enough swatch because if i did one that was too small it would just probably be like crumpled into a ball because of the stitch pattern itself Yeah. And I could imagine how difficult it would be being like, all right, time to measure this without stretching and manipulating But you're like, you literally have to just to open it up. So it has to be big enough that it doesn't do that.
00:21:44
Speaker
Yeah. Yes.
Challenges in Gauge Measurement
00:21:45
Speaker
Oh, that's happened to me before when I've done like particular types of ribbing. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. And that's like, you commented on like stretching the gauge swatch. That's something too is like,
00:21:58
Speaker
Is my gauge swatch, did I accidentally stretch it? Like, is it the right size still? Or have I like accidentally pulled on it too much? Because you know, like all these fabrics that we're making are kind of like loose and like mobile.
00:22:12
Speaker
They're not just like rigid frames. Yeah. And they can change shape by stretching them. So yeah, sometimes I make the gauge swatch and I'm like, okay, let me make sure it's as unstretched as possible so that I can actually measure it and see what working with.
00:22:28
Speaker
But for me, since I have loose tension, i often am like, is it too stretched or am I just like, I still need to go down more needle sizes? Like, how could I possibly need to go down even farther?
00:22:42
Speaker
Yes, I get that because i I've done that before where I gauge swatched and I was like, the original pattern called for like a four millimeter hook.
00:22:53
Speaker
I was at a six and a half millimeter hook and still not meeting the gauge. Cause I was like, that is how tightly I was crocheting. But on top of that, this was before I even understood like, um, that not all worsted weight yarns are the same. Like we like WPI, like wraps per inch oh yeah yes drastically change, even if they're both a worsted. So was also using a slightly thinner yarn. So it was already against me, but had I not gauge swatched that cardigan that I was making was going to way too small for my friend. Like, so, oh wow yeah, I was like sitting there being like,
00:23:27
Speaker
And even with the giant hook, I was like, now it's way too loose. I don't want that. I then had to go down back to a regular hook size, use my gauge swatch to then calculate out proportionally how I'm supposed to match the gauge here and adjusted the numbers in the pattern.
00:23:43
Speaker
So had I not gauge swatched, that would have not happened. So yeah. But I think that's another thing that's part of the skillset of a gauge swatch is that you're like, okay, well,
00:23:54
Speaker
I can't always meet both the row and the stitch gauge. So if I have to sacrifice one, i have to look up ahead in the pattern to decide, is it going to be easier for me to make up the difference in rows or the difference in stitches? Most of the time it's the difference in rows. So I'll stick with the stitch pattern. Um, yeah.
00:24:12
Speaker
Gauge. And then just adjust for like my rows, but not everybody knows to do that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And well, I do think even gauge swatching in general, I think, is something that comes with advancement in fiber art skill.
00:24:27
Speaker
You know, when you first start out, of course, you're just going to make the pattern. You know, I never gauge swatched as a kid or even like even as an adult up until like very, very recently because I was the same. but Oh, I just want to get started on the project. ah You know, I want to like dive in and make it.
00:24:46
Speaker
ah But I think like as you do more and more patterns, you see, you just learn more along the way and you learn, well, maybe I could avoid this problem if I just made the swatch.
00:24:57
Speaker
ah And it took yeah I did that for a couple of projects this year and the gauge swatch actually only took like an hour to make.
Maturity and Experience in Fiber Arts
00:25:05
Speaker
So I was like, you know what? It's really not delaying me that much to just sit and make the gauge swatch. And then I feel at least like secure in my decisions of needle size and yarn weight and everything.
00:25:20
Speaker
So I think that they can be super informative. Yeah. But it is something that you'll grow as you... yeah Yeah? Yeah, you yeah you've kind of inspired me. I'm like, dang it, now I need to make gauge swatches more beyond just when I'm designing because I gauge swatch for those all the time. But like if I'm making someone else's pattern, i'm like, oh, I guess I'll gauge swatch. And then throw it right in trash, apparently.
00:25:48
Speaker
Throw it right in the trash. Yes, exactly. Because I do not need to keep this gauge swatch. Well, I think that's another thing a lot of people will complain about is that they're like, well, I don't want to waste any of the yarn in a gauge swatch. So i am going to just start the project.
00:26:02
Speaker
But then on the flip side, I would argue that I'm like, well, if you mess up the project because you didn't gauge swatch, so it's not even the right size, you've wasted that yarn and that time anyway, you might as well have used the gauge swatch. Boom. Okay. There it's true. There we go. You could also I've seen a lot of people do this. They make a gauge swatch and then they don't cut the yarn. You basically just like look at it on the needles or on the hook.
00:26:25
Speaker
and determine that you have the right gauge, and then just rip it out and use all that yarn still for the project. So you wouldn't like cut the yarn and save the swatch. You would just like rip it out and then use their... That would really work for some of the fibers because I know if you make anything with mohair or singles wool, like though I'm like, no, you can't you're not salvaging that
Documentation Styles in Fiber Arts
00:26:50
Speaker
yarn. Just cut it and throw away. Or make a scrapbook out of it.
00:26:55
Speaker
A scrapbook, yeah, see? There you go. i think a scrapbook or a quilt would be like so nice and like such a great way to commemorate all your projects in one place. So yeah, I'm still stuck on that idea.
00:27:09
Speaker
i I mean, you, I mean, look at your yarn wall behind you. If anybody can see it, it's like you, you're like the, the, the, everything becomes artwork for you. I'm like, the only thing that's part of the art is the final piece. Nothing else. Nothing else. No, I, I guess maybe that is part of it. I do.
00:27:30
Speaker
find ways to put art everywhere. So it would be kind of nice. And, you know, I like when my art has a story of like, oh, I painted this when I was feeling down. And that's, you know, this painting was my muse or like, um you know, other crafts that I get into. i like to kind of have like some kind of story behind it.
00:27:52
Speaker
um So it'd be really nice to have that craft book or something. I think that actually tracks pretty well for you because I think one thing I note is that your desire to keep all of these pieces and your swatches are now becoming something where you're like well, the swatch itself is going to be a piece of art that I'm going to hold on to. You're becoming more careful in applying that. You like documenting literally every step of the way and every piece of it is demonstrated and displayed later.
00:28:22
Speaker
That kind of sounds to me like that's your approach almost when you do your social media, your YouTube posts, things like that. Yeah. You're kind of doing that same thing. You're like, I am demonstrating I'm on display. I want document all of this along the way.
00:28:35
Speaker
it' whereas for someone like me. I am not documenty. I do not document every single step of things. A lot of times I'm actually like, this is going to interfere with my ability to just enjoy the moment.
00:28:46
Speaker
And I will just document certain things. And that's going to be what I put out. And so my own social media, my own YouTube may not be as prolific, but it's like everything I'm putting out there is a little bit more like,
00:28:57
Speaker
I've it's been more thoughtful. Like I'm, I'm not documenting a process I'm documenting. Here's the final product kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think it ties back into process versus product knitters. So yeah, this is true. Well, I think, you know, having at least the final product on my social media at some level is like, definitely i want that for sure.
00:29:19
Speaker
Um, actually still need to document these gloves. Um, yeah. But I like having it on there because it's like for me, when I just want to look back on my life and like scroll through, i love seeing all the projects. I'm like, oh, yeah, I remember that one. And um wow, I can't believe it's been that long since I made it or whatever.
00:29:39
Speaker
But adding the the like week by week updates for all the projects, I just thought was like a nice way to kind of like keep people involved. you know Our last episode was all about community. So kind of like ties in with that. That's true. um you know We talked a lot here about documenting our craft.
00:29:58
Speaker
ah with like that the gauge swatching and the scrapbook and everything. So it's like kind of my online scrapbook and for me that hopefully people enjoy. yeah If not, if anything, it's something I can look back on years later and enjoy.
00:30:15
Speaker
Yeah, and that's all that matters is like, what is going to bring you joy? And if that brings you joy, as well as anybody else who wants to partake in that, you're like, there we go.
Community Engagement and Sharing Swatching Experiences
00:30:25
Speaker
That's why you document. That's why you give all that.
00:30:28
Speaker
I guess like I understand that because I have done ones where I'll document certain parts where I'm like, you know, here's where I'm at. Um, here's where I'm at on this sleeve. Here's where I'm at on these shorts that I'm designing, so on and so forth. So it's not to say I've never done that before, but I think another thing is that sometimes I'll put pressure on myself. If I document publicly, i am in the middle of working on this.
00:30:49
Speaker
And then I post nothing else about that same project for a long time. I'm like, well, now I'm almost feeling like I've given you a glimpse into something that is never to be. Or I'm like, well, now I feel like I'm on a timeline. I'm like, I need this to be finished and be like, there's ah a beginning, a middle and end of the story.
00:31:08
Speaker
Like I remember there was a post I recently did where I was like, I finished these shorts, watch for a tester call soon. And then decided, oh, I'm not ready for a tester call yet. We're going to do that in the spring. Yeah. And so so this post is like, now I'm like, well, I've got this embarrassing post of watch for this soon. So that may be I'm like, sometimes I don't document the process. I'm like, well, if I do a product, I'm like, this is finished. Like, I don't have any expectations to post anything else about this.
00:31:35
Speaker
Yeah. But if you're just only doing the products, then think about how often you actually get a final product. If I think back to 2025, I don't have very many final products from there, but I have a lot of process videos. you know like i have a lot of the process of making it because it was constantly making something. But when I look at the actual items, I don't have that many.
00:31:57
Speaker
um So like even the same for like gauge swatching or something, even if you like make ah the gauge swatch and don't end up making the project, you could still look back on the gauge swatch and be like, oh, yeah, I remember that failure too. you know like It can be part of it as well. Or sometimes for the gauge swatch...
00:32:16
Speaker
we Go ahead. Oh, I was just saying like you, when you did like this little number, it was like, that was so cute. It's like, you're holding up a little like doll dress or something like, i little cute but yes sorry, sorry. cut Okay, go on.
00:32:28
Speaker
Well, I was going to say sometimes too, I'll, um, instead of um the yarn I actually want to use, I'll use like some throwaway yarn, you know, that i I know is the same size and I'll make my gauge swatch out of that so I don't have to use the the nice yarn.
00:32:46
Speaker
But actually i want to stop doing that because I like the idea of the gauge swatch actually matching the the pattern. So it could be like a visual representation. So anyway, I mean, ah i think that's probably about it that we've got on gauge swatching. It's really up to you if you want to do gauge swatching or you want to just go in. ah right from the jump and get right into your project. It's kind of risky, but you know, sometimes it can work. So I'm definitely interested to hear from y'all in the comments, like, do you guys do gauge watching or do you skip that step right off the jump? If you're following us on YouTube, then definitely give us a like and hit the bell notification. So you know when our next episode comes out. And if you haven't subscribed yet, ah subscribe and welcome to the community here. Definitely. Please subscribe. Yes, absolutely. And once you do that, then that means that you're able to keep up with everything we're doing. So you can join us for our next episode two weeks from now, where we would love to talk about the next fiber arts project that we're excited about. ah We know it's going to be a great episode. In the meantime, hope you all have a ah wonderful and fantastic day. And thank you so much for watching.