
Mistakes 101: Knitting Too Tight/Loose
Mary Beth TempleDescription
A common knitting problem is that the fabric being created for a project is too tight or too loose. In this video, Mary Beth shows examples of this problem and shares her tips on how to get your knitting fabric to be just right.
It’s important when following a knitting pattern that you are getting the gauge that is specified in the pattern. This will ensure that the size of the final product is correct and that you don’t run out of yarn while knitting. There are times when the gauge isn’t absolutely critical in a knitting pattern; however, if the gauge isn’t matched it will affect how much yarn is needed to complete the project as well as the finished size.
To begin, Mary Beth looks at a swatch that is knit too tight. A very tight fabric might be called for on a project like a toy or bag, but in general you won’t want a fabric this tight for most projects. The fabric stands up on its own and has poor stitch definition, since the stitches are so close together.
Next Mary Beth looks at a fabric that is too loose. A loose fabric might be desired for a breezy summer top or lace shawl, but for many projects you won’t want a very loose gauge. The stitches have a lot of space between them and the fabric has very little structural integrity. Finally, Mary Beth looks at a swatch that is knit at a gauge that will work for most projects. It has structural integrity, good stitch definition and slight drape.
It’s noted that the type of knitting needle can contribute to the gauge of the fabric. Mary Beth reviews the characteristics of wooden needles, metal needles, and plastic needles. She also mentions that if your fabric is too loose, try going down a needle size or two. If your fabric is too tight, go up a couple of needle sizes. It’s all about finding the right gauge for you and your project.
Hi guys, Mary Beth Temple here for The Knitting Circle. In this video, we're going to talk about adjusting your tension. If you feel you knit too tightly or you knit too loosely, there are technical ways to fix that as opposed to just sitting there while you're knitting telling yourself to adjust your tension one way or the other, because knitting is supposed to be relaxing. And you will find as you progress you will fall into a rhythm. So let's figure out how to adjust that rhythm so you can get the fabric that you want.
Now let's talk about something that is too tight. And I'm talking in generalities here. Obviously, if you are knitting a pattern and you need it to fit a specific size, you're going to keep trying with different needle types and sizes until you get gauge. Because if you want something to fit, you have to get gauge. However, I'm talking about in general if you're just knitting something that you want to knit or you're practicing or you're taking a closer look at your fabric.
So I've made a little sample here. This is too tight. And how can I tell it's too tight? One is there's hardly any stitch definition in here. The stitches are all sort of running together.
Another reason is I am holding that up in the air and it is not moving. So imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wear a garment made out of fabric that was knit too tight 'cause there is no movement in this fabric at all. So it's going to be stiff and uncomfortable to wear. So this is a chunky yarn and I knit that on this bamboo needle, which is a size eight or a five millimeter, which is way too small for this yarn, but I was trying to make a point. So the next piece of my sample is too loose.
And how can I tell it's too loose? Look at all the, let me get this guy out of the way. Look at all the air space that I'm seeing in here. So the stitches have definition, but as soon as you wear this, it's gonna pull out of shape. It's not going to look like whatever nice stitch pattern you were knitting.
It's not going to have very much structural integrity. It is going to bag out at the elbows or the butt, if it's a skirt, because it doesn't have enough power in the stitches to snap back to its original size. And it's super floppy. Now, obviously there will be instances in which you're knitting something tight 'cause you're making a soft toy, or you're knitting something loose 'cause you're making some breezy summer top and you wants some airflow in it. Again, we're talking about generalities here.
So I knit that on this knitting needle. Now, that is a US 13. This is chunky yarn for some knitters who knit tightly. As a matter of course, maybe you could do chunky on a 13. But for me, I tend to be a loose knitter in general.
This was far too big and made a fabric that was far too loose and sloppy. When I knit here for The Knitting Circle, I tend to use this chunky yarn and a size US 11, because I have discovered for me that gives me a good fabric. It has some movements, but it can stand up on its own a little bit. It has good stitch definition. I can see the outline of each individual stitch.
But I can also see the fabric overall as a pleasing whole. The other thing I will point out about how you can tell if you're knitting too loose or too tight is it's uncomfortable. When I was knitting this super tight swatch, I didn't want to knit that. It didn't feel good. I felt like I was working to do every stitch.
It was definitely not something I was gonna watch TV and knit. I was really having to work to get that knitting needle through. And ditto for the loose. It's not difficult to knit when it's too loose, but it wants to slop off the needle and it doesn't feel good. It just doesn't feel good.
When I'm knitting at the correct gauge and I get a nice pleasing medium fabric, I can sit and knit for hours 'cause I'm comfortable. The last thing I wanted to point out in this video is you will also get a different gauge, too tight, too loose, depending on what material your knitting needles are made of. Now, I also made those samples in three different types of needles. This is a bamboo. It's only got a light coating on it.
A lot of people don't like bamboo 'cause they find it, we call it sticky. The yarn does not slide freely on the knitting needle. But if you're working at a small gauge or you have yarn that is otherwise slippery, sometimes grabbing a bamboo is a good choice because you don't want a lot of movement in the stitches. This middle one is metal. A lot of beginner knitters prefer not to use the metal ones 'cause they're super slick.
And again, we call these sticky. We call these fast. A lot of us call these fast because the metal doesn't catch on anything. This is an aluminum needle and the stitches slide very freely and pop off the knitting needle at a super high speed. If you're a fast knitter, a lot of people prefer the aluminum.
Now this one is plastic. You can get them with coating and without coating and there's resin coated and, oh my goodness, different kinds of wood with different kinds of finishes. And as you progress in your knitting life, you will find what works best for you. I like the plastic ones on the videos that I make here for you because I don't want it to be super slick. I don't want the stitches to move until I tell them to because I'm showing you how I want the knitting to go.
But it's also not as grabby as a bamboo. So you could also find that the material that your knitting needle is made of has an effect on whether you are knitting too tight, too loose or just right. So to be clear, if you're knitting away on a swatch or a practice piece or a piece of your own design and you've made a pleasing fabric, then use the needle that made that fabric. Don't worry about what it says on the ball band or in your brain. If you are knitting away and it's big and sloppy and too loose, you want to go down a needle size or two, depending on how too loose it is.
And if you're knitting along and you're getting hand cramps and you are knitting a cardboard box, you are knitting too tight and you want to go up a needle size or three until you get a more pleasing fabric. Now isn't it nice to have a concrete way to change up your knitting style rather than just beating yourself up that you think it should be different? I told you we could fix it. I'm Mary Beth Temple. Welcome to The Knitting Circle.
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