Too big again... Do you make a gauge swatch?

Hi,
I decided to try my hand at socks, and despite following the pattern, they turned out a little too big. Do you always make a gauge swatch?

Starting all over again... argh :-)

Hugs

Hello,

yes, I almost always make a gauge swatch.
Though in my case, gauge swatch is actually the wrong term. I really love trying out new patterns, which I then use to knit or crochet a little piece. That then becomes my gauge swatch if I really do end up using that particular pattern.
The catch is that by now I have loads of little pattern pieces lying around, because I often try things out with different stitch counts and other stitch sequences until I like it. Then I keep these little pieces (of course!!!); you just can't throw anything away or unravel it again ;-)
Unfortunately, I almost never note down how I knitted or crocheted them. Later on I might need a pattern again, but then I have to figure the whole thing out from scratch again.
But I have firmly resolved to change that and, from now on, write down every pattern and maybe also publish it on the blog. Then more people can benefit from it.

I just still have no idea what to do with all the little pattern pieces and gauge swatches.

For garments that need to fit, I do think a gauge swatch is important so you know how big it will turn out. For shawls and things like that, I usually only make one to find out whether the pattern and the color of the yarn go together and harmonize well.

Best regards,

Nici 

I used to, but now very rarely. I go by the information on the yarn label—10 stitches = ... cm—and then I cast on as many stitches as I need for ... cm.
I used to sew the small pieces together for a cushion cover or a blanket for a doll carriage.
If I try out a pattern first now, it becomes a doll dress

Hi... To be honest, I’m too lazy for that, and I’ve never actually needed it so far. I always try things on a real person. And in my own patterns, I use measurements in centimeters so that someone else can crochet them too.

I do use the gauge or the information on the yarn label, though, to find comparable yarn when I want to use a different kind.

Hi :-)
I’m often—or actually, always—too lazy to do a gauge swatch, even though I’m well aware of its benefits. ;-) As the previous commenters have already said, I also prefer to measure directly on the person.
That said, there are, of course, crafts where it’s not such a big deal if the finished piece turns out bigger. With a scarf, for example, an extra two centimeters isn’t a problem. Probably not with an amigurumi either. Whether the bunny turns out two centimeters bigger or smaller isn’t that important either.
Socks, of course, are a whole different story. Socks do need to fit right so they don’t slip down or feel too tight. Personally, I really don’t like socks with elastic bands—they constrict—so I figure socks that are too tight probably aren’t very comfortable either. I’m not sure to what extent crocheted or knitted socks can stretch. I imagine it’s easier with knitted socks than with crocheted ones made with single crochet stitches. Throwing socks that are too big into the washing machine at high temperatures, hoping they’ll shrink just enough to fit perfectly, might work—or it might not. ;-) I wouldn’t necessarily want to try that.
I’m not sure if cotton, virgin wool, or sock yarn would stretch very well.
Does anyone have any experience with this?

@charmante Frau
When you’re knitting or crocheting from a pattern, it’s not just the number of stitches that matters, but also how tightly or loosely you knit or crochet—but I’m sure you know that by now.

You have to look on the bright side with your socks.
If you take them all apart and crochet or knit them again, you’ll gain additional experience in crocheting or knitting, and you’ll have a better idea of how big they should be or how many stitches you need so that the pattern fits your knitting or crocheting style.
That might make it easier for you to crochet or knit more socks, since you’ll have the relevant experience and won’t have to figure it all out from scratch.
No one can take that experience away from you. ;-)
Besides, “crocheting\/knitting, unraveling, and starting over” is a perfectly accepted craft technique—and not just for beginners. Ask muetzekatze about it. She’ll surely be happy to confirm that for you. ;-) But I think the other readers and contributors here on the forum can certainly share their own experiences with you as well.
Don’t get too upset about it—it happens to everyone from time to time that something doesn’t turn out quite the way you’d hoped.

Sunny greetings
Sidney

Hi everyone
Sidney wrote a lot of nice things about this, and I can only agree.
But right now I’m trying to be a bit more thorough with my crocheting—counting stitches and all that.
So that something actually comes of it, and so I can finally start using patterns instead of always just crocheting away. I’ve got to get my granny square blanket done somehow. ;)

@charmante Frau
did you rip out the socks again and maybe make them over? Do tell us how it went on from there.

I don’t like doing a long gauge swatch either—I just start crocheting right away