When Gauge Tells the Truth

Sometimes you just have to beat the truth out of your gauge swatch.  Awnd then you have to trust it.  Yesterday, I ripped back my sweater all the way to the break at the sleeves.  About two seconds into the measuring of my new swatch yesterday, I had a sinking feeling that I had made a mistake by ripping it out.

After I took it out of it's bath, I really started to think I had made a big mistake.  The swatch was growing with both size 7 ad 8 needles.  I had a feeling that I should have just continued on knitting size 6 needles and wet blocked it and it would have been just fine.

But then tonight, I tossed it in the dryer with a towel and said what the heck, what will be will be.  I have a swatch that I trust and really like what happened.  I made the right decision by throwing it on a size 7 and that is what I am going to stay with until the hip area where I'll switch it out for the 8 to create some shaping.

I learned a bit about gauge this weekend.  Things I really didn't expect to learn.  Now, I can knit in confidence that this is really really going to fit!