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aspects of knitting. They come to the store and ask me, “How many stitches do I need to cast on?” My standard response is that I forgot my crystal ball at home. Without knowing how many stitches they get to an inch, there’s no way to answer their question. I find that 90 percent of the people are willing to knit a gauge, while just 10 percent will shrug their shoulders. It’s these few who come back with ill–fitting garments, even though they claim to have followed the directions in the pattern. Here are a few guidelines you can follow before beginning to knit to ensure you’ll obtain the right gauge.
    [ EDITH KNIT TIP ]
    Your Mood Will Affect Your Gauge
    Never knit a gauge when you are angry or stressed. This will affect how you knit and ultimately the size of your gauge.
     
Try to use the yarn recommended in your pattern. If you want to substitute another yarn, make sure that the gauge indicated on the label is the same as the one described in the pattern. Ask your local knitting store for guidance if necessary. If the original yarn is available, compare your substitute to it. Read the labels to ensure they have the same characteristics: same stitch and row gauge.
Read the yarn label carefully when selecting your needles as you will need to distinguish between European and U.S. sizes. European measurements will be given in metrics and will need to be converted to U.S. sizing. Labels will also list two sizes of needles with the first always two sizes smaller than the second. This is
not
a range of needles to be used. Rather, the first is the recommended size for the ribbing. The second, larger needle is the one to be used for the body of the garment.
Each pattern will indicate exactly what stitch and how many stitches to cast on to create a 4–by–4–inch swatch. When measuring the gauge, it is essential to measure the entire 4–inch width to get an accurate reading of both the number of stitches per inch as well as the number of rows per inch. If you cheat and measure only over a few stitches, you will not get an accurate measurement.
If you don’t achieve your gauge with the recommended needle size, you can rectify this by adjusting the needle size, either going up or down a size. Remember to alter the size of the needle you use to work your rib.
    You’re on your way. Soon enough you’ll be ready to tackle your first knitted garment.
    [ EDITH KNIT TIPS ]
    Measuring Your Work
    When you measure your work, make sure that the piece is completely flat. If need be, you may have to take some stitches off the needles to ensure there is no bunching as this will cause the garment to appear longer than it really is.
     
    RIBBING
     
    Ribbing is an essential part of the knitting process. In its most common form, ribbing is used to shape a garment, from hats to gloves to sweaters, and to create elasticity at the base of the sweater, cuffs, and neck. Although there are numerous patterns to create ribbing, the most common is the knit one, purl one rib.
    The key to mastering ribbing is to understand the way you move the yarn from the front to the back of your work, between the needles. To help my clients visualize and remember this basic two–step process, I use this image: Imagine that your needles form the posts of a door. You must move the yarn through the posts (or needles), not over them, before inserting the needle into the stitch. This will ensure that you don’t inadvertently create extra stitches.
    STEP 1: For example, in the knit one, purl one (K1, P1) rib, if your first stitch is a knit, bring your yarn to the back of your work and knit as usual.
    STEP 2: The next step will be a purl stitch; bring your yarn forward to the front of your work and purl the second stitch.
    STEP 3–6: Make sure that you are bringing the yarn
through the door,
not wrapping it over or behind the needles—the yarn should just be going back and forward between the needles without touching them. Simple, isn’t it? Now continue this