The Swatch: Why It’s the Only Way to Truly Understand a Yarn

Anyone who knits or works with yarn has heard this advice sooner or later:
“You have to make a swatch.”

Many people skip it.
Others do it quickly and without much attention.
Some even think it’s a waste of time.

In reality, the swatch is the only real tool that allows you to understand how a yarn will behave once it’s worked, washed, and worn. Everything else is theory.

What a Swatch Really Is

A swatch is not just:

• a small knitted square

• a way to count stitches

👉 A swatch is a small-scale simulation of the finished garment.

It helps you understand:

• visual appearance

• hand feel

• elasticity

• stability

• reaction to washing

• real yarn consumption

Why Nm Is Not Enough (and Never Will Be)

Two yarns with the same Nm can:

• spread differently

• stretch or hold their shape

• become softer or drier after washing

• change their appearance completely

👉 None of this is written on a technical datasheet.
👉 It only becomes clear once the yarn is worked.

A Swatch Before Washing Can Be Misleading

A very common mistake is judging a yarn right after it comes off the needles.

Many yarns:

• open up after washing

• compact or relax

• change their hand feel

• stabilize only after drying

🔑 The real swatch is the washed and dried one, not the freshly knitted one.

What a Proper Swatch Really Tells You

A well-made swatch shows you:

1️⃣ Whether the Yarn Is Suitable for the Project

• Is it too soft?

• Too stiff?

• Too loose?

• Too heavy?

2️⃣ Whether the Tension Is Right

• Is the stitch balanced?

• Does the fabric breathe?

• Does it hold its shape?

3️⃣ How It Reacts to Washing

• Does it felt?

• Does it grow?

• Does it lose elasticity?

• Does it improve?

4️⃣ How Much Yarn You Will Actually Need

• more realistic estimates

• less waste

• fewer unpleasant surprises

Hand-Knitted Swatch ≠ Machine-Knitted Swatch

Another common mistake is thinking that one swatch is enough.

• Hand knitting:

  • more elasticity

  • human irregularity

  • a more “alive” fabric

• Machine knitting:

  • constant tension

  • higher regularity

  • different yarn behavior

👉 The same yarn can be perfect for hand knitting and problematic on a machine—or the opposite.

How Big a Serious Swatch Should Be

A proper swatch is not a stretched 10×10 cm square.

Practical advice:

• at least 15×15 cm

• worked exactly like the final garment

• washed the same way the garment will be washed

• left to rest

Only then do the stitches truly settle.

The Swatch Saves Time (Not the Other Way Around)

Skipping the swatch often means:

• undoing work

• starting over

• wasting yarn

• losing hours

Making a proper swatch means:

• deciding in advance

• making mistakes on a small scale

• working with confidence

👉 The swatch doesn’t slow the project down.
👉 It prevents the project from failing.

A Fundamental Principle

The yarn on the cone makes promises.
The swatch keeps them—or breaks them.

Until you work and wash it, you don’t really know a yarn.

The swatch is:

• a technical tool

• a reality check

• a silent ally

Those who learn to trust the swatch:

• choose yarns more wisely

• make fewer mistakes

• achieve better results

• truly understand what they are working with