Simple knitting after the hat. I spent today making a personal master gauge swatch. This is knit in Galway Wool by Plymouth – a 100% wool worsted weight. I cast on 40 stitches, starting with size 11US needles, then knit 4 inches of stockinette, working my way down in needle size. From right to left you can see size 11, size 10.5, size 9, and size 8. I don’t have any size ten needles! I’ll need to get some. I had been hoping to go all the way down to size 4 – but I ran out of yarn. I was using a partial ball left over from some hat making. I’m going to get myself a full skein when I get the size 10’s, and make a full swatch.
The needle sizes are separated by rows of garter stitch – it shows me where I switched, and also takes the rows I switch over out of stockinette, so they don’t confuse my measurements. It’s wet right now, but once it is dry, I will be able to measure my gauge on the different needle sizes, and compare that to the recommended needle/gauge for the yarn. Then I will know roughly what my personal gauge is for this yarn – if I knit tight or loose, if I am getting row and stitch gauge proportionally or need to keep aware of row gauge issues.
I’ll still need to do project specific gauge swatches — but now I will have a better context for what the swatches are telling me, and where to start when I start swatching.
Knit-Write 
this is a great idea!
Thanks! It’s from Jacqueline Fee’s book “The Sweater Workshop.”
Oh that is a great idea!
I really like how your colorwork hat came out. Very nice work!
Your Son is so sweet, I love the knitting award he made you.
🙂
That’s a great idea! The hat came out nice, too!
I see you added me to your blogroll. That is very cool of you! Thanks!