Knitting Help - Tension Issues

[WhenDoISleep]

I learnt to knit as a child but never did more than random pieces of straight knit stich (garter stich). I have recently (i.e. over Christmas) started again, as I have the wool and instructions to make a patchwork square blanket, and would love to get that made up before DS2 arrives in the Spring.

I am having problems with tension - the squares that I have knitted (should be 15cm x 15cm) are too small - but the stitches are neat and even (even the purl stitches I have never done before). The wool/knitting is not too tight around the needles (it moves freely, iyswim). Even when doing a tension square, it's too small. I have tried to loosen the stitches I make, but is looks untidy and ragged when I do that.

What can I do? Would changing needle size help and what size would you suggest? I am currently using 4.5 needles, as that is what the instructions recommend.

I am really enjoying it, as I thought anything other than straight knit stich would be hard, but it's not but I am getting frustrated that I can't get the sizing right. I don't want to give up, because it is perfect for me to do in bed in the evenings (can't do my cross-stitch as I don't have a bright enough bedside light and I'm too cold in the living room).

Hi there

The point of doing a tension square is to work out how tight your knitting is - everyone is different - sometimes this even changes over the course of an evening for me as I 'unwind' from work....

If you've done a tension square and it's come out too small then you need have two options really:

1, do some maths.... Use the square and a ruler to see how many stitches YOU do per 3 or 5cm whatever is easiest for you. If you do 8 stitches per 3cm and want to end up with a 15cm square then you'll need to cast on and work your pattern over 40 stitches. Then repeat for how many rows you do in 3cm...

If your original pattern has a design on it you'll then need to work out the impact of the extra stitches and rows - either put the extra stitches at each side or you can be cunning and incorporate them if it's a regular pattern like moss stitch (alternating knit and purl) for example...

Or

2, go up a needle size and re-knit the tension square you might have to do this several times until the square comes out the right size

Finally remember that if ALL your squares are coming out too small then it's not a problem... As long as they're coming out square then you'll be able to stitch them together into the blanket easily...!

Hope that helps - post again if I've not been clear :)

Thank you - that was helpful.

I'm not sure that I quite up for the challenge of amending the designs to incorporate extra stitches (easy for some squares, harder for others), but I will try and get some different size needles today and spend some more time knitting tension squares.

Do you have a proper pattern for it? Or are they all garter stitch squares?

Another possibility is that you are not using the exact wool it says on the pattern (If for example it just says DK, then you will get variation within that weight of wool which will affect the size of your finished square). If you look on the band of your ball of wool there will usually be tension and needle information as a guide.

The solution is as knitter has suggested that you use slightly larger needles, although this will give you a slightly looser 'weave' but probably not enough to make much difference in the appearance of your finished square

KurriKurri It's a kit - so all wool was supplied.

DutchOma I think it is 90 squares in total, all with various patterns, so there are some plain garter stich squares but the one I did yesterday was a stocking stitch with garter stripes and I'm working on something called 'a little ladder square' which is a has set of purl stiches set at various point in various rows. Some of the next ones are ribbed etc.

It is all multicoloured and the completed pictures look great - just need to get the tension sorted. If it was just garter stitch, it wouldn't matter as much I don't think, as I did knit a lot of plain garter stich squares as a teenager and they all turned out the same size, so I would be happy with that, but because of the various patterns I have vision of have 90 differently sized squares/rectangles - which is why I want to get the tension issues sorted now (it was really highlighted by the square I completed yesterday).

I didn't manage to get any larger neddles today, but we have a fab old fashioned bits and bobs shop run by some lovely older ladies nearby, so I'm going to pop in there tomorrow and pick some up.

As I'm using 4.5 needles currently what size would you recommend I try?

that's good - you can rule out the wool problem then

Remember also when you finished the squares for a blanket (or anything) you usually block your work (pin it out to the required size, spray with water, let it dry), this can make a surprising amount of difference to the finished size.

If the instructions are for various types of squares rib patterns - and flat patterns - do they vary in the number of stitches you cast on for each type?

The squares I have done have been based on 27 or 28 stitches and the ones I have looked ahead to seem to all be the same.

If you feel that your finished work is too tight, you could try for a 5mm pin. If you feel, on the other hand, that it is a nice square, only not quite the size, I would leave it and just carry on. It seems to me that you are working from a given pattern with quite precise instructions. So if they all come out a bit on the small side, it won't matter that much.
Also remember that you can smooth out your finished squares (block them) so that they are more or less the same size.
Have you thought about doing your squares in strips which will save on sewing up? Just carry on with the next pattern without casting off and on again.

ISWYM about them all being on the small side, but I'm worried that there will be a difference that is too big to smooth out. e.g. first square in garter stitch was cast on 27 stitches and then knit until you had a 15cm length, but the next was a more precise pattern of 8 rows repeated 5 times, which was smaller and trying to make up to 15cm or just slightly shy made the pattern look a bit funny.

I have got some 5mm needles today, so will be working the tension square again to see what it is like with those.

I hadn't thought about doing the work in rows, and I actuallly quite like the sound of doing that. I think the instructions start with the middle 9 squares, but I am going to look at the making up instructions to see how everything is arranged and try to work out what the strips would consist of. It would certainly be easier for making up (and storage I guess).

Thank you for all your help and advice.

If they do the nine middle squares first cast on the first three, finish them and carry on with the next three, then the next.
Then you can keep an eye on what you are doing and if your patterned square is next to a garter stitch square, then finish with the garter stitch square when you have finished with the pattern, without measuring. I measure as little as I can in knitting, I always count rows more than I measure.

WhenDoISleep - I'm making exactly the same blanket as you! My mother buys knitting magazines, and I saw this blanket and the free wool and thought...right, I'll give it a go!

I also have tension issues. I think this is because I knit left-handed (though I'm not left-handed with anything other apart from playing the recorder!), and don't do the whole 'wool round the finger' thing - I take my hand off the needle to wrap the wool round. I didn't know I knitted wrong until my hubby pointed it out!

Also, I've never made anything which required vast tracts of knitting in one go - when I was a teenager I made the Jean Greenhowe Scarecrows, but they're all smaller bits of knitting.

Anyhow, enough waffling. I haven't bothered with adjusting my tension, and I'm just hoping that when I come to make up the blanket (in about 94 squares time), I can sew them so they look okay! I have no idea whether this will work though! My stocking stitch based squares tend to be larger than my garter stitch ones.

Anyway - good luck with yours!