Compounding Interest

After a week of alternatively ignoring, obsessing with and chasing my dog off of the British Checks Sweater, I decided to remove all of the ginger sections and start over. My gauge was just way too off and the yoke, shoulders and sleeve were all looking way too bunchy. I made my peace and frogged.

As you may or may not be able to see, my gauge is a little tighter in the part on the needles in the bottom half of the picture. I measured in several places, and it seemed I was getting 6 stitches per inch on the size 4 needles. Currently, I'm getting 6.5 stitches per inch on the size 3 needles. The pattern calls for a gauge of 26 stitches every four inches, so size 3 needles it is.

This may sound like a slight difference, but 6.5 stitches per inch with a 312-stitch circumference results in a 48" chest sweater, whereas a gauge of 6 stitches per inch would result in a 52" chest sweater. Big difference, size-wise. Gauge sneaks up on you kind of like compounding interest. Small differences in percentage points (or stitch gauge) can make huge differences at retirement (or a finished sweater).

And all of this I knew going into it. I need to pay more attention and measure as I go. I'm hoping I'm back on track now.