Steeking a Swatch for a Round Yoke Pullover

When you’re making projects in the round, you probably already know you should swatch in the round. (Here’s a tutorial on different methods for doing that.)

When I’m making a round-yoke sweater, my favourite way to swatch is to cast on a few repeats of the yoke motif so I get a wedge-shaped swatch. Here’s one I made for a design in progress.

I usually add a steek panel at the beginning of the round. That’s 5 extra stitches (on top of those needed for the pattern repeats) that I work in vertical stripes (K1MC, k1CC, k1MC, k1CC, k1MC) to make my cut edges neater. It’s not necessary functionally, but it can make my swatches tidier and gives a nice, clear line for cutting along.

When I’m just swatching, I don’t reinforce the steek like I would on an actual project. I just wash the swatch, squish out extra water in a towel, cut it open while it’s still damp, and lay it flat to dry, pinning if it’s curling at the edges.

Swatching this way is excellent practice if you plan to cut an actual sweater open, but it can also just build confidence in the process and teach you something about your yarn and gauge.

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tutorialsAndrea Rangeltutorial, steek, steeking, cut your knitting, yoke sweater, colorwork, colourwork, stranded knittingComment