How to Swatch for Colorwork in the Round

Why Swatch for Colorwork?

When working with a new pattern, motif, or yarn, or if you’ve never worked colorwork before, it’s always a good idea to swatch. 

When you first start out, stranded colorwork knitting can be tricky to get right due to the nature of carrying more than one yarn at a time, which impacts fabric, thickness, gauge, and tension. This method is also impacted by the color choices of the yarn, which you can swatch to better understand contrast and color harmony.

Materials You'll Need

• 2 colors of yarn in the colors/weight you plan to use for your project

• 20g of your main color (background color)

• 10g of your contrast color (motif color)

• 8 in [20 cm] Circular needles, DPNs or Magic Loop in the size needed for the project

• 1 Stitch Marker

• Scissors

• Tapestry needle

• Gauge tool

• Blocking mat/pins

Step 1: Cast On the Right Number of Stitches

Calculate Gauge and Cast On: Use the gauge provided by your pattern and multiply it by the number of stitches needed for a few inches of fabric.

Ex. 6 sts per inch ⇒ 6 sts x 8 in around = 48 sts

For Doodle Patterns I recommend casting on the following amounts based on useful size/shapes in DK.

• 48 sts for a Cup Cozy size swatch
• 108-120 for a Headband size swatch

Use a Circular Needles, DPNs, or Magic Loop: It’s important to swatch in the round to mimic the actual project and avoid skewed results from working a flat swatch. 

Step 2: Knit Your Swatch

Cast on: Once you have your desired number of sts above, cast on using preferred needles. Join in the round being careful not to twist your sts. Place a marker for beginning of round.

Optional - Work Ribbing: Work preferred ribbing style for 4-6 rounds. Adding ribbing at the bottom and top of the round swatch will reduce the curl that results from stockinette edges. 

Work in Your Chosen Pattern: Choose your colorwork chart and work 1-2 vertical repeats of the pattern, practicing carrying your yarn floats properly to avoid puckering. I recommend working at least 15-20 rounds of colorwork, which usually equates to one Doodle Chart with or without a border chart.

Optional - Work Ribbing: Work preferred ribbing style for 4-6 rounds.

Bind of in pattern: If you worked ribbing, use that pattern for bind off, otherwise simply bind off using stockinette.

Step 3: Check Your Floats

Float Management: To avoid puckering or other tension issues, you should spread out their stitches on the right-hand needle as you go, which will ensure your floats aren’t too tight. The float should evenly sit across the stitches it floats behind both without pulling or being too loose that it will get snagged.

Yarn Dominance: Stranded colorwork relies on yarn dominance, or one color standing proud of the other. I recommend holding the contrast color dominant, so it pops from the background color.  

Step 4: Block and Measure Your Gauge

Blocking: After binding off your swatch, wet block or steam it to relax the stitches, pin it flat without overly stretching your fabric, and let it dry completely.

Measure Across the Pattern: Using your gauge tool or a ruler, measure both stitch and row gauge across the colorwork section to ensure accuracy. Note this down along with the yarn and needles used.

Step 5: Analyze Your Results

Adjust if Necessary: If your gauge is off, you may want to re-swatch and try changing needle sizes or adjusting tension.

• If you have too many sts per inch, try a larger needle or yarn size.
• If you have too few sts per inch, try a smaller needle or yarn size.

Evaluate Color Choices: Assess whether the colors work well together. If the pattern is hard to see or the colors clash, consider trying a different combination. A good trick to understand ahead of time if the colors will have enough contrast is to use the black and white filter on your camera and see if the colors have different underlying tones. 

Now it's your turn!

Although swatching can sometimes seem like an unnecessary chore, for new colorwork knitters, it should be viewed as an investment in the final project's success. It may take some time, but it’s worth it!

Pattern: Summer Doodle Mini Cup Cozies

Yarn: Summer Doodle Mini Kit by Yarnaceous Fibers & Fangirl Fibers

Sample Knit: Erin Shursen