The thing is, my stitches are always squashed.

That is to say, if I get the correct number of stitches per inch for the specified gauge, I will have too many rows per inch, and if I get the correct number of rows per inch, I will have too few stitches per inch. 

If a pattern instruction is to knit until the work measures a certain length then fine, my squashed stitches aren’t too much of a problem. But there are certain kinds of garment where row gauge is critical: namely, those that have raglan sleeves, are a Fair Isle pattern, or where the entire piece is charted and the chart dictates the finished length.  Autumn Rose ticks all of these boxes, which means I really need to get it right. Continue reading →