I know I’m over thinking this…when I swatched, in the round, the Stranded Diamond pattern I was using a size 7 circular and I count 17sts in 4 inches. Pattern gauge is 18 sts/4".
Do I go up or down a needle size???
My reasoning tells me go down to a 6, but then my head starts going in circles:sob: Idk 
Nevermind, I’m good👍 I googled it!
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So I have another dilemma with gauge/needle size. I am 6 days into knitting a sweater (top down, starts flat the join in the round), about 7" so far. Pattern gauge is 17sts/4" on #6 needles. I got gauge on size 8 but thought the fabric was too droopy. So swatched, and have been knitting, on size 7. My swatch gauge was 18sts/4". I just measured gauge in a large part of stockinette on the back and got 20sts/4"!! At this rate, I will have a very expensive sweater for my 1 and a half year-old granddaughter😭 any advice?
When you did your swatch… did you wash & dry it before measuring? I know my gauge will change once the piece is washed… it loosens up.
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Thx for responding;)
Yes I washed and let my swatches dry. Only needed minimal pins. And I swatched flat for in the round so no turn & purl, just knit stitches. I did not measure swatch pre-wash and my current wip is of course still on the needles. Idk how much this fabric might grow after wash & block but the swatches (3 different needle sizes) didn’t seem to change much😕
I was going to suggest comparing your “before wash” swatch counts to your “after wash” swatch counts to see how much it grew & in what direction(s).
Anyway you could do another swatch, to verify your count? That way you know if you’re on the right track.
That’s a thought! Thank you Bonnie
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