Gauge is one of those things than can be a bit tricky to get
a hold of when you first start out knitting. Gauge is also one of those things
that will most likely remain finicky even when you have more experience with
it. It is no wonder so many people dislike gauge and swatches as some people
naturally knit loose and others knit tight. I am sure you have heard plenty
about how every person knits slightly different, but that got me thinking…how
much variance is in one’s own knitting? As an experiment in gauge, I decided make
a swatch where I knit using the continental method (how I normally knit) for
the lower half and the English method for the top half.

When knitters talk about gauge, all they are referring to is
how many stitches take up one inch. If you are a loose knitter, you will end up
with larger stitches which results in fewer stitches in each inch. And
conversely, a tight knitter will end up with smaller stitches, resulting in
more stitches in each inch. Depending on what the yarn or pattern that you are
using calls for, a loose knitter may go down in needle size to make up for the
bigger stitches and a tight knitter may up go in needle size to counteract the
smaller stitches.