Craft field note
A sweater lesson in patient gauge
The useful swatch is washed, rested, and large enough to tell the truth.
A sweater begins long before the first sleeve, in a square of knitting that most of us are tempted to rush.
Work a swatch wider than the pattern's measuring window, wash it exactly as the finished garment will be washed, and let it dry without stretching. Count stitches only in the calm center, away from curled edges and cast-on tension.
If the width is right but the fabric feels stiff, change needle material before changing size; bamboo, steel, and wood can alter the rhythm of the same yarn. The swatch can become a mending patch or pocket, so the exercise does not have to end as scrap.