How often do you pick up a ball of yarn that you haven't use before (hand spun or commercial) and want to use it for a certain pattern that calls for a certain gauge? And how quickly do you get sick of making 15cmx15cm squares to determine your gauge because you have forgotten from the last time you used a similar yarn. I must admit that I thought doing tension squares was a waste of time, until I came to designing some of my own patterns and quickly ran into trouble.
As I use a variety of yarns of various thicknesses, I couldn't see the point of doing a tension square for every yarn type I have in my stash. So going back to the drawing board as I often do, I came across a little exercise in a very old knitting and crochet book that went towards helping with this little problem I had with designing.
The exercise call for a ball of standard 8ply yarn and a complete set of knitting needles, starting from 2.5mm up to and including 12mm (or what ever range you have at home in your collection that you use most often). The idea was then to knit (in stocking stitch) the same amount of rows for each needle size, finishing with a purl row in each section, forming one continuous strip of knitting.
I did each section of mine 25 stitches across for 11 rows, followed by a purl row before changing to the next size up needles and continuing with kitting. By knitting without changing the number of stitches or row count, you can get an idea what your personal tension is in relation to each size needle using the same yarn. I got a little side tacked when I was finishing mine and I mucked up the last section with the 12mm needles, doing a few rows, purling, and then doing another 11 rows.
I also missed the line in the exercise that said "purl every second and second-to-last stitch to stop it from curling". But that is ok because I was thinking of doing one in 4ply baby yarn, so when I do I will remember this bit! Also, I had the thought that you could apply the same exercise to crochet, working 3-4 rows of each stitch, to understand how the hook size affects the same 8ply yarn. This is especially helpful when doing free form work.
So I hope that helps. I know it will not be exact for every brand of 8ply yarn, but it will give you an idea of what to expect with similar yarns. It also gives you a chance to experiment and feel the results. I guess you could always make a rug out of your tension squares, you might just have to add a bit around the smaller ones to make joining easier!
Happy Crafting! :)
