Classroom: Swatching is not Optional!

Importance of Gauge
Consider This
Handy Knit it Now Tools
More Swatching
Green, Yellow, Blue Gauge Rulers

What Controls Tension?

Knitting Machine Gauge and Tension

Carriage and Mast Tension Dials

  • Maybe you want to keep out the cold with a thick, tight knitted fabric for warm hats and mittens.
  • A loose, open, drapey fabric may be just the ticket for a sweater or shawl
With a little experimenting you can have these and everything in between

Think of the Carriage Tension Dial as the hand knitting needle size.

Think of the Mast Tension Dial as the tension a hand knitter would apply to the yarn with her fingers

The Stitch Dial on your carriage controls how the yarn passes through the carriage and is placed in the hooks of the needles. A smaller number makes a tight stitch, a larger number makes a loose stitch.

Carriage Stitch Dial



Mast Tension Dial
The Mast Tension Dial, along with the yarn guides/tension springs (antennae) control the tension of the yarn as it's fed into the carriage.