Surprised by the title? It's true, many people don't like swatching. They think it's boring. They're very motivated to make a garment or an accessory, but not motivated at all to use their precious yarn and time to make a tiny little, presumably useless swatch.

I learnt many years ago that, if you look carefully, you will see that there are only two basic sources of motivation: love and fear (or carrot and whip, if you prefer). This means that there are scary reasons and fun reasons to swatch. So let's take it from there.

The scary reasons: It doesn't fit!

So, you've found the Perfect Pattern, exactly the garment you were looking for. You've bought the yarn specified in the pattern, and you already had a crochet hook in the right size. Brimming with enthusiasm, you dive right in, chain 138 as called for and start to stitch. This yarn is so beautiful, the colour just right, the stitch pattern fun and easy. Stitching for hours and hours, you see the fabric growing in your lap. Gorgeous! You dream about all the occasions when you will wear this wonderful garment. You finish all the pieces, block them and assemble them with great care. In front of your mirror, you try on your garment for the first time. And you burst into tears. It doesn't fit.

It would be easy to blame the designer, or the pattern editor. But the worst part of this is that the one to blame is probably you. You didn't make a swatch. You didn't check your gauge. So you're what is called off gauge.

Being off gauge can have varying consequences. If you're swimming around in your fitted tank top, you crochet more loosely than the designer who wrote the pattern. Pull out your tape measure and check. If the pattern specifies "Gauge: 18 st (stitches) to 4 inches/10 cm," you may find that you have only 16, or even 15 stitches per 4 inches/10 cm in your fabric. So, why fuzz about a difference of only 2 or 3 stitches? Well, if you're making a potholder, this is not a problem. It will only be slightly bigger than planned (and thus may protect your hands even better). But if you're making a stylish, fitted cardigan, this difference multiplies, and you end up with a coat for King Kong.

If, on the contrary, when you try on your relaxed, hooded kangaroo sweater, you realize that you can't breathe any longer and that every detail of your bra can be distinguished as bumps under the fabric, chances are that you crochet more tightly than the designer. Checking with your tape measure, you find that for the same specified gauge as above, you get 20, or even 22 stitches per 4 inches/10 cm. Once upon a time, this sweater would have fit you perfectly. But that was when you were 12 years old.

Of course, this is terribly frustrating when you make a larger garment, like a sweater, a cardigan or a coat. You've spent so much time on the project, not to mention the cost of the yarn. Still, the problem remains the same even for smaller things. Those mittens didn't take too long to make - but the only one you know who can wear them is your 8-year-old nephew. And he will definitely not appreciate the Schiaparelli pink you choose to make a fashion statement out of your old winter coat.

All this can easily be avoided by making a swatch. It takes little time, and it gives lots of information. The swatch will answer the following questions:

• Does my gauge match the one specified in the pattern? If it doesn't, change hook size and try again until it does. It's also important to wash your swatch. Some yarns shrink when washed, others relax. This also affects the gauge, of course. (And you'll probably want to wear your garment even after washing it once, right?)
• Do I like this stitch pattern? If it's a pain to work with, maybe you'll change your plans and choose another one.
• Do I like this yarn? Maybe it felt soft it in the skein, but made into fabric it's itchy. Or maybe someone gave you this yarn and you thought it looked plain and boring -- but once worked into a fabric it reveals its true, beautiful nature.
• Do I like this colour? Even here, there can be a difference between the yarn in the skein and the way the crocheted fabric looks - especially if it's multicoloured.

So, if I have succeeded to scare you enough, you're now ready to make a swatch. Or two, or even more, as needed. Maybe this will fulfill all your needs, and then, off you go with your nice project. But maybe, you will start to experiment further with your swatch. You get gauge, but then you start to wonder what would happen if you changed the hook size, the stitch pattern, the colour or the yarn...

And this leads us to...

The fun reasons : The True Joy of Swatching

When described as above, swatching seems to be a very serious matter. In order to conform slavishly to the pattern, you'd better swatch, or else.

In fact, this is not what swatching is really about. It can be viewed as hard work (though relatively quick!), but in my opinion, swatching is about playing. Yes, playing, like children do. It doesn't take long. You don't need a lot of yarn. So, go on and play. Play with different stitches, different hooks, different colours, different yarns. Play, and discover this wonderful, almost limitless freedom that the craft of crochet offers you.

I know, freedom can be scary too. You don't really know where to start. So, take small steps. Start experimenting with something that requires no design skills (no maths, no decisions on shape and ease). Start with colour.

When considering colour and textile crafts, your thoughts jump quickly to multicoloured quilts or garments, with dozens and dozens of different shades and hues. But colour matters even in a single coloured garment. In fact, it matters a lot. Colour is the very first thing we notice, and it shapes our whole idea about what a garment is, how we can use it, and if it's our style or not. And colour is the easiest thing to change in order to make a garment truly yours.

Say you already have a pattern from which you have made a black, lacy, dressy cardigan that you wear in winter for parties (with a tight skirt and high heels, yes!). Now, it's spring, and you want to make a little something for cool summer evenings. You're ready to go out pattern-hunting again. Wait! Dig out that odd ball of white cotton yarn and make a swatch using the pattern you already have. Changing the colour from black to white changes - everything. The fabric catches the light in a completely different way. This time around, it looks fresh and summery. You thought you had a great pattern for an elegant party cardi. In fact, you also have the perfect pattern for a light summer garment.

Or say you've seen a certain free pattern, but you didn't look twice, because mint green is a colour you will never, ever wear. Try a swatch in a subtle grey. Or, if you love colour, in bright red. Every time, the simple change of colour entirely changes the fabric. The stitch pattern will come out differently in beige compared to charcoal (and still very differently with a variegated yarn).

Then, maybe, say you have seen a multicoloured pattern with very interesting structure and shaping, but the sharply contrasting colours put you off. Try a harmony of greys, or blues. Or try keeping the bright orange, but instead of white and dark green, use it with yellow and pink (you'll think I'm mad, but try!).

Or maybe you have a pattern, or stitch shown in a stitch dictionary, in a single colour, and a single colour feels a bit. bland. Or you can't decide between your two favourite colours. Or you want something to match these purple/turquoise/orange trousers you just bought on a whim, but hesitate to make a garment that will only match those. You'd prefer something that would also go with your usual blue jeans/black/brown outfits. Play - swatch - try! A stitch shown in a single colour changes dramatically when you use two or more. Change colours every row, or every other row. Change colours in the middle of the row. Use one of the many crochet stitches that make different rows interlock, and see how it works with different colours.

Remember, colours are not only bright hues. If you feel more comfortable with subtler shades, you can still play around with variations. Between light beige and dark cocoa, there is a wealth of brown colours to use.

And the yarn? This pure wool is beautiful, but with your hectic life and four kids, anything but acrylics is out of the question. Or the pattern calls for acrylics, but you only ever wear natural fibers. Or you hate cotton. Or you don't want to spend a fortune on this expensive yarn, but you still like the pattern. Or, or, or.

Change the yarn, as you wish. As long as you start with a swatch, you can try everything. You will always know where you're going.

You wonder if this particular yarn is too itchy for your sensitive skin. (There are plenty of surprises in this area, with variations between different yarns even if the fiber content is the same). Make a swatch and tuck it into your bra, or inside your waistband, and keep it there for a few hours. You will really know.

So, the yarn you've chosen is thicker or thinner than the one in the pattern? If you crochet to gauge, you get cardboard or unwanted lace? If you make a swatch you like, you will have all the information you need to recalculate your pattern.

So here we are, on our way to freedom. You may stop anywhere you wish along the road. If you don't want to experiment, nothing's wrong with following patterns and making garments in the suggested stitch pattern and colour. Your swatch will ensure that you get what you see in the picture (with reservation for badly written patterns, but that's not our subject here). But nothing's wrong either with pushing boundaries and exploring new paths. You may end up with a beautiful garment that exactly fits it's purpose - or with a garment which is a unique piece of art.

And frankly, between you and me, nothing's wrong with just making swatches. Everything doesn't have to end up in a garment, or an accessory, or a decoration item. You don't always need a purpose. Just imagine. A basket full of yarns in different colours. A selection of crochet hooks. A comfortable seat. A quiet evening. And hours and hours of fun.