Bronx Girl Knits!

What is the deal with me and getting the correct gauge. I realize I knit tightly. Typically this means that I need to go up a needle size on most patterns to get the correct tension, but then there are the other times, like today. I was swatching for the first of 2 mittens made out of Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky, which is exactly what the pattern is written for (not a common occurence in my knitting life). The recommended size is a 6, due to the fact that the mitten should be dense for warmth. I tried the 7, so not happening. I was a good inch off, so I go up to a 9. That gave me all of an additional 1/2 an inch. In the end I am working on 10 1/2s to reach the required gage of 4 stitches to the inch, which they wanted you to get with 6s! Damn am I glad I swatch.

I am also having huge issues with hats. I have made succesful, well fitting hats in the past, but lately they are all either too big or too small. I am trying to be a good girl and swatching in the round, but oddly enough that didn't answer any questions. Having swatched knitting straight I got 5 stitches to the inch. So I cast on using the Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. It seemed way too big so I continued in stockinette for a few more rounds and measured my gauge, it seemed to be somewhere between 5 1/2 and 6 stitches per inch. Except of course that would mean I cast on too few, not too many. It gave me a headache. In the end I took 10 stitches off and it seems to be fine.