Start by knitting a Tension Square ...

Oh sooooooooo boring!

7 Top tips for knitting your test swatch:

1. Knit it in the exact yarn you intend to use for your garment – even the colour must be the same, because different colours can knit up at different tensions!
   
   
2. Don’t base your calculations on a test swatch you haven’t knitted yourself. If you're knitting the garment, you must knit the tension square.
   
   
3. If there are 2 or more patterns in your garment, you’ll need to knit a swatch for each of them.
   
   
4. Knit a good-sized swatch, so you can take your stitch and row counts over at least a 10 cm (4 inch) span. Aim for a 12-15 cm (5-6 inch) square.
   
   
5. Cast on and off properly. You don’t want your swatch to unravel before you can measure it! Also, see Hot Tip 7.
   
   
6. Don’t rush to measure your swatch as soon as you’ve knitted it. Wait at least 2 hours to let the yarn ‘rest’ or, better still, wash your swatch in the same way you would wash your garment. Block it out carefully whilst damp, taking care not to stretch it, then measure when dry. See also Blocking and Pressing
   
   
7. Always keep your swatches. File them together with a note of needle size, yarn type and washing instructions and you’ll have an invaluable resource for future reference.

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