These two squares were knitted on the same pair of size 8 circulars, out of the same yarn – and they are not even close to the same size.
They are, obviously, different patterns – the red and white is a double-garter bias knit, and the blue and white is Ilga Leja’s Shadow Boxes pattern (with an error or two of my own design), and that affects the final gauge. Also, I realized when I finished the red and white that the white yarn is just a teensy bit thicker than the red (or blue) – it’s got a sparkly thread in it that adds a bit of bulk.
Still, I swear I measured them both at about 8 inches early in the knitting. Now one of them’s a little over, and one of them’s a little under. And that’s one of the things I love about knitting – that unpredictability. It’s maddening, yes, but it means that each and every piece is truly an original.
