Tips & Tricks: Ideas for Reusing Swatches

The lowly gauge swatch. Loathed by most. Skipped entirely by many. (Don't do that. Always do a gauge swatch.)

Want to feel better about making one? It can have uses beyond gauge, we promise! Here are 8 ideas for giving your swatches a meaningful afterlife.

1. Swatches make an easy way to track down the exact yarn you might need to make repairs. Keep a swatch library so you'll always know where to find it. Bonus points: pin on a note with details about the pattern and needle size you used.
2. Or store swatches right with finished objects and add a little cedar or lavender oil to them. This is a great way to help keep moths away, plus it smells heavenly.
3. If you're fairly consistent about the size of your swatches, you can sew them together into a granny square blanket.
4. Pinning or sewing colorful swatches along the length of some rope or yarn can make a cute pennant-like decoration for a child's room.
5. Swatches in some fibers make great dishcloths for wiping down the kitchen counter.
6. Stack a few to make trivets to protect your table from warm serving dishes.
7. One of Twistedista Emily's favorite uses for swatches is to slide them between stacked pans, plates, and bowls to protect the surfaces from scratching.
8. Swatches also make really fabulous coasters under mugs or plants. Truly. They soak up condensation and add a colorful touch.