6 Best Try Squares For Verifying Squareness

Achieving a perfect finish on a hand-knit garment often hinges on the blocking process, where shape is finalized and stitches are coaxed into uniformity. While many rely on eyeballing the edges of a sweater or shawl, professional results require a tool that guarantees precise 90-degree angles. A try square serves as the ultimate arbiter for symmetry, ensuring that geometric lace and structured necklines drape exactly as intended. Investing in a reliable square transforms a haphazard blocking session into a deliberate act of garment construction.

Kni-Co Square-Check: Best for Blocking Mats

The Kni-Co Square-Check stands out as a specialized tool engineered specifically for the fiber arts workspace. Unlike industrial carpentry squares, this version is lightweight and optimized for use on soft blocking mats.

It excels at aligning the corners of square or rectangular shawls, ensuring that each edge meets at a perfect perpendicular intersection. If you find your lace edges pulling or sagging, this tool provides the structural verification needed to keep the tension even across the entire piece.

Because it is designed for a lower-impact environment, it lacks the heavy-duty metal construction of workshop tools. However, for the knitter focused purely on textiles, its lightweight build is an advantage, preventing accidental snagging on delicate mohair or fine silk fibers.

Swanson Speed Square: Most Versatile & Durable

The Swanson Speed Square is a staple in many households, and its rugged construction makes it nearly indestructible for daily knitting studio use. While it originates from the construction trade, its compact footprint fits easily into a project bag or notions kit.

Its primary strength lies in its thick, cast-aluminum body, which stands upright on its own. This feature allows you to place the square against a sweater hem to check for alignment without needing an extra set of hands to hold it steady.

Do not let its “rough-and-tumble” appearance fool you. When used against a flat surface, it offers immediate visual confirmation of squareness that is perfect for checking gauge swatches or the base of a drop-shoulder garment.

Starrett Combination Square: Best Premium Choice

For the serious knitter who views blocking as an engineering project, the Starrett Combination Square is the gold standard of precision. This tool features a hardened, tempered steel blade that resists bending, ensuring that your measurements remain accurate over decades of use.

The sliding head allows for adjustable depth, making it uniquely suited for measuring the distance between cables or the width of a button band. When consistency is the highest priority—such as when blocking multiple identical panels for a complex cardigan—the Starrett provides unmatched repeatability.

The trade-off here is the significant cost and the weight of the tool. It is an investment piece, likely overkill for someone who only occasionally blocks hats, but indispensable for those producing professional-grade custom garments.

iGaging Combo Square: Best Value for Precision

The iGaging Combo Square strikes a balance between professional-grade accuracy and a price point accessible to the average hobbyist. It features a satin chrome finish that prevents glare, making it easier to read measurements in low-light conditions or under a hobby lamp.

Its accuracy rivals much more expensive models, providing a tight, true 90-degree angle that stays locked in place once the bolt is tightened. This is particularly helpful when you need to verify the alignment of stranded colorwork blocks or modular motifs that must match up perfectly.

Choosing this tool is a practical decision for the knitter who wants high performance without the premium brand markup. It offers the structural integrity needed to ensure that even complex geometric patterns are blocked with surgical precision.

Empire Level E250: Best Affordable Workhorse

The Empire Level E250 is an essential, no-nonsense tool that delivers reliable performance without unnecessary frills. Its high-visibility markings make it incredibly easy to see against dark, moody yarn bases like navy alpaca or black wool.

Though it is made of heavy-duty plastic, the E250 is surprisingly rigid and resistant to warping. It is the ideal choice for those who are just beginning to incorporate formal blocking tools into their workflow and want a reliable starting point.

While it lacks the fine-tuned adjustments of a steel combination square, it remains perfectly adequate for the vast majority of knitting projects. It does exactly what it promises: helps identify if your corners are square so you can pin your work with confidence.

Woodpeckers Square: Unmatched Accuracy Pick

Woodpeckers tools are synonymous with precision machining, and their square is a masterpiece of design for those who refuse to settle for “close enough.” Every edge is ground to an exacting tolerance, ensuring that even the most subtle deviations from a perfect 90-degree angle are captured.

This tool is particularly valuable when blocking heirloom pieces where the investment of time and expensive fiber is substantial. If you are knitting an intricate lace shawl using a luxury hand-dyed blend, the Woodpeckers square ensures that the integrity of the pattern remains uncompromised during the final blocking stage.

It is admittedly an indulgence, but for the discerning maker, it provides the peace of mind that every corner is mathematically perfect. It removes all doubt, allowing the beauty of the stitches to shine without the distraction of an uneven edge.

Why a Perfect 90° Angle Matters for Knitters

A 90-degree angle is the foundation of structural consistency in knitwear. When a sweater or wrap is blocked at an angle, the fabric is encouraged to settle into a stable state, preventing the garment from twisting during wear.

• Symmetry: Ensures that left and right fronts of a cardigan match perfectly.
• Pattern Alignment: Keeps lace motifs or geometric colorwork from skewing.
• Drape: Encourages a professional, store-bought finish that emphasizes the intentionality of the design.

Without this precision, even the most beautifully knitted fabric can appear slumped or distorted. Achieving a true right angle turns a homemade project into a polished, professional garment.

How to Use a Try Square for Perfect Blocking

To use a try square correctly, lay your damp, pinned-out project on your blocking mat. Place the square so that one leg is flush against one side of your project and the other leg aligns with the adjacent side.

• If there is a gap between the yarn and the square, gently adjust the pins until the fabric meets the tool perfectly.
• Always check both inside and outside corners to ensure the fabric hasn’t “bowed” or puckered.
• Keep the tool clean of any stray fibers, as even a small tuft of lint can throw off the precision of a tight angle.

By systematically moving the square around the perimeter of your garment, you can guarantee that the final shape is as precise as the initial pattern requirements.

Combo vs. Speed Square: What’s the Difference?

Understanding the distinction between these two tools is critical for selecting the right one for your knitting studio. A Speed Square is a fixed, triangular tool, ideal for quick checks and standing upright on a table.

A Combination Square, by contrast, is a sliding tool that offers more versatility for measuring distances between points. While a Speed Square is excellent for checking the final corner of a blocked project, a Combination Square is superior for measuring consistent spacing between buttonholes or decorative cables.

Choose a Speed Square if your goal is primarily checking block corners. Choose a Combination Square if you need a multifunctional tool that assists with layout and spacing measurements across your knitting surface.

Key Features to Look For in a Knitting Square

When shopping for a square, the priority should be on build quality and readability. A tool that is difficult to read will quickly end up in the bottom of a notions bag, unused and forgotten.

• Material: Steel offers the most longevity, while aluminum or high-grade plastic is lighter and easier to maneuver.
• Scale Readability: Look for etched markings rather than printed ones, which can rub off over time.
• Weight: The square should have enough heft to stay in place on its own, but not so much that it crushes the delicate “bloom” of your yarn.

The best square is the one that fits your specific workflow, whether that means prioritizing extreme precision or opting for a lightweight, budget-friendly option.

Investing in a quality try square is a transformative step for any knitter. By shifting from guesswork to guided measurement, your blocked projects will take on a crisp, professional character that elevates every stitch. Choosing the right tool ensures that your time spent at the needles results in a finished piece that is as structurally sound as it is beautiful.