Gauging Issues

Gosh . . . something like 9 rows into the pattern now . . . hoo-boy, this is just zipping along! (grin).

I need to take a closer look at my gauge, though. It seems tighter than it was in my swatch, and that, um, could definitely make a difference in, you know, being able to wear this later on. (At this rate, it will be much later.) But of course, since I DO want to wear it, I'd better make sure now rather than later, right? If I have to tear back to the ribbing to switch up to a bigger needle now, it's the loss of about a week's worth of knitting, but that's still much, much better than having to rip later.

Of course, the swatch was washed, which might have affected the gauge. The only problem is that I didn't bother to measure it before I washed it, so I don't know if it "bloomed" or not . . . and therefore, don't know if the sweater itself will stretch slightly upon washing, or not.

Anybody out there know off-hand whether Jamieson's Spindrift tends to grow, shrink, or stay the same size once it's washed?

Edited to add: Good news! I tranferred half the stitches to another circular and then tried the whole thing on . (Right now, it makes a lovely belt.) Luckily, it fits, so . . . we're good to go!