I have received a few DMs about this subject and sometimes I think we do not give enough importance to gauge and what it implies. So… even though it is a dreaaadful moment (am I the only one who hates swatching to meet the gauge?) I think it deserves to be the topic of my first post.
Let’s start from the very begging so we are all in the same ground.
WHAT IS GAUGE?
In a very simple way, gauge is creating a small piece of the stitch (or stitches) you will be using in your pattern until to get a 10 cm x 10cm (at least) so you can have an idea of the amount of stitches and rows you will need in your project and how much tension do you apply when knitting and crocheting.
HOW TO MEASURE IT?
Do a few more stitches and rows than the gauge especified in the pattern or the skein you are using.
Now you have two options:
- Tension gauge: put it above the piece that you just knitted or crocheted and count the stitches and rows that you have in the square.
- Pin it to a flat surface and with your measuring tape count how many stitches and rows you have in 10 cm.
It is important to have in mind that your gauge will be different once blocked since it will stretch a bit. If you plan to block your garment (this might be the topic of a post soon!) once you are done my recommendation is to knit a 14 cm x 14 cm square, block it and then check your gauge for 10cmx10cm so you won’t have any surprises at the end.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
We knit and crochet in different ways, some of us looser, others tigher… so it’s not that frequent that we will achieve the same 10 cm x 10 cm piece with the same number of rows and stitches. That is why we need to check our gauge before we start our project (yes! I know that will delay us a bit when starting your project but thanks to this you will make sure you achieve a perfect garment!)
You don’t want to have any surprises or not get the measurements right and realize once you have finished your garment right?
WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T MEET THE PATTERNS GAUGE?
Say it out loud: IT’S OKAY 🙂 You might be a loose or tight knitter/crocheter, you just need to go for plan B. But first you will need to ask yourself this question: do you usually knit/crochet tight when you are trying new stitches? if this is the case, keep practising until you feel comfortable with the stitch you are trying to achieve and then gauge swatch.
If you have already tried and still not meet the gauge, you will need to check one of these options:
- If you have more stitches and rows than the gauge: go for a bigger hook or knitting needle.
- If you have less stitches and rows that the gauge: go for a smaller hook or knitting needle.
Keep trying until you find the right needle or hook to match the gauge. If you are not able to achieve it, have in mind that is better to have the same number of stitches than rows (since this will affect the height of your garment or project you will be able to adjust it doing more or less rows).
WHAT IF THE PATTERN DOESN’T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE GAUGE REQUIRED?
Unfortunately it usually happens and can make you feel a bit lost at the beggining trying to figure out if the designer has the same gauge or if your project will have the planned measurements.
But don’t panic, here is a trick I use when this happens when the project specifies the measurements (all numbers used in the following calculations were randomly chosen, the important part is to understand how to get the numbers):
- Check in the pattern how many stitches it makes you cast-on to achieve to obtain the desired width (ie. 50 stitches to obtain a 60 cm wide project). With this information we will do the following calculations – if in 60 cm we have 50 stitches, how many stitches would we need for 10 cm -> (10 cm * 50 stitches)/60 cm = 8,33 stitches – so we round it up to 9 stitches.
- Check in the pattern how many rows does it have and the height that should be obtained (ie. 28 rows for 40 cm). We same calculations as before, in 40 cm we have 28 rows, how many rows will be have in 10 cm? -> (10 cm * 28 rows)/ 40 cm = 7 rows.
- You will obtain a 10 cm x 10 cm = 9 stitches x 7 rows.
Now you will be ready to do your swatch and see if you can achieve the gauge!
CAN I ADAPT THE PATTERN TO MY GAUGE?
It is possible, I have done it a few times when I didn’t meet the pattern’s gauge, but I would only recommend for more experienced knitters/crocheters.
If you are begginer or don’t feel confident about it you can easily try it in patterns with rectangular shapes that don’t require increases or decreases. A good example of a adaptable pattern for you would be a sweater that is knitted/crocheted in 4 rectangular pieces in which front and back panels have the same measurements.
When you are adapting a pattern to your swatch it is important to have in mind that some stitches require an odd, even or multiple of X number of stitches/chain to create the look you see in the final garment. Sometimes it is explained in the pattern and sometimes we are not that lucky and we need to figure it out ourselves, so please take into consideration before jumping straight away to your project.
And you are done with gauge 101! I tried to cover in a quick way the most important parts of gauge and swatching that should be taken into consideration. I hope it helped you a bit in your knitting/crochet journey to get the basics straight!
xx
Marta
PS: Do you have any questions or would you like to suggest the next post’s topic? Drop me a line and I will get back to you! 🙂