How many knit stitches per inch

If you want to knit something that actually fits anyone or any part of anyone , take time to read and understand this chapter. I give you the knowledge you need for calculating gauge, tips for knitting to the correct gauge, and steps for making a swatch for any project. Neither gauge nor tension sound quite like what they really are. Gauge refers to how many stitches and how many rows there are in 1 inch. To figure out the number of stitches and rows you need in 1 inch, simply divide the listed gauge by four.

For instance, a yarn with a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches is the same as 4. Stitch gauge the number of stitches per inch is more critical than row gauge the number of rows per inch because the number of stitches determines the width of the piece. Row gauge, on the other hand, determines the length of the piece. Matching row gauge precisely is less crucial because you can usually knit a couple more or a couple less rows to compensate and get the length you need. You now know how many stitches to cast on.

This scarf example is very simple, but the basic equation to calculate stitch gauge is at the root of every increase and decrease and every cast-on and bind-off in knitting. You can fill in Table to practice this math and help you understand the difference that gauge makes. Note the range between the number of stitches you need to cast on with a super bulky yarn at a gauge of 2 stitches per inch and the number of stitches you need to cast on with a fine yarn at a gauge of 6 stitches per inch.

Flip to Chapter 1 to find out more about these and other types of yarn. If you think for a moment about what this difference would mean over the width of a whole sweater, you can see why understanding gauge and being able to take the steps needed to match the gauge called for in a pattern is vital to your knitting happiness. But what are you supposed to do about it? Read on to come to grips with getting the correct gauge. Knitters all vary in the way that they hold needles and move yarn.

This variation means that with the same yarn and needles, different knitters will knit to different gauges. New knitters often ask whether they should change the way they hold the yarn or wrap it around their fingers or whether they should do something to snug up the yarn after each stitch. I always say no. Correcting your tension generally leads to overcorrection — and only part of the time!

So, anything you do to make your stitches tighter or looser will likely change when you relax and get going. The end result will likely be worse, not better, because some spots will be looser and some spots tighter. Knitting skills, just like all others, are improved with practice. So put in the time. Plan to spend 15 minutes a day with your knitting. Big deal, you say. The directions say to cast on 90 stitches.

From this equation, you determine that the sweater is 20 inches across. A quick study of the accompanying schematic confirms that this is how wide the sweater should be in the size that you want. But at a gauge of 4 stitches per inch, what happens?

Put the new gauge into the equation as follows to find out:. This math shows that the front of the sweater is 2. That means the whole sweater will be 5 inches bigger around. With the following equation, you can see that you have equally ugly problems if your knitting is tighter than the suggested tension.

If your gauge is 5 stitches to the inch rather than 4. The front of this sweater is 2 inches narrower than your intended size; the whole sweater will be 4 inches smaller around. Depending on the intended fit of the sweater, you may not even be able to get it on! Everything, including the ribbing around the neck, will be too tight. A needle with a smaller diameter means that you make smaller loops when you wrap the yarn, and therefore you get smaller stitches. Likewise, bigger needles make bigger stitches.

Check out the differences in Figure ; the same yarn, stitch, and number of stiches are used, but the needle sizes and stitch sizes are different.

Figure Different needles yield different stitch sizes. If your gauge is too tight, use bigger needles to correct the problem. If your gauge is too loose, use smaller needles to correct the problem. I hope this helps! Hello, I am planning on making a blanket using a garter ribbing stitch. I would like the blanket to have a chunkier knit but still be able to see the pattern. Hi there!

I've found that rib stitch patterns show up the best, which looks great on blankets. I wouldn't worry about losing the ribs in a chunky blanket, unless you're planning to use a wildly variegated yarn. My only recommendation is to knit with something you're comfortable with.

This is because I find anything larger too heavy, and the needles too big. It also makes it a little harder to hide yarn tails or hide yarn joins. This is just my experience though.

I hope this info helps. Thanks for asking. I appreciate your question. Let me tell you this is super helpful and I wanted to ask your for help- What would you say the yarn size is here? It says on the website that the yarn equals 11x 17 stitches and that equals 4 inches. Thanks again. I'm happy to hear you found the info helpful. As for your yarn, despite having the word "sport" in its name, Nake Sport Wool would be considered a Bulky 5 yarn.

I have a quistion about a yarn I want to use for a scarf. Its called Nako Masal. Would you mind telling me what yarn weight that yarn is? Hi Jenny! It looks like this is an aran weight yarn think worsted weight. You can find more info about this yarn here.

I have seen an image of this sweater in this yarn. Could you let me know what two circular sized needles I should use to get 4. Ah, if only it were that simple. Gauge will always vary by the knitter, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. What I would recommend is knitting a swatch in three needle sizes. I'd begin with the US 8 needles and work for about 2" and measure. If you find that you're not close to gauge, go up to the next size, and repeat. Once you find a needle size that is giving you gauge, work that swatch for 4"- 5" to get a truer measurement.

I hope this helps. Let me know how it goes. This is a terrific primer on gauge, but I am still fumbling with a simple hat pattern's vague gauge directions. The single pattern allows for six sizes between child and large adult, and is flexible as to type of yarn, but I don't quite follow the gauge instructions:.

Yes, that does sound confusing. Could you tell me the name of the hat pattern? I'm happy to take a look. This was a great article on gauge. When I've made my swatch I can't get both width and height to match no matter what needles I swith to. I've dropped down 3 needle sizes that gives me the right height but thsnk I still have to use a size or two smaller on the pattern to get width to match gauge is this normal?

Hi Barb! Much thanks for your comment. As far as gauge is concerned, it is more important to get stitch gauge than to get row gauge.

Height can always be adjusted. Something else to consider Some yarns bloom and that may end up resolving your problem. Dropping down 3 needle sizes sounds pretty drastic and, I'm sure, will compromise the overall drape and flow of your intended garment. As mentioned in my post, tension may be an issue so gauge will vary from knitter to knitter.

I've found that if I'm overthinking my knitting, my tension is tighter which throws everything out of whack. Set it down and come back to it later if need be but you're definitely on the right track. Kudos for swatching! I salute you! Hi - What I don't understand and what never seems to be explained with gauge directions is how many stitches do you cast on to the needle in the first place and how many rows do you want to knit?

Or does it mean you cast on a larger number of stitches e. Hi Mary. Great question. What they do usually include is their gauge measurements, which will allow you to calculate how many stitches you should cast on. When knitting a gauge swatch, you never want to do the bare minimum. You want to be able to measure 4 inches squared of whatever your stitch pattern may be without interruption. The goal is to measure a larger piece, not 1 or 2 inch increments, because sometimes it takes knitters to get into the flow and stitch size and shape can vary.

Make sense? Hello, thank you for the great article! I am trying to knit something similar to swatch image at the start of the article. Would you happen to know the yarn weight, knitting gauge, knit style, and material used on that swatch? You're very welcome, Kris. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The swatch image was knit in stockinette stitch with Cascade Worsted Weight yarn. I can't seem to locate my original swatch so I can't provide my gauge info. Yes, recreating it with a different yarn fiber will affect the end result, which is why it is important to swatch.

Good luck! I am still having a hard time getting the gauge. I change my needle size and I still cant' get it. It is very upsetting trying to get it. Could you please try to help me. Shirley, sorry to hear you're having a hard time. I know it can be frustrating. I'm happy to try to help you, but I need more information. Message me at info knitfarious. Are you meeting width but not height or vice versa? What problems are you experiencing?

Be as detailed as possible and I'll see what I can do. It says do the gauge by the pattern. I always have a hard time. Thanks for the info, Shirley. Ok, so when you're knitting your swatch, how many stitches are you casting on? How big is your swatch before measuring? How are you measuring? You say it's too big What are the measurements given for gauge in your pattern? Hi, Thanks for the direction - although I am reluctant to gauge I completely understand why. My sweater recommends size 7 US but I want to start it and can only find size 8 in my collection of needles so I will test the gauge.

My question is the instructions are below but don't understand what she means in the RND. Hi Liz! You're welcome. The instructions for RND, or Round, means you'll need to knit a swatch in the round as it'll give you different measurements than if you were knitting flat or back and forth. You can find a tutorial on how to knit a swatch in the round here , in case you need one. Thanks for the info. Not sure here. Hi Lynne! It sounds like your swatch is too small to begin with.

You're not measuring the swatch as a whole, you're measuring an area of knitting. In general, you want to measure an area that doesn't include the cast on, bind off, or edges. Worsted weight is the size of yarn most commonly used for afghans. We sell a lot of worsted weight yarn. Aran Weight A British designation that means a worsted or heavy worsted weight yarn. Chunky Yarns These yarns are thicker than worsted and knit to a gauge of Bulky Yarns These yarns are larger yet than aran or chunky.

They are worked on large needles with a US size of 11 or greater. There are lots of fun patterns using these large yarns. Know that the resulting project will be bulky, possibly heavy and very warm. The following chart is displayed with permission from the Craft Yarn Council's www.

Not everyone likes to make a gauge swatch. But, if you are making something you want to fit, especially a sweater or other garment, we really, really, really suggest making a gauge swatch. We pass on these wise words from Skacel: How to swatch : Gauge is usually given for a 4" X 4" swatch. Cast on the expected number of stitches for the 4 inches plus an additional 4 stitches. Work 3 rows in garter stitch.

Then work in requested stitch pattern, always knitting the first 2 and the last 2 stitches of every row. Work the correct amount of rows as given in the gauge. If a row count is not given, work for approximately 4 inches. Work 3 additional rows of garter stitch then bind off. Carefully measure your piece so that after treating, you will know how the swatch has changed size.

Treat the swatch as yarn care instructions suggest. If they say it is ok to machine wash and tumble dry, do it.