Knitting gauge

Knitting gauge is one of the most important knitting concepts to understand. It’s the difference between garments that fit and garments that are disastrously too small or too large. Someone who understands knitting gauge has a world of well-fitting sweaters, mittens, socks and more at their fingertips! In this post, we’ll go over what gauge […]

Learn what knitting gauge is and why it's important, plus how to knit and measure a gauge swatch, and fix your gauge problems.

Why is stitch gauge variable between knitters? It's a mystery of knitting encompassing many factors. Widely understood to have an influence are needle size, needle composition (material), tension in yarn supplied; and this post considers all these. Yet, a factor equally important--if not more--so lies in the formation of the knit stitch itself. We'll start there. We can say there are two properties of a knit stitch: its width, and its height. In the simplest conception, width arises from the…

Why does knitting gauge matter? There are times when a stitch gauge should be perfect (think vests, cardis, pullovers, etc.), because when gauge if off you'll end up with a garment won't fit properly. So, it's very important to check gauge in knitting before you begin a project.

I don't like swatching and I don't like to count gauge. This is especially clear in early patterns ... where I rarely even listed gauge or the size of the finished product. In fact, quite a few of my patterns are designed explicitely with the view of not knitting a swatch (e.g. these fingerless gloves, these slippers or this hat). They contain instructions like "repeat these rows until the piece is wide enough to fit around your wrists" or similar. That said, there are also times where…

My knitting pattern wants me to "check my gauge" before I start. Knitting gauge is a way of measuring the size of your stitches.

Gauge notes that might be of interest.

This yarn weight chart has everything a knitter needs. Includes all 8 yarn weights, yarn types, knitting needle sizes, and more. Save this for future reference.

What a useful app! For when your gauge doesn't match the pattern gauge

How to make sure your knitting gauge is correct even though the number of stitches and rows is slightly off - detailed knitting tutorial for beginner knitters.