I would like to welcome the incredible Christina from One Loop Crochet here to talk about the dreaded “gauge”. She has been such an incredible help to me in my designing and is so good at explaining things clearly so I had to ask her to write a post about gauge. You can follow her on Instagram here and here website is Oneloop.ca
Why should you care about gauge?
It can save you some heartache, especially if you hate ripping out hours of work! Generally speaking, if you care about the finished size of the project you are doing, and you want your project to end up the size as listed in the pattern, you need to work your stitches at the same gauge as the designer did. Also, the yardage requirements that are provided in a pattern are based on the designer’s gauge, so you may run out of yarn if your gauge isn’t the same. There are a few exceptions to this, but I’ll get into that later. Let me first try to explain the idea of gauge.
Put simply, gauge is a measurement of how many stitches and rows should fit into a specified width and height (usually 10cm x 10cm or 4” x 4”).
This is fairly straightforward to understand, right? Just count the stitches across a 10cm horizontal stretch, and count the rows vertically in 10cm. But there are many factors that can affect this stitch count:
1. type of stitch and pattern being counted for the measurement
2. yarn used
3. hook size and type
4. your unique hand
Let’s have a look at each one of these in more detail.
Stitch and pattern
You have likely noticed that a single crochet stitch looks pretty different than a treble crochet stitch, most noticeably in height. And more complex stitch patterns can include several types of crochet stitches which sort of lean into each other, which can also affect how wide or high they become. The pattern will dictate which stitch and/or stitch pattern is being measured for gauge, so be sure you are counting the correct one(s).
For an accurate gauge measurement, it is best to do a few counts in different locations on your work and take an average of these. Never use the edge stitches (these are usually a bit different than the other stitches, and, the edges can often stretch out or pull a little so they aren’t representative of the majority of the stitches).
Yarn used
This one is a little more complex. There are different sizes of yarn, usually referred to as “weight”. There are several ways to describe it, but the main idea is that every yarn has a “thickness” and they are not all the same (for a nice comparison chart, see Craft Yarn Council website ). Generally speaking, the thicker the yarn, the larger the stitch.
And beware, not every yarn within a certain size category is exactly the same, and even 2 different colours of the same yarn can be subtly different.
In addition, the fibre content can play a role; some fibres are more slippery than others, which can affect how it slides on your hook and may affect the size of the stitches. Try this for yourself! When I work with a wash cloth cotton, the yarn doesn’t slide as well (on the hook or through each loop) as a smooth shiny acrylic (for example).
Hook size and type
It really does work the way you’d expect: the larger the hook, the larger the stitch (and vice versa). The size of the yarn often dictates what size hook is required, but it totally depends on the overall look and feel of the fabric that the designer is trying to achieve. For example, it is very common to “go up a hook size” (use a larger hook) for lacy fabrics or to increase the drape of the piece.
Similarly to yarn type, the material your hook is made of can have some affect too; for example, I find the bamboo hooks are less slippery than aluminum ones.
Your stitches may also change based on the shape of the hook handle (and thus the way you hold it) and the shape of the hook at the tip (for example, it can be a sharp or dull point, broad or narrow, with a lot of hook tip or just a little).
Just like yarn thickness, there are different naming systems for hook sizes (Crochet Hook Size Chart). One thing to watch for: between brands, some of the sizes can be slightly different! A hook may be labeled as “G”, but the millimetre size may be a bit different (4.5mm vs 4.25mm). This can definitely have an impact on your gauge measurement!
Your unique hand
The innate way your hands complete stitches can make a difference. Some people naturally stitch very loosely, others very tightly. Even the way you yarn over and the amount of tension you keep on your working yarn are completely unique to you.
When can you ignore the gauge measurement?
When the size of the finished item or the openness of the fabric created isn’t crucial! Or when you are purposely adapting a pattern to suit your needs (I often do this with yarn weight, because of what yarn I have available!). If my gauge is off when I’m making a blanket, for example, it’s not a problem unless I don’t like the drape of the fabric or I’m not getting the look I’m after.
How do you check your gauge without working on the entire project?
Simply work up a small sample of the stitch used in the gauge measurement in the pattern. This is referred to as a “swatch”. It is recommended to work up a swatch of slightly bigger than 4”x4” (10cm x 10cm) because remember, those edge stitches can get a bit wonky and shouldn’t be counted, as they may not represent the stitches in the middle (the majority). I usually start with the recommended hook size and the yarn I plan to use, as long as it’s a similar weight to the original design. Then stitch your swatch and count your stitches and rows in the 10cm square! If you get gauge on the first attempt, congratulations, enjoy it because it doesn’t always happen that way! However, if it doesn’t match the pattern gauge, if you ended up with:
-too many stitches and/or rows, the hook or yarn may be too small. Try increasing the size of one of those and swatch again.
-fewer stitches and/or rows, the hook or yarn may be too big. Try decreasing the size of one of those and swatch again.
Let’s run through an example!
Let’s say I am going to make a quick baby blanket with worsted weight yarn in a pattern that has caught my eye. My yarn is labeled a 4/worsted weight so I go ahead and work with the hook size recommend in the pattern. After a few rows, I notice that the stitches seem tight and close together, which is making a stiff fabric that I don’t like for blankets (but are really great for baskets or mats). So I start checking that gauge, and sure enough, I have fewer stitches and rows in that 10cm square than what the pattern stated! Remember how I mentioned earlier, sometimes not every worsted weight yarn is exactly the same thickness? It turns out the one I used is a bit thicker than the yarn used by the pattern designer, so every stitch I make is a little bigger too. Which means it takes fewer stitches to get across that 10cm area measured for gauge! Eek, what do we do?
-change yarn to one that’s slightly less thick and try again (decreasing my hook size may get gauge but will make my stitches even smaller and closer together, which is part of the problem already)
OR
-increase the hook size and know that this will make my stitches bigger and definitely won’t help me reach gauge, BUT, (a) I may need more yarn to complete my project, and (b) the overall blanket will be bigger (because my stitches are bigger) but have the fabric feel and look that I prefer.
So as you can see, gauge can be a useful guide to you, depending on the fabric qualities you are trying to achieve and if your item needs to be a specific size.
Overall, I see it simply as this: the more or less you have to “pull” your yarn with your hook will change the stitches (potentially in both size and shape). So, the combination of your hook material and shape, the size and type of fibre in your yarn, and your way of completing stitches will all play a large role in determining your gauge.
