Crochet guide
Crochet gauge and how to measure it
Gauge is the number of stitches and rows that fit in a set measure, usually 4 in (10 cm). Match the pattern's gauge and your piece comes out the size the pattern says. United Kingdom patterns call it tension.
On this page 11 parts
What gauge is
A pattern states its gauge near the top, something like "13 sc and 15 rows = 4 in (10 cm)". That means 13 single crochet (double crochet in United Kingdom patterns) sit side by side across 4 in of the fabric, and 15 rows stacked up are 4 in tall. The first number is the stitch gauge and the second is the row gauge.
Gauge is not always given in single stitches. A pattern may give it as a number of pattern repeats to a measure, or as the size of one finished piece, such as one square of a blanket.
Why yours may differ
Two people with the same yarn and the same hook rarely make stitches of the same size. Some hands work tightly and some loosely, and even the material of the hook can change the result.
The difference adds up across a row. At 13 stitches to 4 in, 65 stitches are 20 in (51 cm) wide. At 15 stitches to 4 in the same 65 stitches are about 17 in (44 cm) wide, and at 11 stitches they are about 24 in (60 cm).
Gauge changes the yarn you need as well. If your stitches are larger than the pattern's, the piece comes out bigger and takes more yarn than the pattern lists. Smaller stitches leave some over.
When it matters
For anything that has to fit, such as a hat or a sweater, match the gauge before you start. For a dishcloth, a scarf or a blanket, a small difference makes the piece a little larger or smaller and uses a little more or less yarn.
Make a swatch
A swatch is a small square made only to be measured.
- Use the yarn, the hook and the stitch that the pattern's gauge names. If it names no stitch, use the main stitch of the piece.
- Gauge is counted over 4 in, so make the swatch bigger than that: about 6 in (15 cm) each way. The stitches at the edges and in the first rows are not like the rest, and a bigger swatch lets you count in the middle. Make one and a half times the stitches the gauge names: for 13 stitches to 4 in, about 20 (chain 21 for single crochet). Then work rows until the piece is about as tall as it is wide.
- If the finished piece will be washed or blocked (wetted and pinned or laid flat to dry), do the same to the swatch and let it dry.
For a piece worked in rounds, a pattern may give the gauge as the width of the first few rounds instead. Work them and measure straight across.
Measure it
Lay the swatch on a flat, hard surface and smooth it without stretching it. A stiff ruler is steadier than a tape measure.
- Stitches: lay the ruler across the middle of the rows, well away from the side edges and from the starting chain, and count the stitches in 4 in. If the 4 in ends partway through a stitch, count the half.
- Rows: turn the ruler upright and count the rows in 4 in.
A pin at each end of the 4 in makes the counting easier.
If it does not match
| What you count in 4 in | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| More stitches than the pattern | Your stitches are smaller, and the piece would come out too small | Try a larger hook |
| Fewer stitches than the pattern | Your stitches are larger, and the piece would come out too big | Try a smaller hook |
For the stitch count, change the hook, not your hand. Go up or down one size, then make a new swatch and measure again. The hook size chart lists the sizes. The hook size a pattern names is a starting point: the hook that gives you the gauge is the right one for you.
When the stitches match and the rows do not
Row height is the one thing you adjust by hand. A different hook changes the width and the height of a stitch together. Row height is set mostly at one moment: when you draw the yarn up through the stitch, before the next yarn over. Draw that loop up a little higher and the rows grow. Keep it low and they shrink.
Often you do not need to. Many patterns give a length to work to, not a number of rows, in words such as "work until the piece measures 10 in (25 cm)". There you simply work more rows or fewer.
When the swatch matched and the piece did not
Gauge is not fixed, even for one person. The same hands work more tightly when tense and more loosely when relaxed, so stitches made later can differ from those of the swatch. A change of hook can shift the gauge a little too, even to another hook of the same size, so keep to one hook for the whole piece. And if the width is right but the length is not, the rows are the cause: see the part above on rows that do not match.
A tight starting chain
A starting chain often comes out tighter than the rows above it, most of all when you are learning. Make the chain loosely. If it is still tight, make the chain with a larger hook than the one you use for the rows. This is one more reason to measure across the middle of the rows and not along the chain.
A fabric that feels stiff
Stitches packed closely for their yarn make a stiff fabric. A larger hook with the same yarn gives a softer, looser one. It changes the size of the piece as well, so measure again.
What gauge to expect from a yarn
The standard yarn weight system gives a usual gauge in single crochet for each weight of yarn. The weight is the number in the yarn symbol on the label: 0 is the finest yarn, and the higher the number, the thicker the yarn. These are guidelines for the most common gauges, not rules, and a pattern's own gauge comes first.
| Yarn weight | Single crochet in 4 in (10 cm) | Usual hook |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Super fine | 21 to 32 | 2.25 to 3.5 mm (B-1 to E-4) |
| 2 Fine | 16 to 20 | 3.5 to 4.5 mm (E-4 to 7) |
| 3 Light | 12 to 17 | 4.5 to 5.5 mm (7 to I-9) |
| 4 Medium | 11 to 14 | 5.5 to 6.5 mm (I-9 to K-10 1/2) |
| 5 Bulky | 8 to 11 | 6.5 to 9 mm (K-10 1/2 to M-13) |
| 6 Super bulky | 7 to 9 | 9 to 15 mm (M-13 to Q) |
| 7 Jumbo | 6 and fewer | 15 mm and larger (Q and larger) |
Lace yarn (0) is not in this table, because the standard gives its gauge in a different stitch. The hook size by yarn weight chart covers every weight.
The yarn's own label names a hook to start with, and it comes before this table. How to read a crochet pattern shows where a pattern states its gauge.