--- title: "Knitting Gauge Calculator: Stitches & Rows | Moss Atelier" description: "Turn your swatch into stitches to cast on and rows to work for any size, or rescale a pattern when your gauge differs. Centimetres or inches." url: https://mossatelier.cfd/ --- Gauge calculator # Knitting gauge calculator Count the stitches and rows in your swatch, then get the number to cast on and the rows to work for any size, or rescale a pattern written for a different gauge. ## Result 110 sts stitches to cast on 180 rows rows (or rounds) to work - Your gauge: 22 sts and 30 rows per 10 cm, or 22.4 sts and 30.5 rows per 4 in (2.2 sts and 3 rows per cm). - 22.4 sts per 4 in is typical of Craft Yarn Council 3 Light (DK) yarn in stocking stitch. - 110 stitches make exactly 50 cm. - 180 rows make exactly 60 cm. Your swatch: 22 sts × 30 rows in 10 cm ## How to measure gauge and use the calculator Gauge (called tension in the UK) is how many stitches and rows fit into a set width of fabric. It turns a pattern's numbers into a size, and it is personal: two knitters with the same yarn and needles often get different gauges. 1. Knit a swatch at least 15 cm (6 in) square in the stitch your project uses, on the needles you plan to use. 2. Wash and dry it the way you will treat the finished piece. Many yarns relax, grow or bloom once wet. 3. Lay it flat without stretching. In the middle, away from the edges, count the stitches across 10 cm (4 in), half stitches included, and the rows up 10 cm. 4. Type the counts and the width you counted over. Counted over 5 cm or 6 in instead? Enter that: the calculator scales it. ### What each option does - **Cast on for a size** gives the stitches for a finished width and the rows (or rounds) for a length. - **Adjust a pattern** compares your gauge with the pattern's and rescales its stitch and row counts, so the piece comes out at the size the designer intended. - **Stitch pattern repeat** rounds the stitch count to fit a repeat and shows the width that count really makes. ### Worked example Your swatch has 22 stitches and 30 rows over 10 cm, and you want a scarf 25 cm wide and 160 cm long in 2×2 rib, knitted flat (a multiple of 4 plus 2). That is 2.2 stitches per cm, so 25 cm needs 55 stitches; the nearest count that fits the rib is 54, which makes 24.5 cm. At 3 rows per cm, 160 cm is 480 rows. Press *Try an example* to see it worked out. ## Sources - Craft Yarn Council, [Standard Yarn Weight System](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system): the typical stockinette gauge for each yarn weight, used to name the weight your gauge suggests. - Craft Yarn Council, [Hooks & Needles](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/hooks-and-needles): their advice to swatch and change needle size when your gauge differs from the pattern's. ## More tools for your knitting bag Yarn amounts, shaping, sizes and counting, for knitters and crocheters. - [Yarn yardage estimator](https://mossatelier.cfd/yarn-yardage-estimator/): How much yarn a hat, socks, a sweater or a blanket needs, by yarn weight or from your own swatch. - [Increase or decrease evenly](https://mossatelier.cfd/increase-decrease-evenly/): Written instructions like "[K8, M1] 12 times" for any stitch count, flat or in the round. - [Yarn weight chart](https://mossatelier.cfd/yarn-weight-chart/): CYC weights 0–7 with UK and Australian names, WPI, gauge, needles and hooks, plus a weight finder. - [Needle & hook size converter](https://mossatelier.cfd/needle-hook-size-converter/): Metric, US and old UK sizes for knitting needles and crochet hooks, and where the charts disagree. - [Row counter](https://mossatelier.cfd/row-counter/): Big tap targets, several named counters, pattern repeats, undo and keyboard shortcuts. Saved on your device. ## Recommended Two free services for the online side of a yarn habit. Disposable email · no sign-up ### CleanTempMail Free patterns, yarn-shop discount codes and knit-along sign-ups often ask for an email address first. CleanTempMail gives you a free temporary inbox straight away, with no sign-up, a random or custom address on hundreds of domains, and messages deleted automatically after 3 days. Get the pattern without filling your real inbox. [Open a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/) Disposable cloud browser · free domain lookups ### WebTraceCheck Found hand-dyed yarn or a needle set at a bargain price in a shop you have never heard of? WebTraceCheck's free tools look up the details behind a site's domain, and its disposable cloud browser opens unfamiliar links on an isolated desktop that is deleted after each session. Nothing to install, with free time every day. [Check a shop with WebTraceCheck](https://webtracecheck.com/) ## Questions about gauge **Is gauge the same as tension?** Yes. US patterns say gauge and UK patterns say tension. Both mean the number of stitches and rows in a measured width of fabric, usually 10 cm or 4 in. **Should I measure my swatch before or after washing it?** After. Wash and dry the swatch the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat before you count. Many yarns grow, shrink or bloom when wet, so an unwashed swatch can promise a size the garment never keeps. **My stitch gauge matches but my row gauge does not. What now?** Match the stitch gauge first, because width is hard to fix later. Most patterns give lengths as "work until the piece measures…", so knit to the measurement rather than the row count. Where shaping is spaced by rows, such as sleeve increases, use the adjusted row count from Adjust a pattern to respace it. **Is 10 cm the same as 4 inches?** Nearly. 4 inches is 10.16 cm, 1.6% more. Patterns treat them as the same swatch, and the difference is smaller than most measuring error. The calculator converts exactly, so on a wide piece switching units can move the answer by a stitch. **How do I change my gauge?** Change the needle size and swatch again. Too many stitches per 10 cm means your stitches are small, so go up a size; too few means go down. If a size or two does not get you there, the yarn is probably a different weight from the pattern's. **Why count in the middle of the swatch?** Edge stitches and the cast-on and bind-off rows are pulled out of shape, so they do not represent the fabric. A swatch bigger than the area you measure gives you an honest middle to count.