Gauge calculator
If your swatch doesn't match the pattern's gauge, the same stitch count gives you a different size. Enter the pattern's count and both gauges to get the count that keeps the pattern's finished size, rounded to the pattern's stitch multiple.
Cast on
86 or 90 stitches
Exact: 96 x 18/20 = 86.40; rounded to a multiple of 4 + 2
How the gauge conversion works
Stitch count scales with gauge: new stitches = pattern stitches × your gauge ÷ pattern gauge, with both gauges measured over the same length. For example, a pattern that casts on 96 stitches at 20 stitches per 4 in, knit at 18 stitches per 4 in, needs 86.40 stitches. That isn't a whole number, and a pattern worked in a multiple of 4 + 2 needs 86 or 90. Pick the lower number for a closer fit and the higher for more ease.
Measure gauge on a swatch that's been washed and blocked the way you'll treat the finished piece, and over at least 4 in / 10 cm. Gauge measured on an unwashed swatch is the most common reason a finished piece comes out the wrong size.
When to change the needle instead
If your gauge is within about a stitch per 4 in, try a needle or hook one size up (for too many stitches) or down (for too few) before recalculating. Changing the count also changes where shaping lands, so for fitted garments converting every number in the pattern is more work than swapping needles.
More calculators
- Pattern resize calculatorMake a piece wider or narrower at the pattern's own gauge, keeping the designer's ease.
- Increase & decrease evenly calculatorSpread increases or decreases evenly across a row, or space shaping rows over a length.
- Rows for length calculatorHow many rows or rounds you need to reach a length at your row gauge.
Do this math inside your pattern
Upload your PDF pattern to GatheredFolk and ask Purl, our pattern helper: it reads your pattern, uses these same calculations for your size and gauge, and tracks your rows as you go. Free to start.
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