Crochet
Crochet & knitting gauge calculator
Converts between your measured gauge and a pattern’s, so you can work a pattern at your own tension without the finished item coming out the wrong size.
The question this answers: “My gauge does not match the pattern. How many stitches do I actually chain to get the width I want?”
Result
- Your gauge
- 18 sts / 10cm
- Pattern gauge
- 16 sts / 10cm
- Work this many stitches instead
- 135
- To reach the width the pattern intended, at your gauge. Works for simple rectangular pieces; a shaped garment needs the hook changed instead.
- Width if you do not adjust
- 66.7 cm
- The pattern intends 75 cm.
- What to do
- Your fabric is tighter than the pattern by about 13%. Go up a hook or needle size — roughly one size per half stitch per 10cm — and re-swatch.
Show the working
- Your gauge
18 sts ÷ 10 cm × 1018 sts/10cm - Difference from pattern
(18 − 16) ÷ 16 × 10012.5% - Adjusted stitch count
120 × (18 ÷ 16)135 - Width if unadjusted
120 ÷ 18 × 1066.7 cm
Your gauge: 18 sts / 10cm. Pattern gauge: 16 sts / 10cm. Work this many stitches instead: 135. Width if you do not adjust: 66.7 cm. What to do: Your fabric is tighter than the pattern by about 13%. Go up a hook or needle size — roughly one size per half stitch per 10cm — and re-swatch.
Your gauge = stitches ÷ measured width × 10. Adjusted stitch count = pattern stitch count × (your gauge ÷ pattern gauge). Unadjusted finished width = pattern stitch count ÷ your gauge × 10. Hook advice compares the two gauges: more stitches per 10cm than the pattern means tighter fabric and suggests a larger hook.
- Gauge is measured in the same stitch pattern the pattern quotes, which is the commonest source of a mismatched result.
- The swatch was measured after washing and drying if the finished item will be washed — cotton and superwash wool in particular change.
- One hook size is taken as shifting gauge by roughly half a stitch per 10cm. This is a rule of thumb, not a constant.
- Adjusting stitch counts works for simple rectangular pieces. It does not work for shaped garments, where changing the stitch count changes where every increase and decrease falls.
- Row gauge is a separate problem and is often harder to match than stitch gauge. This tool handles stitch gauge only.
- Changing hook size to match gauge also changes the fabric’s drape and density, which may not be what the pattern intended.
Sources for this section
- Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting (opens in a new tab) — Craft Yarn Council · Standards body · read — supports the claim
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere. Last reviewed 2026-08-13. More on Crochet.