Knitting Gauge Calculator
Measure your swatch, type what you counted, and see your gauge per 4 inches and per 10 cm. Then turn the pattern's numbers into numbers that fit your knitting.
1. Your swatch
2. Resize a pattern
3. Measurement to stitches
Your yarn (from the label)
Your swatch
Pieces of the project
Yarn used by a counted number of stitches
Stitches in the project
What the pattern asks for
How to use the gauge calculator
1. Your swatch. Choose inches or cm, then enter the stitches you counted and the width they cover, and the rows you counted and the height they cover. You do not have to count exactly 4 inches: 17 stitches over 3.25 inches works just as well. The result gives your stitch and row gauge per 4 in, per 10 cm, per inch and per cm.
2. Resize a pattern. Say whether the pattern gives its gauge per 4 in or per 10 cm, type the pattern's stitches (and rows if you want), then a stitch count from the pattern, such as the cast-on. You get the count to use at your gauge. If the stitch pattern needs a multiple, for example a multiple of 4 plus 2 for ribbing, fill in Round to a multiple of and plus. The result also says how wide the pattern's stitch count would come out at your gauge.
3. Measurement to stitches. Type a width or a length and get the stitches or rows it takes at your gauge.
It works for crochet too; count stitches and rows the same way. For shaping after the cast-on, the stitch calculator spreads increases and decreases evenly, and the yarn calculator estimates how much yarn the project takes.
The maths, and a tip on measuring
Gauge is stitches divided by the width they cover. Resizing multiplies the pattern count by your gauge and divides by the pattern gauge: a pattern with 100 stitches at 20 stitches per 4 in needs 110 stitches at 22 per 4 in to come out the same width. Rows scale the same way with row gauge.
4 in is 10.16 cm, not 10 cm, so a gauge per 4 in and a gauge per 10 cm are close but not equal. The calculator converts exactly rather than treating them as the same. Measure a gauge swatch in the middle, away from the edges, and wash and block it the way you will treat the finished piece before you measure, because many yarns change size.
Print blank sheet prints a gauge swatch record for three swatches, and Print sheet prints your results.
Keyboard shortcuts
- U or Ctrl+Z (outside a box): undo the last change
- R: clear all boxes (the message lets you undo it)
- C: copy the result
- P: print the result as a sheet
- Esc: leave the box you are typing in, so the letter keys work
- F: full screen, M: sound on or off
Inside a box, Tab moves to the next one and your browser's own undo works as usual.
Questions
What is a gauge calculator for?
It turns a swatch into numbers you can use: stitches and rows per 4 inches or 10 cm, the cast-on for your gauge when it differs from the pattern, and the stitches for any width you want.
Should I change needle size or change the numbers?
Changing needle size to match the pattern gauge keeps every number in the pattern correct. Changing the numbers is useful when you like the fabric you have. If you resize, remember that lengths given in rows and shaping spread over rows change too.
Why is my rounded count different from the exact figure?
Stitches have to be whole, and many stitch patterns need a multiple. The exact figure is shown under the result so you can choose to round up or down yourself.
Is anything sent anywhere?
No. Your numbers are saved in your browser only, and nothing is sent to a server.
More in Knitting and crochet
Put this knitting gauge calculator on your website
Free for classrooms, clubs, blogs and shops: paste this code into any page. It works the same inside your site, and counts stay in each visitor's own browser. For a dark version, add ?theme=dark after /knitting-gauge-calculator/ in the code.