Stitch Calculator
Type the stitches on your needle and the number you need. The calculator spreads the increases or decreases evenly across one row or round and writes out the instructions.
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 stitch calculator
Enter Stitches you have now and Stitches you need. If the second number is bigger you get an increase row, if it is smaller you get a decrease row, so the same page works as an increase evenly calculator and a decrease evenly calculator. Pick Flat, in rows or In the round, and for increases pick Make 1 (M1) or Knit front and back (KFB).
The result shows the number of increases or decreases, one line you can follow, for example Row: (K9, M1) 4 times, (K8, M1) 2 times, K8., the same steps as a numbered list, and a check line with the stitches worked and the stitches you end with. Copy result puts the text on your clipboard for your pattern notes and Print sheet prints the steps with a box to tick for each one.
To keep your place while you work the row, use the stitch counter. If the pattern was written for a different gauge, work out the new cast-on first with the knitting gauge calculator.
How the stitches are spread
In the round there is no edge, so the stitches are cut into as many equal stretches as there are increases or decreases, and one shaping stitch goes at the end of each stretch. Worked flat, the calculator makes one extra stretch so that the row starts and ends with plain stitches and no shaping sits on the selvage.
When the stitches do not divide exactly, some stretches get one stitch more. Those longer stretches come first in the instructions, so each line is a simple repeat rather than an alternating pattern that is easy to lose track of.
M1 and KFB count differently. M1 is made between two stitches and uses none, so an M1 row needs at least one stitch between increases. KFB is worked into a stitch, so that stitch is part of the count. A K2tog uses 2 stitches and leaves 1. That is why one row can at most double the count with increases or halve it with decreases; beyond that the calculator asks you to spread the shaping over two rows.
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
Why does the flat version start and end with plain stitches?
Shaping right at the edge makes seams and picked-up stitches harder, so for flat work the calculator keeps the increases or decreases inside the row. In the round there is no edge, so every stretch ends with a shaping stitch.
Can I use a different increase or decrease?
Yes. Any increase that is made between stitches (M1L, M1R, a yarn over) counts like M1, and any increase worked into one stitch counts like KFB. SSK counts the same as K2tog. The stitch counts in the result stay correct.
What do I do on a purl row?
Purl the plain stitches and use the purl version of the shaping: M1P or PFB for increases, P2tog for decreases. The numbers do not change.
Is anything sent anywhere?
No. The numbers you type are saved in your browser so they are still there after a refresh, and nothing is sent to a server. Share link copies a link with the same numbers for a friend or another device.
More in Knitting and crochet
Put this stitch 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 /stitch-calculator/ in the code.