Knitting Gauge Calculator (Stitches and Rows for Your Tension)
How many stitches to cast on and rows to knit for a given size from your own gauge, and how to adapt a pattern written for a different gauge.
Results
What this tool does
Gauge, or tension, is how many stitches and rows fit in 10 cm of your own knitting, and it decides the size more than the pattern does: 22 stitches in 10 cm means 2.2 stitches per centimetre, so 40 cm needs 88. Knit a swatch of at least 10-15 cm, wash and block it the way you will treat the finished piece, then measure, because yarn often changes after washing. If your gauge differs from the pattern's, multiply the stitch counts by your gauge ÷ the pattern gauge, and then adjust to fit any stitch-pattern repeat. Row gauge matters less than stitches, so measure lengths by eye as well.
Formula
stitches = width × stitches per 10 cm ÷ 10 · rows = height × rows per 10 cm ÷ 10 · your stitches = pattern stitches × your gauge ÷ pattern gauge
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
w | Width of the piece | cm |
h | Height (length) of the piece | cm |
sg | Your gauge: stitches in 10 cm | — |
rg | Your gauge: rows in 10 cm | — |
ps | Stitches the pattern calls for | — |
pg | Gauge in the pattern: stitches in 10 cm | — |
ST | Stitches to cast on for that width | — |
RW | Rows to knit for that height | — |
PS | Stitches the pattern needs in your gauge | — |
PW | Width the pattern would give in your gauge | cm |
Worked example
- Width of the piece40 cm
- Height (length) of the piece50 cm
- Your gauge: stitches in 10 cm22
- Your gauge: rows in 10 cm30
- Stitches the pattern calls for100
- Gauge in the pattern: stitches in 10 cm20
- Stitches to cast on for that width88
- Rows to knit for that height150
- Stitches the pattern needs in your gauge110
- Width the pattern would give in your gauge45.5 cm
Limitations
- The calculation runs at full precision and only the display is rounded. If you copy an intermediate value and retype it, small differences can appear.
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.