What You Wanted to Know About Gauge (Part 2) | Podcast Episode #131

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Are you completely confused by gauge?

No worries! I’m back this week to answer even more of your questions about gauge and why it’s one of the most important things to consider when designing or following crochet or knitting patterns. Here’s the scoop…

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! I turned to my Instagram community again this week to bring you another “what you wanted to know episode” to find out exactly what you need to know about gauge. So many questions were submitted that I’m breaking it into two episodes so I can answer as many of your questions about gauge as I can for you!

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Hey there, and welcome to episode 131 of The B.Hooked Podcast—the place where we love yarn, we love to learn, and we believe yarn can do more for us than just make pretty things. I mean, that finished object is definitely a huge bonus, but yarn can give us so much more than that.

For me personally, it helps me stay sane. It calms my mind, relaxes me, gives me a sense of accomplishment—and most importantly, it’s a creative outlet.

I’m your host, Brittany, and today we’re diving into part two of what you wanted to know about gauge. If you missed last week’s episode, you’ll definitely want to go back and check that out—especially if the whole idea of gauge still feels mysterious.

In that first part, I walked you through what gauge is and why it actually matters—why it’s worth paying attention to if you want your projects to turn out the way you imagine. And honestly, it’s a really helpful primer for what you’re about to hear in today’s episode.

Okay, so here’s the scoop: I turned to my Instagram community and asked what you really wanted to know about gauge. And now, I’m on a mission to answer as many of those questions as possible.

Today, we’re continuing that conversation and covering one of the questions you sent in. Before we get into it, just a quick reminder—if you’re listening on the go or multitasking (hopefully while stitching a project!), just know that you can always find the episode details and links on my website. For this one, just go to bhooked.com/131.

Last week, you learned that gauge is a measure of stitches and rows per inch. Its entire purpose is to bridge the gap between the way I crochet and the way you crochet.

We’re all using the same basic stitches and motions, but the little differences in how we hold our yarn, our hook, our tension—they make our individual styles just different enough that it can affect the finished size of a project.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, I crochet pretty normally,”—I hate to break it to you, but we all think that! We all crochet just a little differently. And even those small differences can throw off a pattern if you’re not paying attention to gauge.

So, if you ever plan to follow a pattern and want your finished project to match what you see in the pictures (or fit the way it’s supposed to), you’ll definitely want to take gauge seriously.

All right, let’s get into our first question of the day. This one came from someone on Instagram whose handle I couldn’t quite pronounce—so I’ll pop that into the show notes in case you want to connect with them later.

Their question was:
“How can you calculate the number of skeins you need for a project from your gauge swatch?”

Oh yes—this is where gauge gets really powerful. This is also your first look at what’s called pattern grading.

So let’s say you’re working with a yarn company or sponsor, and you’re designing a new pattern. You’ll probably need to figure out how much yarn they should send you—before you’ve even written the pattern or made the project.

And that can be tricky, right? Because it feels like a guessing game when the project doesn’t even exist yet. But you don’t want to guess—not when you’re trying to build trust with a sponsor. So this is where doing a few calculations can really pay off.

Or maybe you’re just free-handing something for yourself and want to make sure you have enough yarn on hand. This method will help with that too.

Now, fair warning—there is some math involved here. We’re going to wade into the deep end for a bit. But don’t panic! This is not complicated math. You can absolutely do this. And if you set up a spreadsheet like I do, the spreadsheet will do all the hard work for you.

Still, it’s important to understand how the math works so that you can set up those calculations properly. So let’s walk through the process I use to calculate how many skeins I’ll need for a new project—before I’ve written the pattern.

You can jot this down by hand or follow along in a spreadsheet—either works just fine.

Step 1: Get your yarn info.
Start by writing down the weight of one skein of yarn (in ounces or grams—just pick one and stay consistent). I’m here in the States, so I typically use ounces. But if you prefer metric, that’s totally fine—just make sure you stick with meters and grams. Don’t mix the two.

Next, write down the length of the skein (again, either in yards or meters—whichever matches the weight unit you picked).

Now for your first calculation:
Divide the skein length by the skein weight.
This gives you the yards per ounce (or meters per gram) for that yarn.

This number might look weird or tiny—that’s okay! It’s just part of the process.

Step 2: Make and weigh your gauge swatch.
Once you’ve crocheted a small swatch, weigh it using a kitchen scale—in the same unit you used earlier (again, I use ounces). Write that weight down.

Then calculate the total number of stitches in the swatch.
To do that, just multiply the number of stitches in one row by the number of rows in the swatch.

Step 3: Calculate the yarn used per stitch.
Now, divide the swatch weight by the total number of stitches in the swatch.
That gives you the yarn weight per stitch (again, in ounces or grams).

This number will be really small—something like 0.00256. That’s normal!

I personally don’t round these numbers in my spreadsheet because I want the most accurate results. But if you need to round, try to keep five digits after the decimal point.

Okay, so now you have:

• The number of yards per ounce (or meters per gram) for your yarn
• The weight per stitch from your swatch

Step 4: Estimate the total number of stitches in your project.
This is where we start putting it all together.

Let’s say you want to make a scarf that’s 10 inches wide by 60 inches long. And your gauge swatch gave you 14 stitches and 16 rows over 2 inches. You also calculated that there are 1,170 stitches in your swatch, and it weighs 0.3 ounces. That means each stitch uses about 0.00256 ounces of yarn.

So now you want to figure out how many stitches your full scarf will have. First, create two new columns (or just write them down):

• One for the width (10 inches)
• One for the length (60 inches)

To calculate the number of stitches per inch, take the stitch count from your swatch (14 stitches over 2 inches) and divide 14 by 2. That gives you 7 stitches per inch.

Now you know that a 10-inch-wide row will have 10 × 7 = 70 stitches per row.

And we’ll stop here for now—because the next step is calculating how many rows fit in the 60-inch length, which we’ll walk through next.

You’ll multiply seven stitches per inch by 10 inches, which gives you 70 stitches per row. That’s how many stitches you need in each row to make a scarf that’s 10 inches wide based on the gauge from our example.

A little bonus tip here: this is also how you figure out how many foundation chains you need when starting your project. Gauge swatches are incredibly useful for that, too!

But if we’re trying to figure out how many skeins we need, we’ve still got more numbers to crunch. So far, we’ve figured out our width and how many stitches we need per row. But remember—gauge has two parts: stitches per inch and rows per inch. So now we need to do the same kind of calculation for the length of your project.

To figure out how many rows you’ll need to reach a length of 60 inches, use your swatch again. Just like before, look at how many rows you worked to get a certain height, then calculate how many of those rows fit into your target length. Once you know that—and you’ve already calculated your stitches per row—you can figure out the total number of stitches in the project.

The formula is simple:
Stitches per row × number of rows = total number of stitches

That number might be pretty big—especially if you’re working on a large project—but don’t worry, you’re almost there.

Next up, take that total number of stitches and multiply it by the weight per stitch—you know, that tiny number we calculated earlier using your swatch. That’ll give you the total weight of yarn needed for the project.

Now here’s the final step:
Take the total weight of yarn for your project and divide it by the weight of one skein. You can usually find the skein weight on the yarn label, and if you don’t have the label, check the brand’s website. It’s always listed there.

Once you divide, you’ll know how many skeins of yarn you need. Now, in most cases, that number won’t be perfectly round—it might be something like 4.23 skeins. That tells you that you’ll need a little more than four, so you should round up and get five skeins to make sure you have enough.

If you’re still listening at this point and haven’t completely glossed over—pat yourself on the back! This is dense stuff, especially if you’re not a numbers person. But don’t worry—there are tech editors out there who love doing this kind of thing. They offer services specifically for pattern grading, so you don’t have to do all this yourself if it’s not your thing.

Now, I sort of geek out on this kind of math. I don’t mind building a spreadsheet and crunching numbers before starting a project. But this isn’t for everyone. And if that’s not your style? Totally okay. You’re not alone.

Next question! This one comes from Special Becca, who wants to know:

“What do negative ease and positive ease mean?”

These are terms you’ll mostly hear when making garments. Ease refers to how a piece of clothing fits the body—and it’s something designers use when creating wearable pieces.

• Positive ease is when the garment is larger than your body measurements. Think of your favorite big, cozy sweater—that’s positive ease.
• Negative ease is when the garment is smaller than your body measurements. Think of a fitted tank top or a stretchy top that hugs your shape—that’s negative ease.

If you’re following a pattern, you might not need to think too much about ease, because the designer has already built it into the pattern. But if you’re designing your own clothing, ease is a really important thing to understand and factor in.

Just remember:
Positive = bigger.
Negative = smaller.

Our next question comes from rach.ale, who asks:
“Should you give gauge in both a blocked and unblocked swatch?”

Great question! Honestly, this one is kind of up to the designer. But after seeing thousands of patterns over the years—and yes, I do think I’ve seen that many—I usually see just one gauge measurement listed.

Personally, I like to provide only one measurement. Gauge is already a confusing topic for many people, and I like to keep things as simple and clear as possible. Listing both a blocked and unblocked gauge can sometimes raise more questions than it answers.

So here’s the rule of thumb I follow:
If the project will be blocked, then I take the gauge from a blocked swatch.
If the project won’t be blocked, then I take the gauge from an unblocked swatch.

Now, as a maker following a pattern, blocking can help you match the designer’s gauge if you’re just a little bit off. Unfortunately, not all patterns will tell you whether to block your swatch or not. So here’s my tip:

Look at the pattern instructions. If it says the project or panel needs to be blocked later, then go ahead and block your swatch first to match. If it doesn’t mention blocking at all—like in a simple hat pattern—I usually skip the blocking step for the swatch, too.

To answer your question directly:
Yes, you can give both a blocked and unblocked gauge—but if you do, make sure it’s clearly spelled out which is which. That way, the person following the pattern doesn’t get confused or end up with the wrong size or not enough yarn.

Next up is a question from danz_smj (I’m going to get better at reading these handles, I promise!). They ask:

“How do you deal with the tediousness of making a gauge swatch?”

Oh yes, tedious is exactly the right word! I’m not going to pretend that I love making gauge swatches—because I don’t. They can be boring and feel like a waste of time, especially when you’re eager to start the project.

But here’s the thing—I used to skip swatching all the time. And because I naturally crochet tighter than most people, my projects often turned out way too small. It drove me bananas. I don’t like wasting time, and I know many of you don’t either.

Eventually, I got so tired of making things that didn’t fit that I decided I’d rather spend a little time up front swatching than a lot of time later fixing mistakes.

So while I don’t love making swatches, I’ve found a mindset that helps:
I treat it as crochet time that doesn’t require thinking. I work on gauge swatches when I need my hands to be moving, but I don’t need to concentrate—like when I’m watching a show or hanging out on the couch in the evening. Swatching becomes a relaxed, no-pressure task, and it only takes a couple of hours.

If you’re sitting there thinking, “I’ll probably be fine without a swatch,” the truth is—sometimes, yeah, you will be fine. But sometimes you won’t. And that sometimes is enough to make me swatch now. I just don’t want to take the risk.

So try to think of your gauge swatch as a tiny time investment that can save you a lot of time and frustration down the road.

Our next question comes from Jenna’s DIY Studio, who says:

“Tension is different for everyone, so how do you write a pattern that works for all crocheters?”

This is really the heart and soul of what gauge is all about.

Because yes—everyone crochets with a slightly different tension. That’s why we use gauge as a standard. Gauge is the bridge between your tension and mine. It tells the maker exactly how tight or loose they need to crochet in order to get the same results as the designer.

As a designer, your natural tension becomes the standard. So when you’re writing a pattern, just crochet how you normally would, then measure and record the gauge based on your own swatch. That’s what your pattern followers will try to match.

And if someone has different tension from you? That’s okay! Because now that they have your gauge measurement, they can adjust—maybe go up or down a hook size—to match your tension and recreate your pattern in the correct size.

And that brings us to the next question, which ties in perfectly. It’s from @mlove10315, who asks:

“How do you loosen your tension to match the gauge?”

And I love having both perspectives in here because I know some of you listening are designers, and some of you just enjoy following patterns. So, how do you loosen your tension to fit gauge?

When you hear the word tension, think about the yarn as it moves from the skein to your project. That’s really the area we’re referring to. How taut is that yarn as it’s flowing to your hook? How loose is it?

Because tension directly affects the size of your stitches, it’s usually more related to the width of your gauge—in other words, the number of stitches per inch. If you’re measuring more stitches per inch than the gauge calls for (even just a fraction more), it’s likely that you’re holding your yarn tighter. The stitches are coming out a little smaller.

This is exactly how I crochet too. So if that sounds like you, I totally get it.

Sometimes, going up a hook size makes your stitches too big. You’ll learn this about yourself the more you experiment with gauge. And when changing hook size overshoots the target, the answer is often to adjust your tension instead.

That takes some real thought. We’ve made the same stitch a thousand times, and muscle memory kicks in. Trying to change that is like trying to walk differently—it’s not easy.

Since I can’t always control how tightly I’m crocheting, I focus on something I can control: how I hold the yarn. I don’t tell myself “crochet more loosely” because that rarely works for me. Instead, I change how the yarn flows to the hook. I remove the little wrap of yarn around my pinky, which usually adds tension. That small change helps the yarn come through a bit more freely, and my stitches relax.

So try changing the way you hold your yarn. Loosen it up a little as it travels from the skein to your hook. Also, keep an eye on the skein itself and where it’s sitting. If it falls to the floor and you leave it there (guilty!), it might drag a little on the couch or the floor. That friction or distance can tighten your yarn without you realizing it.

You might notice slight differences in your stitches when this happens—nothing dramatic, but enough to throw off your gauge.

So before you try to force yourself to crochet more loosely, start with how you hold the yarn. Let the yarn flow a little more freely. For many of us, that’s all it takes.

It’s hard to stay hyper-focused while crocheting. I get that. Sometimes you just want to tune out and enjoy the rhythm of the stitches. You’re not alone there. If adjusting tension is something you only think about when you’re really concentrating, try changing your yarn hold instead. That’s often enough to relax your stitches and get you closer to matching gauge.

Now our next question comes from Purple Elephant Designs, who asks:

“What if my rows are right, but the number of stitches is wrong?”

We touched on this a little bit in the last episode, but I want to go over it again because it’s a really important part of understanding gauge and how it affects your project.

So, a quick recap: gauge is measured in stitches across the width and rows for the height of your project (or panel). In this case, your rows are right—so the height of your swatch is spot-on. But your stitches are off, meaning the width will be off too if you don’t make an adjustment.

Let’s break it down: if you’re counting more stitches per inch than what the gauge calls for, your project will likely turn out narrower than expected. You’ll also use more yarn than the pattern anticipates, because you’re making more stitches to fill the same space.

If that’s the case, try going up one hook size and swatch again. The bigger hook will make your stitches larger, which usually brings your stitch count per inch down.

If going up one size still gives you too many stitches, try going up another hook size until it matches. And if you have fewer stitches per inch than the pattern calls for, that means your stitches are too big. Your project will come out wider than expected. In that case, use a smaller hook and swatch again.

Here’s a good way to sum it up:

• More stitches per inch? Your stitches are too small—go up a hook size.
• Fewer stitches per inch? Your stitches are too big—go down a hook size.

Okay? Good!

Our last question comes from Stitched by Steph, who wants to know:

“Do I need to block the swatch? And how far should I measure—from edge to edge?”

Great questions. Let’s start with the blocking part.

Here’s my rule of thumb: Whatever you do to your final project, do that to your swatch too. If you plan to block the finished project, then yes—block the swatch. If you plan to wash the finished piece, wash the swatch. The swatch is like your little test dummy. You want it to go through the same things the final project will go through, so you can be confident your measurements will hold up.

From a designer’s perspective: if you’re going to tell people to block the project, then block your swatch and take the gauge measurement after that.
From a maker’s perspective: if the pattern tells you to block the piece or panel, then go ahead and block your swatch.

Now, about measuring from edge to edge—I actually don’t recommend that.

Here’s why: the edges of your swatch usually include turning chains, which can make those outer stitches a little inconsistent. They’re not as clean as the stitches in the middle of the swatch. So if you’re measuring edge to edge, your numbers could be slightly off.

Instead, measure within the swatch—somewhere in the center. To make that possible, you’ll need to make your swatch wider than the gauge you’re measuring for.

So if the pattern says the gauge is 14 stitches and 16 rows equals 2 inches, make a swatch that’s at least 4 inches wide. That way, you can measure across the center and get a much more accurate reading. You’re counting just the regular stitches—not the turning chains or border weirdness.

For the row measurement (up and down), there’s a little more wiggle room. The top row is usually nice and clean—unless you’ve added a border. But the bottom of your swatch might include a foundation chain, and that throws off your gauge reading.

If you’re working with a foundation chain or foundation stitches, just don’t include that bottom row in your measurement. You don’t need to make the swatch a specific height, but do make it tall enough that you can avoid counting that foundation row and still get an accurate reading.

Whew! That was a lot of gauge questions.

Thank you all so much for submitting these through Instagram Stories. I was counting on you to give me at least one great episode—and you did more than that. You gave me two! I’m so grateful for that, and I really hope these episodes helped clear things up.

Gauge is one of those topics that can feel confusing for a lot of crocheters. And if you’re still scratching your head, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how I can help you understand this a little better.

If you only know me from the podcast—hi! I also have a YouTube channel where I post video tutorials, and I’m always looking for better ways to explain tricky concepts like this.

So if gauge is still throwing you off, even after these episodes, send me an email. I’d love to know how I can help. You can email me directly at brittany @ bhookedcrochet.com. That goes straight to me—no assistant, no gatekeeper. It’s just me, reading and responding to your questions.

I really want to make this easier for you.

Now, these “What You Wanted to Know” episodes—this is only the third one I’ve done, but I think they need to continue. They are so much fun for me to put together, and you’ve shown me they’re helpful for you, too.

If you want to participate next time and submit a question, here’s how it works:
You’ll need to follow me on Instagram—my handle is @bhooked. That’s B-H-O-O-K-E-D.

When you follow me, you’ll see my Instagram Stories. That’s where I’ll share the topic for the next episode and where you can submit your question. Just look for those Stories when they pop up. The question box is only live for 24 hours (because, you know… Stories disappear after that), so keep an eye out!

So by following me and checking your Instagram Stories, you’ll be in the know and ready to submit your questions.

As for how often these episodes will happen, I’m still experimenting. I don’t want to bore you by talking your ear off for 45 minutes every time. But if you find this style really helpful and want more episodes like this, please tell me! You can leave your thoughts in the comments section on the show notes page for this episode—that’s BHooked.com/131.

I know it’s an extra step, but I’d really appreciate if you could let me know how often you want these episodes. Would you prefer one a month? Two a month? Maybe two a year? Or something in between? Your feedback helps me serve you better.

Before I go, I want to mention that this episode was brought to you by my Blueprint course, Tunisian Crochet for Beginners. You’ve probably heard me talk about this course quite a bit. It’s something I’m really proud of.

A couple of years ago, I teamed up with Craftsy to create a completely beginner-friendly Tunisian crochet course. Tunisian crochet was a huge part of my learning journey and helped open up my creativity. It lets you create stitches that look like regular crochet, some that resemble knitting, and even completely unique stitches. That’s where I had so many “aha” moments discovering new textures and fabrics.

If you haven’t tried Tunisian crochet yet, first of all—go Google it! It’s really cool, and you can make some amazing projects with it. And if you’re already familiar with my teaching style and like it, you might enjoy my Tunisian Crochet for Beginners class.

Thank you so much for spending some time with me today and tuning into this episode of B.Hooked. It was a real pleasure, and I had a ton of fun.

Next week, I have a really sweet guest to share with you who blends two types of needle arts into one. I had never seen anyone do what she does before I found her on Instagram, so I can’t wait to share it with you. That’s all the teasing I’ll do for now, but trust me, you won’t want to miss it if you’re looking for a unique way to add texture and creativity to your crochet projects.

If you’re not already subscribed to the B.Hooked podcast on your favorite podcast player, do that now so you don’t miss it.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you next week, friend. Bye-bye!