Knitting Gauge Calculator
Turn a gauge swatch into cast-on stitches and row counts, and rescale any knitting pattern to your own gauge.
1. Your gauge swatch
Block your swatch first, then count across the middle — never at the edges.
- Stitches per 10 cm
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- Stitches per inch
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- Rows per 10 cm
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- Rows per inch
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2. Stitches & rows for a finished size
- Cast on
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- Actual width
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- Knit rows
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- Actual length
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3. Resize a pattern to your gauge
Enter the gauge printed in the pattern and the counts it tells you to work. The tool rescales them so the finished piece comes out the size the designer intended.
- Cast on instead
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- Work rows instead
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- Gauge difference
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- Pattern's intended width
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- Width if you follow it as written
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Enter your swatch and the pattern gauge to see whether you need a different needle size.
How it works
Gauge is simply stitches and rows per unit of fabric. The calculator divides your swatch
counts by the width and height you measured them over — stitches ÷ width and
rows ÷ height — and reports the result per 10 cm and per inch (1 in = 2.54 cm),
the two ways patterns state gauge. Everything else follows from those two numbers: the
stitches to cast on are stitches per cm × finished width, rounded to a whole
stitch (or to your stitch-repeat multiple), and the rows to knit are
rows per cm × finished length.
Rescaling a pattern uses the same ratio: new stitches = pattern stitches × (your gauge
÷ pattern gauge). Knit at 22 sts / 10 cm from a pattern written for 20 sts / 10 cm and
a 100-stitch cast-on becomes 110 — follow it as written and the piece finishes 45.5 cm wide
instead of 50 cm. A gauge within about 2% of the pattern is close enough; more stitches per
centimetre than the pattern means your fabric is tighter, so try a larger needle, and fewer
means try a smaller one. Row gauge is adjusted separately because changing needles rarely
moves stitch and row gauge by the same amount.
Measure over the widest span you can — at least 10 cm — and always after blocking, because washing can change gauge dramatically in wool and cotton. All the arithmetic runs in your browser in plain JavaScript; nothing you type is uploaded, and there are no sign-ups or ads.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out my knitting gauge from a swatch?
Block the swatch, then count the stitches across a measured width and the rows up a measured height in the middle of the fabric, away from the edges. Gauge is simply count divided by distance: 22 stitches over 10 cm is 2.2 stitches per centimetre, or 22 sts per 10 cm (5.59 sts per inch). Enter both counts and both measurements and the calculator reports your gauge per 10 cm and per inch at once.
How many stitches should I cast on for a given width?
Multiply your stitches per centimetre by the finished width you want. At 2.2 sts/cm a 50 cm panel needs 110 stitches. If your stitch pattern repeats over 4 or 6 stitches, set the "round to a multiple of" box and the tool picks the nearest whole repeat and tells you the width that actually gives you.
What if my gauge does not match the pattern?
Rescale the counts: new stitches = pattern stitches x (your gauge / pattern gauge). Knitting at 22 sts/10 cm from a pattern written for 20 sts/10 cm turns a 100-stitch cast-on into 110; follow it as written and the piece finishes 45.5 cm wide instead of 50 cm. More stitches per centimetre than the pattern means your fabric is tighter, so try a needle one size larger; fewer means try one size smaller.