Your swatch has 21 stitches over 10 cm (4 in). The pattern says 20. Annoying, but it doesn't mean you have to put the pattern away. You can either change needles, or keep your gauge and adjust the numbers in the pattern.
The math is simple: divide the pattern's stitch count by the pattern's gauge, then multiply by your own gauge. A pattern written for 20 stitches per 10 cm that asks for 200 stitches becomes 200 ÷ 20 × 21 = 210 stitches at your gauge. Then you round so the count fits your stitch pattern.
Doing that for every number in a pattern gets fiddly, so we built a Gauge Calculator that does it for you. It works for any knitting pattern, not just Dreamknit patterns.
Here's how to adjust stitches and rows, when you're better off changing needles, and what the numbers can't tell you.
WHY YOUR GAUGE DOESN'T MATCH THE PATTERN
Gauge is the number of stitches and rows you get per 10 cm (4 in) with a given yarn and needle size. Some knitters work tighter, some looser. Even with the exact yarn and needles the pattern calls for, your gauge can come out different from the designer's. That doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.
The usual advice is to change needles. That often works for small differences. But sometimes you love the stitch definition you've got, and a smaller needle makes it stiff. Or you're already halfway through a project and just want the next part to fit.
Then the other option is to keep your gauge and change the numbers. The math isn't hard, but you have to do it again for every number in the pattern, and a single slip often doesn't show until the sweater is off the needles.
ADJUST THE STITCH COUNT WITH THE GAUGE CALCULATOR
You need three numbers and one choice. Here's the example from above in the calculator: the pattern is written for 20 stitches per 10 cm and asks for 200 stitches. Your washed swatch gives 21.
1. Fill in the pattern's numbers
Under Before, enter the gauge the pattern is written for and the stitch count you want to convert. That can be the cast-on, the stitches for the body, a sleeve or the neckband.
2. Fill in your own gauge
Under After, enter the gauge from your own swatch. Before you measure, wash and dry it the way you'll wash the finished garment. The stitch count to use shows up right away. In our example, that's 210.
Would you rather know what gauge you need in order to land on a particular stitch count? Type the count into Stitch count to use, and the calculator works out the gauge instead.
3. Choose what the count must be
Most stitch patterns need the count to divide a certain way, so you can round the answer:
| Option | Use it for |
|---|---|
| No requirement | Stockinette and other patterns without a repeat |
| An even number | Ribbing (1 knit, 1 purl) in the round |
| An odd number | Seed stitch worked flat, or a design with a center stitch |
| Divisible by 4 | Ribbing (2 knit, 2 purl) in the round |
Our example starts with ribbing in 2 knit, 2 purl, so we choose Divisible by 4. 210 doesn't divide by 4. 208 and 212 are equally close, and the calculator rounds up, so you get 212.
ADJUST ROWS AND SHAPING
At the top of the calculator you switch between Stitches and Rows. Stitch gauge decides the width. Row gauge decides the length.
If the pattern just says "knit until the piece measures 40 cm (16 in)", you can skip row gauge and use a tape measure. Row gauge matters when the pattern counts length in rows, or when shaping is spread over a set number of rows, like a raglan, an armhole or sleeve decreases.
Say the pattern is written for 28 rows per 10 cm and the sleeve is 123 rows long. You knit 25 rows per 10 cm. Switch to Rows, fill in the numbers, and you get 110 rows. If you had followed the pattern's 123 rows, the sleeve would have ended up about 5 cm (2 in) too long.
The same trick works on the shaping. If the pattern says to decrease every 8th row, put 8 in the Number of rows field. At your gauge you get 7, so you decrease every 7th row instead.
Watch the rounding when there are a lot of decreases, because it adds up. Every 6th row becomes 6 × 25/28 = 5.4, so every 5th. Over 12 decreases that ends the shaping about 4 rows, nearly 2 cm (0.8 in), short. If the sleeve has a lot of decreases, convert the whole length they are spread over instead, and space them out again.
CHANGE NEEDLES OR CHANGE THE NUMBERS?
Both work. Which one we'd pick depends on how far off you are.
| Difference from the pattern | What we'd do |
|---|---|
| 1 stitch per 10 cm | Try one needle size up or down and swatch again. That's often enough. |
| 2 stitches per 10 cm | Either works. Happy with the stitch definition? Keep it and adjust the numbers. |
| 3 stitches or more per 10 cm | Look at the yarn first. The stitch definition will be quite different from what the pattern was made for. |
Rule of thumb for needles: more stitches per 10 cm than the pattern means you need a bigger needle. Fewer stitches means a smaller one.
See every needle size side by side →
Want to switch to a completely different yarn? Then the Yarn Swapper is the better place to start, and our yarn weight chart shows the gauge each yarn weight usually knits to.
WHAT THE NUMBERS CAN'T TELL YOU
Any adjustment is only as good as your swatch. Three things throw it off:
- An unwashed swatch. Wool often blooms and cotton can grow. Measure when it is washed and dried, never straight off the needles.
- A swatch that is too small. The edges pull. Knit at least 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 in) and measure in the middle.
- Flat versus in the round. Many knitters purl a little looser than they knit, so a flat swatch can show a different gauge than a sweater knit in the round. Knitting the garment in the round? Swatch in the round too.
We go through the whole method in our guide to knitting a gauge swatch.
Read our guide to gauge swatching →
One more thing: the calculator converts one number at a time, and most patterns have many. The cast-on, the yoke, the armholes, the neckline. Run each one through, and write the new numbers into your pattern as you go.
WHEN YOU'D RATHER SKIP THE MATH
If you're designing your own garment, there's nothing to convert. In our design tool you choose your yarn, and under "Adjust to match how you knit" you can change the gauge if you knit tighter or looser than the label says. The pattern is calculated for that gauge from the start, in the size you choose, with the shaping already where it should be.
Not sure which size to pick? Read our size guide →
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I adjust a pattern to my gauge by hand?
Divide the pattern's stitch count by the pattern's gauge, then multiply by your own gauge. 200 ÷ 20 × 21 = 210. Then round so it fits your stitch pattern. Rows work the same way with row gauge.
I get more or fewer stitches than the pattern. Do I have to change needles?
Not necessarily. More stitches per 10 cm means you knit tighter than the pattern, and a bigger needle can fix that. Fewer stitches means you knit looser, and a smaller needle can help. If you're happy with the stitch definition you have, adjust the numbers instead.
Does row gauge matter?
Only when the pattern counts length or shaping in rows. If it gives the length in centimeters or inches, knit to that length and check with a tape measure.
Can I enter half a stitch?
No, the calculator takes whole numbers only: 10 to 32 stitches and 10 to 60 rows per 10 cm (4 in), and counts from 1 to 999. If you measure 21.5 stitches per 10 cm, do it by hand instead: 200 ÷ 20 × 21.5 = 215, and round from there.
Do I need Dreamknit PRO to use the Gauge Calculator?
You can fill in the numbers without it, but you need PRO to see the answer. The Gauge Calculator is part of Dreamknit PRO, together with Color Charts, the Yarn Swapper and our other knitting calculators, and PRO also gives you unlimited patterns from the design tool. It comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Does it work for patterns that aren't from Dreamknit?
Yes. It works for any knitting pattern that gives a gauge and a stitch or row count.
Can I use inches?
Yes. Choose imperial in your Dreamknit profile (visitors from the US get it by default), and the calculator works in stitches and rows per 4 inches.
Ready to try it?