All tools

Knitting Gauge Calculator

Enter your swatch gauge and the size you want: the calculator tells you how many stitches to cast on and how many rows to knit. Use it to adjust a pattern to your gauge, then chart the piece with your gauge filled in.

Your gauge

stitches

rows

per 10 cm

Project size

Width (cm)

Height (cm)

Result

Cast on126 stitches

Knit180 rows

Next step

Knitting from a pattern?

The row counter opens with 180 rows as your goal and shows how far you have got.

Count your rows

Free, no signup. The count is saved in this browser.

Designing your own colourwork?

A blank chart 126 stitches wide and 180 rows tall at your gauge of 28 stitches and 30 rows per 10 cm, for drawing a motif or colourwork.

Design a colourwork chart at this gauge

Opens the free knitting chart maker with the size and your gauge filled in. No signup needed.

What the chart maker does

How to Use This Calculator

Knit a swatch — cast on enough stitches for at least 15 cm and knit at least 15 cm of rows in the stitch pattern you plan to use.
Measure your swatch — count the number of stitches and rows in a 10 cm (4 inch) square from the center of the swatch.
Enter swatch data — type in the number of stitches and rows per 10 cm.
Enter your target size — the width and height you want the finished piece to be.
Read the result — the calculator tells you the exact number of stitches to cast on and rows to knit.
Count or chart it — under the result, Count your rows opens a row counter with the rows to knit as your goal, and Design a colourwork chart at this gauge opens a knitting chart of that size with your gauge filled in.

The Formula

Gauge conversion is a simple ratio. Once you know how many stitches fit in 10 cm, you can scale to any size:

Stitches needed = (target width in cm / 10) x stitches per 10 cm

Rows needed = (target height in cm / 10) x rows per 10 cm

Worked Example

Your swatch measures 28 stitches and 30 rows per 10 cm. You want to knit a scarf that is 20 cm wide and 150 cm long:

Stitches: (20 / 10) x 28 = 56 stitches to cast on
Rows: (150 / 10) x 30 = 450 rows to knit
Cast on 56 stitches and knit 450 rows for a 20 x 150 cm scarf.

Adjusting a pattern to your gauge

When your swatch does not match the pattern, you do not have to change needles until it does. Work out the finished size the pattern is aiming for, then let the calculator count it at your gauge.

Find the finished size in the pattern (the schematic or size table), or work it out: stitches / pattern gauge x 10 cm. A pattern that casts on 100 stitches at 22 stitches per 10 cm is 100 / 22 x 10 = 45.5 cm wide.
Enter your own gauge above, for example 20 stitches and 28 rows per 10 cm.
Enter the finished size, 45.5 cm wide and, say, 40 cm long. Cast on 91 stitches and knit 112 rows instead of the pattern's numbers.

Scale shaping the same way: spread the decreases and increases over the new stitch and row counts. For fitted garments, check the size you are knitting with ease in mind.

Chart it with your gauge

Knitted stitches are wider than they are tall, so a motif drawn on square graph paper comes out squashed. The Design a colourwork chart at this gauge button under the result opens a knitting chart of that size drawn to your gauge, so what you draw is the shape you will knit. From there, add a colourwork motif, turn a photo into the chart or start blank.

See what the knitting chart maker does Or start a blank knitting chart