Gauge Calculator

How the conversion works

Gauge conversion is proportional: if your swatch is tighter (more stitches per 4 inches) than the pattern's, you need more stitches to reach the same finished width, and if it's looser you need fewer. The formula is your stitch count = pattern stitch count × (your gauge ÷ pattern gauge), rounded to the nearest whole stitch, and the same math applies to rows.

Worked example: a pattern calls for 16 stitches per 4 inches and tells you to chain 64 for a blanket panel. Your own swatch comes out at 18 stitches per 4 inches — tighter than the pattern. Plug those three numbers in and you get 64 × (18 ÷ 16) = 72, rounded to the nearest whole stitch. Chain 72 instead of 64 and your panel comes out the same finished width the designer intended, even though your gauge doesn't match theirs.

When stitch gauge and row gauge disagree

It's common to match a pattern's stitch count but not its row count, or the reverse — crochet tension isn't always proportional in both directions, especially with taller stitches like double or treble crochet. If only one of the two matches, convert that dimension and leave the other as written; don't force a row conversion using a stitch-gauge ratio, since the two aren't related. For projects worked in rounds rather than rows (hats, amigurumi), row gauge matters less than overall stitch count — see the Hat Size Calculator or Amigurumi Round Counter instead.

This tool handles a single flat measurement well — a scarf width, a blanket panel, a sleeve circumference. Garments with shaping (waist decreases, raglan increases, necklines) have multiple measurement points that each need converting separately; the Garment Resizer is built for scaling a whole piece to new target measurements rather than just matching one pattern's original gauge.