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Gauge (rhymes with "page") is arguably the most important element of a successful knitting project. Gauge is simply the number of stitches per inch in a knitted piece. A small (or fine) gauge will consist of lots of very small stitches, while a larger gauge will consist of fewer but larger stitches. When following a knitting pattern, you have to pay close attention to the gauge, otherwise your finished product will not be the right size.

Several things will affect gauge: the weight (or thickness) of the yarn, the size of the knitting needles, and even your own personal style of knitting. Some people knit very tightly, and others knit more loosely. Either style will affect the size of the finished project.

When you buy a new skein of yarn, you'll notice a diagram on the label that shows the gauge of that particular yarn. Typically, it will show you how many stitches per inch that yarn will give you on a certain size needle. It may also illustrate a one-inch-square sample (called a swatch); this will show how many stitches from left to right and how many rows up and down will be in a piece of knitting one inch long by one inch wide. This information, followed carefully, will let you create a knitted piece that will be correctly sized.

For example, using #6 needles, a certain yarn might give you six rows of eight stitches per square inch. Now the fun part (oh no! Math!): If you are making something that needs to be 40 inches wide by 36 inches long, you will figure that you need to knit 216 rows (six rows per inch times 36 inches- 6x36=216) and 200 stitches per row (8 stitches per inch times 40 inches- 8x40=200).

Gauge is crucially important here because if you use a different size needle than the one recommended, the size of your finished product will be wrong! If you're making something, such as a scarf or blanket, where the size doesn't matter that much, that's fine. But if you're making a hat or sweater which will need to fit exactly, you really need to make sure the gauge is absolutely right.

When beginning a project, it's always a good idea to create a swatch to make sure your gauge is right. A swatch is simply a small sample. Using the needles recommended by your pattern, knit a small piece that is exactly two inches long by two inches wide. That little square will be a smaller-scale version of your finished piece. It will be proportioned to your entire piece. Whatever sizing issues are (or aren't) in your sample, will be reflected in the final piece.

If your pattern requires a gauge of 10 rows and 5 stitches per square inch, your 2" x 2" sample should have 20 rows (10 rows per inch times two inches- 10x2=20) and 10 stitches per row (5 stitches per inch times 2 inches- 5x2=10). If you're off by even one stitch (or row), your finished size may be way off! If you're using the right needles and measured your sample correctly, you've probably selected a yarn that isn't well-suited to your pattern. You may need to use a different yarn... or a different pattern!

You're probably impatient to get going on your project, but taking the time to make a swatch could save you a lot of frustration and disappointment! Imagine spending days and weeks on a sweater, only to find that it's two sizes too small because you used the wrong gauge yarn! Yarns vary in thickness, which will affect the gauge. If you fall in love with a particular yarn, be sure you use a pattern that reflects the same gauge as the yarn. Your yarn and pattern need to be the same gauge, otherwise your project will not come out the way you want it to.

Learn more about this author, Christine Conte.
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