Adjusting gauges

How-to Questions
1

I’ve decided to work a knit-along on the Lion Brand website, but I’m having trouble with my gauge (I’m not used to doing projects where gauge matters!).

Most of the people doing the same pattern are saying that their gauges are telling them to move up from a size 8 needle (US) to a size 10 needle (US).

Can anyone explain to me in plain English how I know which direction to go with my gauge? I’m using a slightly different yarn than most of the others, so I don’t know how that plays in.

The pattern says: 16 sts and 21 rows is 4 inches with size 8 (US) needles using a double seed stitch.

My results are: 20 sts and 21 rows resulting in 4 inches with size 8 (US) needles.

If I understand right, this means I need a larger needle, but how much larger?

This is so confusing to me! Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

2

The pattern says: 16 sts and 21 rows is 4 inches with size 8 (US) needles using a double seed stitch.

My results are: 20 sts and 21 rows resulting in 4 inches with size 8 (US) needles.

If I understand right, this means I need a larger needle, but how much larger?

Its a crap shoot…LOL (that helps i know…but stay with me on this…)

When you do a gauge swatch and measure it, and its got too many stitches within the 4 inches, you need to take some away, right?
A larger needle will give you less stitches because it makes bigger stitches.

If you do a swatch and it doesnt have enough stitches, You need to add some…use a smaller needle because it will make smaller stitches and more stitches to your 4 inch gauge.

You need to take 4 stitches away from your 4 inch swatch. You need to use a larger needle. Now in your case I would step up to a size US 10 since you used a US8 for the first try and you are way off on getting the right amount of stitches in your 4 inches.
If you were just a little bit off…say 1 or 2 stitches, I would just stair step it up (go up one needle at a time), till you get the right gauge.

You know how you knit…so getting the right gauge means you need to make a guess, based on the way you knit, and which way you need to tweek your stitch count, on what needle you need to move to if you dont get gauge.
I dont even try to use the needle a pattern suggests anymore because I know Im a tight knitter and i wont get gauge with the suggested needle, I always start out doing a gauge swatch with 2 sizes larger. and tweek from there.

But not doing a gauge swatch isnt an option, if you want what your working on to fit like the pattern suggests. This is easy stuff once you can get your head wrapped around it…

heres your mantra…to many stitches??? larger needle
not enough stitches??? smaller needle.

sorry for the long winded post …sometimes i just go on and on and on…

good luck…
Melissa

3

I know I get mixed up on these things too. :?? It is like switching to Daylight Savings Time or rubbing your tummy while patting your head. :lol: This helps me… If your 4 inches is a park bench and you have 20 people sitting on it there bums must be a certain size. If you only want 16 people to sit on it (and fill it the same way as before) would the bums be bigger or smaller to fill the bench? Bigger right? Quite a bit bigger.

To get bigger bums (stitches) you need bigger needles. How much bigger? Quite a lot. In fact I’m wondering if you can get that gauge with the yarn you are using and produce a fabric you like for your item. I also notice that your row gauge is right on as it is and if you change the stitch gauge the row gauge will change as well, but that may not matter. If the pattern is row dependent (it is very important that you do exactly the number of rows given, or have to do a lot of adjusting otherwise) then that is another area of concern, but that may not be an issue.

Good luck. I personally have a lot of trouble with gauge from time to time so I really understand. You may need to reconsider the yarn you are going to use. You will want it to be a yarn very similar in weight and gauge you can expect from it in comparison to the yarn you want to substitute.

4

Thanks to both of you … I think I’m getting the gist of the gauge thing now!

Since this is part of a knit along, I also checked the blog where everyone is commenting on their trials and tribulations. I found several other people using the same yarn that I am and they decided to jump up to a size 9 (US) needle and increase one size on the pattern. That works for me, and hopefully will work. If not, I’ll just go on a diet so it will fit! :slight_smile:

The main purpose for this project is so that I can figure out how true to size it is so that when I make one for my husband it will fit him correctly!:knitting:

Again, thanks for the assist! I’m more used to making blankets than articles of clothing!