My pattern specifies that the gauyge should be 13 st and 18 rows. Now does this mean that each row will consist of a purl row and a knit row (so i guess a combined total of 36), or does it mean that 18 rows means 9 knit rows and 9 purl rows?
Gauge question
Gauge is how many stitches per inch you should have in your knitting in order to end up with your end product being the same size called for in the pattern.
In this case, when you knit this, 13 stitches across should measure 4 inches, and 18 rows should measure 4 inches.
People knit at different tensions, so the size of the needle specified in the pattern does not always match what a knitter might need.
For garments, getting the correct gauge is important so the item will fit.
For things that don’t need to fit, gauge is less important, as long as it’s ok that your finished product is a different size than the measurements in the pattern say.
Here is an article about knitting a swatch and how to measure gauge.
I’m not sure the question got answered, because I’ve been wondering the same thing myself and don’t think I found an answer here. Maybe it was in the linked article and I just missed it? I think Daisy’s question is: when you’re knitting garter stitch, for example, you knit down one way, then turn the needles around and knit back the other way. When you’re counting rows, does the row you knit down count as one row, then the row you knit back the other way count as a second row? Or do you count both those as just one row? Does that make sense?
I ask because I was testing my gauge and had one too many stitches on my width, but I was off by many rows, and I was wondering if I was counting the rows correctly.
:doh: :doh: That was before my must needed nap! 
A row is one row. One easy way to count garter is to count how many ridges you have and multiply by 2. Or you can count each ridge and ‘space’ in between as one each. The ‘space’ is the knit row.
Sorry for the confusion.
Glad you got your nap! 
Yes, that does answer my question. Thanks!
this also holds for a stockinette stitch? ie, a row is a row regardless of if it’s a purl of a knit?
Yes. A row is a row is a row. No exceptions. 
thank you! 
quick question… say i can’t meet the correct gauge using the needles they’ve specified, and I have to either go up or down a needle size. Do I also need to either add or decrease stitches because of the change?
(I just finished reading the article on knitty about tension/gauge and am a little confused.)
Don’t add or subtract stitches–it will mess up your pattern.
If you have too few stitches per inch, it’s because your stitches are too big and you should go down a needle size.
If you have too many stitches per inch, it’s because your stitches are too small and you should go up a needle size.
Some people have to go up or down two or three sizes to get gauge. I generally have to go up one, myself.
For example, I’m knitting the Coronet hat pattern from Knitty. It calls for 17sts/28rows = 4". I’m getting 20sts/24rows = 4". I would think that if I went up a needle size, I’d get even fewer rows so I’d still be off. This is a consistant problem in my knitting.
What am I doing wrong?
You’re not doing anything wrong–it’s just your tension. I don’t know of any way to change your row gauge–you just would have to compensate by knitting by inches rather than rows.
Thanks, Ingrid. I will give that a try.
Have you ever heard of anyone having row gauge issues that are the opposite of the stitch gauge? My only comfort is that I am consistantly off in this way.
To be honest, I never measure my row gauge. I don’t know if it’s on or not. I measure the piece and if it’s long enough, it’s good.
I measured my row gauge a couple times and found it to be off while my stitch gauge was accurate. I fretted about it for awhile, but then decided that it didn’t really matter, as I could just keep measuring. Sometimes the pattern calls for a certain number of rows, but I can’t say it’s ever really been a problem for me.