I’ve always ignored this and just hoped for the best but I need to figure it out. I’m attaching the pattern. Can someone explain the gauge.
GAUGE:
13 1/2 sts + 18 1/2 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in checkers pattern, with 2 strands of yarn held together.
13 1/2 sts? 18 1/2 row?
Help
Hello
It can seem a bit odd when a gauge has a fraction of a stitch in it, how do I knit half a stitch?
If you were to double the amount it may make more sense
13.5 sts and 18.5 rows = 4" or 10cm
Is the same as
27 sts and 37 rows = 8" or 20 cm
And the suggested size is 8mm needles, or whatever size to get gauge.
This gauge swatch is to be done in the checkers pattern, holding 2 strands of yarn together.
If you were to make a swatch, in pattern, of say 40 sts across and 45 rows you would be able to measure the gauge on the centre, ignoring the edges. When you lay a tape measure on a centre row and count across the number of stitches you should get 27 sts fitting in a 20 cm distance. Then measure up the rows there should be 37 rows in the 20 cm distance.
You might feel this swatch is too large to make, especially for a blanket where the finished size is perhaps less important than some other items. Instead you can make a smaller swatch, say 20 sts and 25 rows, the stitch and row count is still larger than that given in the gauge so that you can ignore the edges which may be a touch messy, and measure the gauge in the centre 10 cm. In this case you’d look for 13 whole stitches and then half a V for that half stitch measurement. The row gauge would be a full 18 rows then an estimate of a half row.
When making a gauge swatch it’s really best to go big, bigger than the stitch count and row count given, and to wash or block the swatch. Some yarns and some stitch patterns change quite a lot when washed and the idea of the swatch is to work out how to acheive the finished size you want.
It’s not always possible to acheive the exact gauge given but a swatch can help you calculate if you might need more/fewer stitches or more/fewer rows, or to change needle size or yarn weight.
I hope this helps
