Tension Square trouble!

How-to Questions
1

Hello :slight_smile: I previously had an account here but I can’t log in!

I must admit that I’m a lazy knitter and I’ve never really bothered with tension squares before, but I’m knitting some booties for my son so I need them to be the correct size. The pattern uses 3mm needles, and has 11 stitches and 19 rows in a 5x5cm square. I had way too many, so I’ve experimented with different needles and got close with 4mm, as I had 12 stitches and 17 rows. Is that okay, or does the tension need to be exact? If not, should I go for 5mm or 4 1/2mm? I don’t currently have those needle sizes so I want to check before I buy any.

It makes me nervous that I’m using much larger needles than the pattern creator, I’m worried the booties will turn out massive :open_mouth: is it to do with the way I knit or am I doing something wrong?

Sorry if this is a silly question!

2

You could try a 4.5 but you re pretty close to gauge especially for something so small like booties. Don’t worry about the different needle size. You are likely a tighter knitter than the pattern designer or you may. be using a different yarn.
Are you happy with the knit fabric in your swarch, not too stiff or too lacy?