Why is my dc gauge not working?

[Prinmel]

:shrug: The pattern calls for: (sport weight yarn)

Crochet tension: 24 sts (= tr) x 13 rows in Alpaca on hook no. 3 = 10 x 10 cm

Its written in british english so I used a size K hook and a dc. Which is a tr in british. Well that was way to big even though thats what it calls for than I went all the way down to a D and still to big??? I have never checked gauge before so must be doing something wrong… How do I need to do this?

What i did was chain 24 and do the 13 rows is that not the way you do it?

Thanks

[Marria]

I was going to say a size K sounds way too big for sport weight yarn, but I would think a size D would be OK.

You might try making your swatch a bit bigger. I find it hard to measure when I just crochet (or knit) the exact number of stitches and rows called for.

How far off is your tension? If you can’t get it, you might be able to adjust your pattern a bit to make it work out.

[Prinmel]

with the d hook it is 12cm.

[Marria]

Is this for a sweater? If so, then how wide is it supposed to be for the size you are making?

[Prinmel]

its for a dress here is the link to it

Little Miss Berry / DROPS Baby 14-4 - Free crochet patterns by DROPS Design

[Marria]

Hmmm…I’m just estimating this in my head because I’m used to thinking in terms of inches, but it seems to me that with that gauge you would end up with a dress that’s going to be a bit wider than what the pattern calls for over all. For instance, if you are making the smallest size, which asks you to chain 106, you will end up with a garment that is a bit over 8 cm wider, which is close to two inches.

However, since this is a garment for a child, and kids grow so quickly, I’d think you would be OK to just go with that gauge, as long as you have some extra yarn so you won’t run out.

[mathwizard]

Since the pattern is in UK terms then I am going to assume the hook size they refer to is in mm and the American size hook for a 3mm would be a “C” hook and it will probably give you the gauge you need. Pattern directions in UK then hook size in UK also. Try the C hook and see what happens.

[Marria]

Since the pattern is in UK terms then I am going to assume the hook size they refer to is in mm and the American size hook for a 3mm would be a “C” hook and it will probably give you the gauge you need. Pattern directions in UK then hook size in UK also. Try the C hook and see what happens.

I didn’t know that the number and the mm matched on UK hook sizes. Thanks for that info! All I knew was that you pretty much have to go by the mm for US hook sizes because the letters (and sometimes non-mm numbers) they use to designate hook size aren’t consistent from one company to another. Thank you.

[OffJumpsJack]

:shrug: The pattern calls for: (sport weight yarn)

Crochet tension: 24 sts (= tr) x 13 rows in Alpaca on hook no. 3 = 10 x 10 cm

Its written in british english so I used a size K hook and a dc. Which is a tr in british. Well that was way to big even though thats what it calls for than I went all the way down to a D and still to big??? I have never checked gauge before so must be doing something wrong… How do I need to do this?

What i did was chain 24 and do the 13 rows is that not the way you do it?

Thanks

Try this [U][B]yarn standard US/UK chart[/B][/U] for the crochet stitches 24 to 10 cm (near 4 inches) it must be a B (1) to E(4) US hook size.

Here is the UK hook size 3 is a US D at most on [U][B]this UK to US chart[/B][/U].

So the pattern said UK 3 that a D in US, 10 cm is about 4 inches.

Smaller than a D is Steel hook size 1 (Steel hook size 0 = D).

I found Wrights [U][B]Boye hooks here[/B][/U] including steel set (commonly used for thread crochet lace and doilies.

So, that pattern must have some very fine weight yarn.

Yes, I do doilies.

–Jack

[OffJumpsJack]

Since the pattern is in UK terms then I am going to assume the hook size they refer to is in mm and the American size hook for a 3mm would be a “C” hook and it will probably give you the gauge you need. Pattern directions in UK then hook size in UK also. Try the C hook and see what happens.

I haven’t seen any size C crochet hooks. That’s why I recommented a size 1 steel hook 2.75 mm where as D is 3.25 mm. (well, those are Boye sizes in mm) I see Susan Bates has different mm sizes for these letters and numbers. :roll:

So if your hooks are Susan Bates, then C is 3 mm and a Bates steel hook size zero “0” is 2.55 mm.

Prinmel, are you using Boye hook, size D (3.25mm) and getting 4.72 inches (12 cm) or another brand of hook?

Aside from that, yarn weight might be part of the issue, no?

–Jack

[mathwizard]

You know this can get confusing. I have a needle & hook gauge where you can check the size by putting it in the hole. According to this a 3mm is a C but according to other sources:
http://www.yarnstandards.com/hooks.html

it isn’t. The size depends on the page or chart you are using. I really wish there was a standard, OffjumpsJack!!!

[Marria]

I haven’t seen any size C crochet hooks. That’s why I recommented a size 1 steel hook 2.75 mm where as D is 3.25 mm. (well, those are Boye sizes in mm) I see Susan Bates has different mm sizes for these letters and numbers. :roll:

So if your hooks are Susan Bates, then C is 3 mm and a Bate steel hook size zero “0” is 2.55 mm.

Prinmel, are you using Boye hook, size D (3.25mm) and getting 4.72 inches (12 cm) or another brand of hook?

Aside from that, yarn weight might be part of the issue, no?

–Jack

I actually have a size C Boye hook and it is 2.75 mm. Another example of the letter/number system not being consistent across manufacturers…I guess the best thing to do is to just look at the actual mm size of the hook.

[OffJumpsJack]

You know this can get confusing.

The size depends on the page or chart you are using. I really wish there was a standard, OffjumpsJack!!!

I agree!! Girl! You are preaching to the choir. AMEN!

Boye is made by Wrights. Wrights dot com appears to be in the [COLOR=“Red”]UK[/COLOR]** (Correction, it is a USA company). :?? (See "Wrights entry at wikidedia.org)

** I’m back. I was wrong about Wrights. Wrights was founded in West Warren, Massachusets, USA but has been bought and sold since then. A South Carolina company, Conso International Corp., and owner of the Simplicity Pattern Brand bought Wrights in 2001 and renamed it Wm. Wrights Co. with the official trademark now being Wrights.

Susan Bates is a brand of Coats & Clark, Inc. as are Read Heart, Aunt Lydia, Fiskars, et al. It has a UK Flag (see [B][U]Coats entry[/U][/B] at wikipedia.org)

So, I guess it may be an unresolved “Independance” issue crossing “the pond.” :shrug:

–Jack

[mathwizard]

Let me throw a wrench in all the charts. I have a set of steel crochet hooks older than me and they were my mother’s. None of the charts lists them. They are Betsy Ross hooks and the smaller hooks have caps on them and they were made in Germany. I will get a picture of them on the site so all can see. The smallest hook is a size 15 and none of the charts I have seen list a size 15.

[Marria]

Do they have anything that tells you the width? Or are they just marked with numbers? If so, sounds like it’s time to get out your hook/needle gauge.

[mathwizard]

No there is no width just numbers. I use my hook gauge all the time. To make matters worse, my son got me Addi interchangable knitting needles for Christmas and their sizes are different. Their mm needles are not the same size as ours and maybe that is why they include an Addi turbo needle gauge. We should band together and come up with a standard and present it to both Knitting and Crochet Guilds and the makers of yarn! :yay:

[OffJumpsJack]

No there is no width just numbers. I use my hook gauge all the time. To make matters worse, my son got me Addi interchangable knitting needles for Christmas and their sizes are different. Their mm needles are not the same size as ours and maybe that is why they include an Addi turbo needle gauge.

[COLOR="#300090"]
Did you know, Addi’s are made in Germany. ([U]distributed in U.S. by Skacel Knitting[/U])[/COLOR]

We should band together and come up with a standard and present it to both Knitting and Crochet Guilds and the makers of yarn! :yay:

[COLOR="#300090"]
That’s what we want!

I think it is what www.yarnstandards.com is attempting to establish.

The publishers, fiber, needle and hook manufacturers and yarn members of the Craft Yarn Council of America have worked together to set up a series of guidelines and symbols to bring uniformity to yarn, needle and hook labeling and to patterns, whether they appear in books, magazines, leaflets or on yarn labels. Our goal is to make it easier for industry manufacturers, publishers and designers to prepare consumer-friendly products and for consumers to select the right materials for a project and complete it successfully.

But then…

When was the last time American, German, and Brittish companies all agreed on something? :roll: (I have no idea.)

Thus designers include guage or tension information with their patterns.

–Jack
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