Gauge, and Why I'm Not Going to Lie to You About It
Okay. You're reading patterns now, so it's time we talk about gauge, and I'm going to tell you the truth instead of the thing every pattern booklet tells you to say.
Gauge is how many stitches and rows fit into a certain measurement, usually a 4-inch square. Patterns list it up top: "16 sc and 18 rows = 4 inches." The idea is you crochet a little test square, called a gauge swatch, measure it, and check whether you match. If your square comes out smaller than 4 inches, you're crocheting tight and need a bigger hook. If it comes out bigger, you're loose and need a smaller one.
That's the official version. Here's mine.
For a washcloth, I don't care
For your first washcloth, gauge does not matter. If it comes out a little bigger than you expected, congratulations, it's a bigger washcloth. It still washes a dish. It still washes a car, for that matter — my son Jared used the cotton washcloth I made him one Christmas to wash his actual car, and I decided that counted as a successful gift. Nobody has ever returned a washcloth for being the wrong size.
So if you've been dreading this lesson because you heard gauge was going to be some big terrifying math test before you're allowed to crochet anything, relax. For small flat things — washcloths, dish rags, practice squares — skip the swatch. Just crochet. If it's bigger or smaller than mine, that's fine, it's still yours.
Where gauge actually starts to matter
I'm not telling you gauge is fake. It matters plenty once you're making something with a required finished size. A baby blanket that's supposed to come out 30 by 30 inches and comes out 22 by 22 because you crochet tight — that's a problem. A sweater that's supposed to fit a person is a bigger problem. So is a hat, which is how Ronald ended up with a beanie that sat on top of his head like a yarmulke instead of covering his ears. I made it too small and he wore it out to shovel the driveway that whole winter just to give me a hard time about it. It's still in the coat closet. I look at it sometimes and think about gauge.
So here's the honest rule: the bigger and more fitted the project, the more gauge matters. A washcloth, don't bother. A blanket, check it loosely. A hat or anything meant to fit a body, actually swatch it, actually measure it, and be willing to change hooks.
How to swatch, if you want to
- Chain about 20 stitches (a few more than you need, so the edges don't throw off your count).
- Work single crochet across in the stitch pattern the project calls for, for about 5 or 6 rows.
- Lay it flat. Don't stretch it, don't pull it — just let it sit the way it wants to sit.
- Measure 4 inches across the middle with a ruler and count the stitches inside that 4 inches. Do the same for rows, measuring up.
- Compare to what the pattern says. Too few stitches in 4 inches means you're loose, go down a hook size. Too many means you're tight, go up a size.
That's it. It's arithmetic, not a personality test.
Why beginners come out tight
Almost everybody starts out crocheting tight, gripping the hook like they're worried it'll get away from them. Your hands relax over time and your gauge will actually loosen up the longer you do this, which is one more reason not to panic about your first few projects matching anybody's numbers exactly. Mine changed over the years too. (I also switched from holding the hook like a pencil to the knife grip somewhere in there, and that changed my tension some. Your mileage may vary. Everybody's hands are a little different, and that's fine.)
A word about hook size versus yarn weight
Every yarn label has a suggested hook size on it. That's a starting point, not a law. If your gauge swatch says you're tight, size up your hook even if it's not what the label suggests. The label is a guess. Your swatch is data.
I'll also say, since it comes up: acrylic and cotton behave differently under the hook, and if you're used to one and switch to the other your gauge will shift on you. That's normal. It's not you doing something wrong, it's just a different yarn with different give.
Before next time
Bring whatever yarn you've got left over from your practice square. We're going to swatch it just so you've done it once and know what it feels like, and then we're never going to worry about it again for anything smaller than a blanket.