Crochet

[Rhonda Graham]

I guess I better ask the question better I have an old pattern to crochet Pittsburgh Steelers blanket it says use Red Heart yarn medium with an eye hook well of course she ate it with an i and a j and I still cannot get it to measure 63 in I need some help on how I can fix this problem I cannot find the owner of the pattern I bought

[Granny Square]

Everyone has a different stitch-making 'tension', including designers; some crochet tightly, some loosely, and if you have a tight-crocheting designer and you crochet loosely, or vice versa, stuff won't end up the same size.  I can't remember the details now, but over the decades I've had to use a ridiculously different sized hook to achieve pattern gauge a few times.

If you are not achieving the designer's gauge, there is nothing the designer can do but suggest the same thing I did.  

I am not sure but I think you are saying your piece is too small?  If a US I or J size hook are too small, have you tried a K or an L sized hook?  Or, have you considered following the pattern as-is and putting a plain border around it in one or all of the Steeler colors to make it bigger?  

Edited April 12, 2021 by Granny Square

[bgs]

Something else to consider besides what Granny Square brought up about tension is your yarn.  Are you using the exact yarn that the designer used?  If you substituted something else even though it says its the same weight it might not match exactly.  I have had instances with a noticeable difference between skeins of the exact same yarn but different colors.

In some cases I have had to go up 4 hook sizes to match gauge.  I have also noticed a difference in my gauge between using my hooks circa 1970 versus same brand of hooks I purchased a few years ago.

Did the pattern tell you what the  gauge is in the notes and if so did you make a swatch and compare?  How many rows have you made?  How wide is your is yours turning out?  I would suspect that besides not being as wide as you expected it will also be shorter when completing the pattern.

[Bailey4]

I've noticed this especially since I started working on old doll patterns again.  Even when I can find the same brand of yarn the hook sizes aren't the same so I keep working and adjusting until I can make the pattern work.

Even on the rare occasions when I can match to the same brand there is no guarantee the yarn hasn't changed in weight over the years and become lighter or heavier within the range listed.  It really is about playing with the yarn and the hooks until it works.

[USpolishgirl]

That is why it is always very important to crochet a "swatch" before starting crocheting that project.  That is IF we want to end-up with the same size on the end.

Because on the end it is impossible to "fix" that. Unless you start adding extra rows or borders. By doing any of that sometimes all that work might not look as was expected.

Krys