Gauge Frustration

[ibedi1]

Guys, gauge drives me crazy. It never comes out for me. Let me give you an example. I am doing a 4' x 4' swatch. It is supposed to be 12 stitches by 8 rows. Here are my results:

J Hook: 12 stitches = 3.5 inches, 8 rows = (shoot, I forgot, but it wasn't 4")

K Hook: 12 stitches = 4.25 inches, 8 rows = 3.5 inches

The point is that when I use the recommended hook (even when I am using the exact yarn the pattern calls for) my swatch is always uneven. If my stitches = 4", my rows are too short. No matter how I try, I can't sustain an effort to crochet more tightly or try to add height to my stitches. It's a mess.

So here's my question. On a pattern where gauge matters, is it better to match the stitches and just add rows if necessary, or is it better to match rows and maybe choose a larger size pattern? Is my thinking logical or is there a better way to look at it?

[Bailey4]

I tend to work at changing hook first then yarn to get close to the gauge.  My gauge is often off and for some things it matters others not so much.  If you need it to fit something than yes it matters.  If you are making something where size is less of any issue than not so much.

As for adding rows again it depends on what you are making.  It may throw off the pattern or not depending on what it is you are creating.

Gauge is the designers way of communicating what they did to create the size and shape they are presenting to you.  It isn't an exact science but it is a hint at how things will work for you.

For instance I make doll clothes.  I often change yarn size and hook size to be different from those of the designer.  By having a gauge as a guide I have a clue to what needs to change.  I generally start with the hook size.  If that adjustment doesn't work I may change the yarn to a lighter or heavier weight.

Just a note guage is not magic.  It doesn't always give you a perfect match.  I made an outfit this weekend and was quite surprised to find my gauge did match the designers and started working on the project.  I always try the outfits on as I make it and quickly realized the dress was small.  For kicks I did a guage with two of the next sized hooks and both were over the gauge size hook but the next sized hook was the right choice for the project to get it to fit.  As I said not an exact science as it depends on how accurate the designer's gauge is as well.

[Granny Square]

^ Perfect answer.  Don't feel bad, we are all human, including designers, and we all have different crocheting styles - whatever 'average' is, and shorter, taller, fatter, skinnier.  If our style clashes with the designer's, we may need to tweak the pattern a bit if changing a hook doesn't do the trick.  Reiterating that it's usually better to hit width gauge if not height, because adding or subtracting rows, or even subbing taller or shorter stitches, is an easier re-design (usually) than tinkering with the width.  I make short-ish stitches compared to most designers, apparently, and deal with this quite a bit.

Extended stitches might something to think about too, because they give you a more gradual increase than between sc, hdc, dc, tr--if you add esc, ehdc, edc, etr to that mix you might have a better chance of hitting the designer's gauge more closely.

Edited February 18, 2022 by Granny Square
fix typo

[ibedi1]

3 hours ago, Granny Square said:

^ Perfect answer.  Don't feel bad, we are all human, including designers, and we all have different crocheting styles - whatever 'average' is, and shorter, taller, fatter, skinnier.  If our style clashes with the designer's, we may need to tweak the pattern a bit if changing a hook doesn't do the trick.  Reiterating that it's usually better to hit width gauge if not height, because adding or subtracting rows, or even subbing taller or shorter stitches, is an easier re-design (usually) than tinkering with the width.  I make short-ish stitches compared to most designers, apparently, and deal with this quite a bit.

Extended stitches might something to think about too, because they give you a more gradual increase than between sc, hdc, dc, tr--if you add esc, ehdc, edc, etr to that mix you might have a better chance of hitting the designer's gauge more closely.

So you have the same problem I do, which is I end up with a rectangle rather than a square because my stitch height is short. I will do a little research on the extended stitches and see if that works. Thank you!

[ibedi1]

4 hours ago, Bailey4 said:

I tend to work at changing hook first then yarn to get close to the gauge.  My gauge is often off and for some things it matters others not so much.  If you need it to fit something than yes it matters.  If you are making something where size is less of any issue than not so much.

As for adding rows again it depends on what you are making.  It may throw off the pattern or not depending on what it is you are creating.

Gauge is the designers way of communicating what they did to create the size and shape they are presenting to you.  It isn't an exact science but it is a hint at how things will work for you.

For instance I make doll clothes.  I often change yarn size and hook size to be different from those of the designer.  By having a gauge as a guide I have a clue to what needs to change.  I generally start with the hook size.  If that adjustment doesn't work I may change the yarn to a lighter or heavier weight.

Just a note guage is not magic.  It doesn't always give you a perfect match.  I made an outfit this weekend and was quite surprised to find my gauge did match the designers and started working on the project.  I always try the outfits on as I make it and quickly realized the dress was small.  For kicks I did a guage with two of the next sized hooks and both were over the gauge size hook but the next sized hook was the right choice for the project to get it to fit.  As I said not an exact science as it depends on how accurate the designer's gauge is as well.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! I just need to relax and play with it, I guess.

[Granny Square]

If you are familiar with 'foundation' stitches', extended stitches are pretty much identical--you create an extra yarn over & pull thru at the beginning; but unlike foundation stitches you don't use that extra loop to put stitches into, just to make the stitch a bit taller.

And yeah, short stitches...I mostly work in the round and that requires all sorts of tweaks to keep items reasonably flat.

[ibedi1]

18 minutes ago, Granny Square said:

If you are familiar with 'foundation' stitches', extended stitches are pretty much identical--you create an extra yarn over & pull thru at the beginning; but unlike foundation stitches you don't use that extra loop to put stitches into, just to make the stitch a bit taller.

And yeah, short stitches...I mostly work in the round and that requires all sorts of tweaks to keep items reasonably flat.

I love foundation stitches. And I have a pattern I want to make that uses them. Hmm, I may have to figure out how to do double-extended stitches. 😆