Gauge matters so much that we have guides and courses on gauge alone. For now, we’re going to do a nice and quick overview on some of the more important ways that gauge matters and how it affects the final look of your item.
This article was originally published in the August 2024 Digital Edition of Crochet Foundry Magazine.
Of course, that means you’re going to need to make a gauge swatch.
Drape
First, let’s talk about the drape of your fabric and how your gauge can affect that.
In addition to your own personal tension, the size of the yarn, and the size of the hook or needle that you use will influence your gauge. A smaller tool will make a tighter or stiffer gauge and a thicker yarn will make a tighter or stiffer gauge. A larger tool will make a looser or more flowing gauge and a thinner yarn will make a looser or more flowing age.
If you want your finished item to look like the designer sample you’ll need to use the same yarn as the designer, or one that is incredibly similar. You’ll also need to get the same gauge as the designer. This means the one factor that you can change is your tool.
If you start off with the same yarn as the designer and you make the gauge swatch and it’s not the right size. Then you’ll need to adjust your tool until you get the right gauge. If you’re using the same yarn as the designer, whatever size tool you need to get the proper gauge should give you the same look of fabric as what the designer had. There may be outliers in there. But most of the time the same yarn and gauge will result in the same drape as the designer.
This is also why it’s so incredibly important for the designer to make sure to put this information in the pattern.
Size
The size of your finished item is going to vary greatly based on your gauge.
Let’s say you have a pattern with a gauge of 10 stitches in 4 inches. You make a gauge swatch and find you have more than 10 stitches in 4 inches. Too many stiches mean your gauge is tight – the stitches are all packed in. If your stitch is tight, then your finished item will be smaller than what the pattern says.
Now what if you have less than 10 stitches in 4 inches? Well, that means your gauge is loose, the stitches are spread apart, each taking up more space. If your gauge is loose, then your finished item will be larger than what the pattern says.
Mood
Seriously, your mood affects your gauge.
When you’re more stressed or upset you tend to have a tighter gauge because you’re holding on to everything a little tighter and pulling a little harder. When you’re relaxed and calm, or even a little tipsy, you’ll often find your gauge is looser. Of course, if you’ve had too many alcoholic beverages, then you may find you have to undo everything the next morning for more than gauge reasons.
Knowing that more tense equals more tension and less tense equals less tension is something to keep in mind when making a long-term project. Sure, some projects can be done in a single session, so you don’t have to think about mood so much, but some take a lot longer.
When you sit down to work on a project, check your mood. In a perfect world, you will have the same gauge every time you pick up your work. But we know this is not a perfect world. If you happen to be really stressed or upset one night, maybe that’s not the night to pick up the blanket. Maybe that’s the night to work on some smaller project that you can do all in one sitting; or maybe that just means that you need to use a larger hook or needle to get the same gauge. And if you’re really chill one night, you might need to wrap that yarn around your hand or your finger one or two more times to tighten up your loose tension.
Sometimes you just need to adjust your tension because your mood is messing with you. Emotions can be tricky like that.
And there you go: gauge matters.
If you’re a Crochet Foundry Member, you’ll find the add-free video and a nifty little cheat sheet that goes along with this lesson in the members area, HERE. The cheat sheet is printable and will remind you what can affect your gauge and what you can do to counteract these effects.
