Gauge

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows that fit in a measured piece of fabric, usually 4 inches or 10 centimeters, worked in the pattern's own yarn and stitch. In UK usage the same measure is called tension, and it is how a knitting or crochet pattern tells you how large its stitches should be.

How is gauge measured?

Makers work a test square, called a gauge swatch, in the yarn and stitch the pattern specifies. They count the stitches and rows across the measured area and compare the numbers with the pattern's. The Craft Yarn Council's rule is to compare every time, whatever the number, letter or millimeter size printed on the hook or needle.

What do you do when the numbers do not match?

If the swatch is larger than the pattern's gauge, the Council says to work another with a smaller hook or needle. If it is too small, use a larger one, until the swatch matches. Because letter and number sizes vary from maker to maker, the Council advises relying on the millimeter size printed on the package. Gauge differs from person to person, since some hold the yarn loosely and some tightly, so two makers following the same pattern with the same hook can get different sizes.

Gauge or tension?

The Council's table of differences between US, UK and Canadian terms lists "gauge" as the US term and "tension" as the UK and Canadian one. The two words are understood on both sides of the Atlantic, but a pattern that says one or the other is a weak clue to where it was written.

Sources

1. Hooks & Needles. Craft Yarn Council
2. Crochet Abbreviations Master List (term differences table). Craft Yarn Council
3. Crochet terms: UK vs US. LoveCrafts
4. Gauge (textile crafts). Wikipedia

See also

• Knitting
• Crochet
• Filet crochet

Read more

• US or UK? How to Read a Crochet Pattern Without Ruining It

Last updated October 18, 2026 · Markdown