So you have figured out the stitch pattern you want to use and the size of your final project, the question now is “How many stitches do I cast on?!” To do this you are going to want to create a swatch. Below I have included the basics for a swatch! It may be more math-y, but I will walk you through it, after all, I teach math, this is what I do!
One comment before we begin. The goal here is to figure out how many stitches to cast on using a stitch pattern (such as the linen stitch, honeycomb stitch, or even just knitting) to create an object (scarf, blanket, potholder, etc.). We are not following a set pattern for an object. If we were, the advice would be different.
This article is longer, so below is an outline with links, incase you need to skip around. However, I might suggest reading through to get a general idea!
Basics:
I have used the term “swatch” how many times? (3, if you are counting!) Let me define it: A swatch is a small piece of fabric which knits along in the pattern to measure how wide (and long) the pattern ends up being with your choice of needle size, yarn and your knitting style!
Swatching can be a dreaded extra step, the pre-knitting before you can actually start! I get it! However, I have attempted to start blankets for an adult, that end up too small for a baby. I have also tried to make a scarf that is wide enough to be considered a towel… And the sad thing is I realize the problem inches within my knitting and have to rip it all out. A small swatch is now the price I will pay, and it does save a lot of time!
Judging how many stitches to cast on can be tricky because when you cast on stitches you do not know how wide the fabric will become. All you have is loops on a needle, no fabric below to separate the loops and give you a reasonable width.
See the two photos below. I cast on 10 stitches, and the width of the fabric was about 1.5 inches. Once I knit about 4 rows the fabric stretched out to 2.5 inches. Even if I was to stretch the initial cast on stitches wider apart, how “wide” is good enough?
(On a personal side note: The needles in both pictures are the same needle. My grandma gave me these needles after she taught me to knit. They were very gold, see the first photo at the left side. I have used them so much the tips of them have worn down, they are now half gold and half silver!)
Carrying on… The more you knit the better your intuition becomes, with how wide to space the cast on stitches to measure, and how many stitches will give you a certain width. However, when knitting new stitch patterns, it is always good to do a swatch, or at least a trial run of the pattern to see how wide the fabric will become!
Options! We love options!
Sometimes I love the pattern or yarn so much I would like to use the swatch for something. Below are some uses that I have found for swatches.
- Coasters. Every time you see your coaster you will have fond memories of the beautiful, larger project you created! This idea is only a “good one” for flatter stitch patterns, the 2 color honeycomb pattern I show below, I wouldn’t use, unless you want to show off your beautiful knit towels after your cup spills! (The blue swatch above is a perfect size for a coaster! My son saw this when I was taking a picture and asked if it was a coaster. I said, “Yes! But first it was a swatch!”)
- Backup yarn for the holes that may appear. (I knit my mom a sweater and it ended up with a hole in it. I had the swatch that I made, and took it apart to get the needed yarn to fix it.) The nice thing about this is that the swatch was already washed and blocked as the sweater had been, so the yarn had relaxed the correct amount! (See below picture for the swatch that has been taken apart.) The only trick with this is to remember where you put the swatch!
- Patchwork something (throw, pillow, table runner).
- Art, some patterns are art themselves! Lace patterns are beautiful, and some would be just gorgeous framed!
- Just make a swatch for swatch sake and put it in your knitting bag. If you are going to use this pattern again, it is nice to have a visual. When I keep the swatch I always add a tag on it which states the pattern, size needle, size yarn. This way I have the swatch with all pertinent details. (Be careful with attaching paper, as it can rip and you will lose it!) Using a small photo album, put the swatch on one side and on the other add all the details on paper.
Patterns:
When measuring a swatch use one of two methods, depending on the category for patterns:
- Small repeats (See black and white picture. Linen stitch.) This is where the stitch pattern has a small number of repeat stitches (1-4ish stitch repeat).
- Large repeats (See yellow and gray picture. Honeycomb stitch.) This is where the stitch pattern has a larger number of repeat stitches (5+ stitch repeat).
The main concept is simple (you can click on each link below to go straight to the specific directions. If there are differences between the small/large repeats I’ll make comments within the category.
Here is the order:
Cast On:
Small repeats: Cast on the number of stitches the yarn indicates for a 4″x4″ swatch (or 2″x2″). The yarn label should state a needle size and how many stitches will knit to 4″. Note, this will rarely be exact since your actual stitch pattern may be different, but it should get you in the ballpark!
Large repeats: Cast on the number of stitches to repeat the pattern three or four times.
In either case: If you want to create a swatch and use it for something else, you might have to cast on more stitches than I mentioned. This is all up to you!
A nice habit, and especially good if the pattern has more of a roll on the sides, and won’t lie flat, such as stockinette stitch, is to knit a border. Meaning, knit the first and last three or four rows, and knit the first and last three or four stitches. (You can see this in the first swatch picture I showed above, here.)
If you choose to knit a border, make sure that you add 6 or 8 stitches to your cast on count, to allow for these extra knit stitches.
Finally, cast on with the same size and style needles that you will use for your project. If you are using circular needles for a wide blanket, then use the same circular needles for your swatch. If you are using double pointed needles and knitting in the round (some scarfs are made as a big tube!) then use double point needles and knit in the round.
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Knit:
Small repeats: Knit for about two or four inches. If you wanted to have a use for this swatch, knit a good length for your extra swatch object!
Large repeats: Knit the stitch pattern so you have completed three or four repeats or about two inches or more (which ever is more). Make sure that you finish with the complete repeat. Again, if you wanted to do something else with this swatch, knit a good length.
In either case: Honestly, with flat items the length isn’t too important, because in your completed piece you can typically stop when the length is perfect for you! The reason why you knit a specific length is to get the fabric to relax/tighten/stretch the amount that it would normally do throughout your completed piece. (If you measure your swatch after each completed row you will notice a wide change in measurements!)
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Cast Off:
In either case: Cast off! If you are being “minimal” in your swatch making and will rip it apart after you are done, there is no need to literally cast off. However, when you do make measurements, take the swatch off the needles. Measurements can be different when you are measuring from the needles, versus relaxed, off the needles.
For simple stitch patterns and rectangular projects I sometimes knit a few rows or the pattern repeats. I then take it off my needles, make my measurements, rip apart and start my project.
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Wash/Dry:
In either case: Some knitters will cringe with my above comments, because with a swatch, you really should cast off and wash how you would typically wash your final project. This is done because washing your fabric can change the size.
My argument to this is when you create a scarf, blanket, placemat, etc. you are probably going to choose easily washable yarn and your project will probably keep its size after washing and drying. (I’ve never had a problem with acrylic yarn!) If you are using natural yarn (cotton, wool, etc.) you should wash/dry the swatch in the method that you will use for your final project, as this yarn does likely change size after washing.
Make sure that you do not use the washing machine, if the yarn says hand wash. Even if your washing machine has a “delicate” setting, it can sometimes be too much for some of the yarn. You do not want to spend all your time creating a beautiful blanket and the first time you wash it the yarn shrinks up, or felts and you end up with a block.
There are some wonderful hand wash soaps for hand knits. They are very easy to use, and there is something therapeutic when washing something beautiful you created!
Finally, if you are washing/drying your swatch because of fear of stretching or shrinking make sure that you do take measurements prior to and after the wash and dry. (Prior to the wash can be very important for length–see reasoning below!)
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Measurements:
We have two different types of measurements: width and length. (A lot of times length doesn’t matter, unless your swatch changed length size when laundering.)
Width:
Smaller Repeats: Measure a fixed width (1″ is easiest), and count how many stitches are found within that inch–this is your stitch count. Then figure out how wide you would like your object, and multiply this by your stitch count. (I have an example written out under the photo below. If you notice I have a nice knitting needle gauge ruler, and it boxes 2″, which is very handy!)
Larger Repeats: I would measure one complete pattern repeat (you can do more, but will have to scale it down).
Note: a pattern repeat is the actual repeat within the pattern. If you cast on the basic number of stitches what have you completed (there are sometimes buffer stitches, so the beginning and end may not be the repeats). If your pattern (for instance, this honeycomb pattern) creates one honeycomb, measure one honeycomb. If your pattern creates two honeycombs, measure two honeycombs.
Take how many inches are in this pattern repeat (in our picture above it is 1.75 inches). I am measuring from left of the gray line to just to the right of the next gray line.
Length:
In either case: If you are washing/drying because of change in size, measure the length prior to washing and the length after washing. The reason is, you will probably not be counting the number of completed rows, you will be measuring your project and seeing if this length is a good length to stop. If your project changes size in the wash you will want to know the measurement it was right off the needles, so as you are knitting you know what your size will become after it is washed.
So, for this measurement, make sure that you measure from top to bottom as you measured prior to washing. If you included a few knit rows as a boarder do not measure these.
Note, when you measure after washing and drying, make sure that you wait until it is completely dry.
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Calculate/Decide:
You will need to calculate and decide the width. And if your yarn changes after washing, you will have the length to calculate.
Width:
This is the section that gets detailed. Each subsection (small repeat/large repeat) includes our previous examples measurements, (see pictures below). At the end of each subsection we include the main formula. Within these formulas are bold/italicized text, this is where you will pause and change the values if needed.
Small Repeat: Above, we measured our stitch count. In our swatch we had 6 stitches for every one inch knit. So if our project is to be 7 inches wide, we would cast on:
6*7=42 stitches.
The one thing to be careful, is to notice what the pattern states. It may state, cast on multiple of 2 plus 1, so we would then have to cast on 42 + 1 = 43 stitches. (Having 1/6″ extra width of your washcloth won’t matter!)
Use this same method even if your pattern repeats every 3 or 4 stitches. Back to our example, our ideal project is to have 42 stitches.
If our pattern states “cast on a multiple of 4”, well 42 is not a multiple of 4 (42/4 is not a whole number). You can choose to increase or decrease: 40 is a multiple of 4, or 44 is. So you can subtract or add 2 stitches (which will amount to not even half an inch change) to your final project. Make a choice and go!
Small pattern formula: A lot of patterns say cast on a multiple of A and add B. “B” is a number, so place it below in the “B” place. The bold, italicized portion “[(Number of stitches in an inch) * (Inches in final length)]” is where you have to evaluate, if this is a multiple of “A” (meaning when you divide this number by “A” you get a whole number, nothing with a decimal) continue, if not make it a multiple of “A” by adding or subtracting the least amount of numbers.
[(Number of stitches in an inch) * (Inches in final length)] + B
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Large Repeats: Calculating stitch count is similar to the small repeats. After your width measurement you will end up with two possibilities. The easier one is stated in Example 1, the one with different choices is Example 2. After both examples I have the main formula that you will use for the stitch count.
Example 1: The nice, example. If our project is going to be 35″ wide, and 1 repeat is 1.75 inches, we will need:
35/1.75 = 20 repeats.
If each repeat states 8 stitches, we will need:
20*8 = 160 stitches.
Just as with the small repeats, sometimes you are supposed to cast on a multiple plus something. For the honeycomb pattern you are supposed to cast on a multiple of 8 plus 6 stitches, so we will cast on:
160+6 = 166 stitches!
Example 2: The more likely example. Suppose our project is going to be 40″ wide, and 1 repeat is 1.75 inches, we will need:
40/1.75 = 22.86 repeats.
We are not going to do 0.86 of a repeat, so choose! Do we want to do 22 repeats or 23 repeats? Let’s say we chose 23:
23*8 = 184 stitches
And, again, if the pattern says cast on a multiple of 8 plus 6, we will cast on:
184+6=190 stitches!
Note: when you have a choice between two different repeats, round the decimal properly to change the width the least amount.
This means, if your number ends in a 0.5 or higher go up. (Chop off the decimal and add one. In our example, we would want 23. If you have 6.5, you would round to 7. If you have 9.87, round to 10.) Now, if you number ends in less than 0.5 go down. (Chop off the decimal. So if you have 6.4, you would round to 6. If you have 9.37, round to 9.) Do be aware, if you round 6.4 to 6, your project won’t be 0.4 inches thinner, it will be 0.4 repeats thinner.
Some people have a difficult time visualizing. If this is you and you are torn, for smaller objects, cut a piece of paper into the ideal size, and then you can visualize it better. Or, for bigger objects, measure on the floor, and rope it off with yarn.
Remember, a fraction of an inch, or an inch or two may not matter for a blanket, or scarf! Because who actually measures items! And if someone does, I don’t think you need them in your life! If you have to add or take away too much you might need to change your stitch pattern.
Large repeat formula: you will use this formula (where “A” and “B” are defined below):
[(Width of project) / (pattern repeat) * A ] + B = stitches to cast on.
As said above in the smaller repeats, a lot of patterns say cast on a multiple of A and add B. If “A” and “B” are numbers, you would place them above in the “A” and “B” places. (Make sure that you round the bold/italicized portion “(width of project)/(pattern repeat)” to a whole number.)
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Length:
In either case: For length measurement, you are calculating how long to knit your project for. Since you cannot wash your project on your needles, you want to know when to stop knitting in the pre-wash stage. This calculation will account for your project to shrink or relax after it being laundered.
(Pre-washed length measurement) / (post-wash length measurement) * project measurement.
For this, you do not need to round anything, since you can knit half an inch in length. The choice will come at the end of the project. If you have completed your entire pattern repeat, and you still have a little length to go, do you want to tack on another repeat or stop right there?
Again, this small fraction of an inch won’t matter! No one needs exactly a 60 inch long blanket, and if they do and the blanket you just knit them is too small, tell them to stretch it!
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Make your Project:
In either case: Knit away! Cast on the number you decided above, and start knitting in your pattern. Remember, right when you cast on it will not look like the correct width, but with your amount that you have calculated above, you should have an accurate measurement!
(For projects that have a high cast on number, I have found success by putting a stitch counter or tie a contrasting color yarn between every 25 or 50 stitches. This way I only have to count up to 25 or 50 a few times, rather than re-count the entire 234 stitches that I cast on, because I always am off, even though I promise that I can count to 234!)
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