Stitch gauge is how many stitches fit across 4 in10 cm; it sets how wide the garment is. Row gauge is how many rows fit up 4 in10 cm; it sets where raglan shaping, armholes and necklines land. Match stitch gauge first. If row gauge is then off, keep your needles and adjust the lengths instead.
Two numbers, two jobs
A pattern's gauge line gives both: "20 sts and 28 rows = 4 in10 cm". It's easy to check the first and forget the second, because the first is the one that decides whether the sweater goes around you. But the second decides whether the armhole sits where your arm is, and whether the yoke is deep enough to reach your underarm.
| Stitch gauge | Row gauge | |
|---|---|---|
| Counts | Stitches across 4 in10 cm | Rows up 4 in10 cm |
| Controls | Width and circumference | Height of anything the pattern counts in rows |
| If it's off | The garment is too big or too small around | Shaping lands too high or too low |
| Fix | Change needle size and swatch again | Keep the needles; adjust lengths or row counts |
Match stitch gauge first
A needle change moves your stitch gauge more predictably than your row gauge. So the order is always the same: find the needle that gives you the pattern's stitch gauge, and only then look at rows. If you change needles to chase the row number, you give up the width — and a sweater that is the wrong circumference can't be rescued by knitting it to a different length.
Count rows on the same washed, dry swatch you used for stitches. How to knit and measure it is in how to knit a gauge swatch.
When row gauge matters, and when it doesn't
It depends on how the pattern tells you to knit a section.
- By measurement — "work until the body measures 14 in35 cm". Row gauge doesn't change the result. It only changes how many rows it takes you to get there.
- By row count — "work 40 rows", or shaping written as "increase every other round 30 times". Here row gauge changes the result directly, because the number of rows is fixed and the height of each row is yours, not the designer's.
The second case is where row gauge bites: yokes, raglans, sleeve tapers, armhole and neckline shaping — anything built from a fixed number of shaping rows.
A worked example: the raglan that came out short
Suppose a pattern's gauge is 20 sts and 28 rows per 4 in10 cm, and the raglan is shaped by increasing every other round 30 times. That is 60 rounds.
- At the pattern's 28 rows: 60 ÷ 28 × 4 = about 8½ in21.4 cm of raglan depth.
- At your 30 rows: 60 ÷ 30 × 4 = 8 in20 cm.
Your stitch gauge matches, so every stitch count in the pattern is right — but the yoke is about ½ in1.4 cm shorter than the designer's, and so is everything that depends on it. Knitting looser rows would give the opposite result: a deeper yoke than the pattern intends.
Fixing a row gauge difference
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Knit plain sections to length
Where the pattern gives a measurement, follow the measurement and ignore how many rows it takes.
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Convert row counts through inches
For a section the pattern counts in rows, work out the height it is meant to have, then how many of your rows that is: your rows = pattern rows × your row gauge ÷ pattern row gauge. In the example: 60 × 30 ÷ 28 ≈ 64 rounds.
-
Keep the shaping count, change the spacing
The number of increases or decreases stays what the pattern says — it is set by stitch counts, which already match. What changes is how many plain rows sit between them. In the example, the 30 increase rounds still come every other round (60 rounds), and the 4 extra rounds are worked plain.
If the stitch gauge itself won't match, fix that first — see gauge errors — and come back to rows afterwards. For the whole picture, start at all about knitting gauge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is row gauge in knitting?
The number of rows (or rounds) in 4 in10 cm of height. It is the second number in a pattern's gauge line: in "20 sts and 28 rows", 28 is the row gauge.
Should I change needles to fix my row gauge?
Not if your stitch gauge already matches. A needle change moves both numbers, so you would trade a row problem for a width problem. Keep the needles and adjust the lengths or the row counts instead.
Does row gauge matter for a scarf or a blanket?
Only if the pattern counts rows rather than giving a length. If it says "work until the piece measures…", your row gauge changes how many rows that takes, not the result.
How do I measure row gauge?
Exactly like stitch gauge, but vertically: on a washed, dry swatch laid flat, count the rows between two pins 4 in10 cm apart, away from the cast-on and bind-off edges. Measure in more than one place and average.