Knitting Pattern Repeat Calculator
Adapting a knitting pattern to a different yarn or gauge? Enter the original gauge, your new gauge, the original stitch count, and the pattern repeat size - get the new stitch count rounded to the nearest valid repeat. Nothing uploaded.
Gauge & Pattern Settings
Original gauge (per 10 cm)
Your new gauge (per 10 cm, from swatch)
Original pattern numbers
Original pattern numbers
Pattern repeat
Pattern repeat
New Pattern Numbers
Learn more: resizing a stitch pattern without breaking the repeat
Why the scaled count rarely fits the repeat
The calculator scales your stitch count by the ratio of your gauge to the pattern's gauge. That new number seldom lands on a clean multiple of the repeat. A repeat of 8 stitches needs a count that is a multiple of 8, plus whatever edge stitches the pattern keeps outside the repeat. Cast on a stitch off that and the last repeat on each row ends part-way, so lace and cable motifs do not line up across the piece.
For example, a pattern gauge of 20 stitches per 10 cm and your swatch of 22 give a ratio of 1.1. A body of 180 stitches scales to 198. Take off 4 edge stitches and 194 are left for the repeat. The multiples of 8 on either side are 192 and 200, so the cast-on is 196 or 204 once the edges are added back. It cannot be 198.
If the scaled count already fits, say 204 stitches with 4 edge stitches (200 is 25 repeats of 8), the tool gives 204 as the lower option and 212 as the next one up.
Rounding down or up is a fit choice
Rounding down gives a slightly smaller piece than the raw scaled number, and rounding up a slightly larger one. Neither is more correct. Decide by whether you would like the garment a little snug or a little roomy, not by whichever number is closer.
Rows are scaled but not rounded
The tool scales your row count by the row gauge ratio and shows the raw result. It does not round rows to a repeat, so if your pattern has a row repeat, check the number against it yourself. Row gauge often differs from stitch gauge by a different ratio, so do not assume the two move together.
FAQ
Why are edge stitches subtracted before rounding?
Edge stitches sit outside the repeat, for a selvedge or seaming. They come out of the count before the repeat multiples are checked and go back in afterwards, which is why the totals above are 196 and 204 and not 192 and 200.
Does it also adjust the row count?
Yes. It multiplies your row count by new rows per 10 cm over pattern rows per 10 cm. The result is shown unrounded, so the finished length matches the pattern's length at your row gauge.
Why is my new stitch count lower than the original?
The ratio is your stitches per 10 cm divided by the pattern's. If your swatch has fewer stitches per 10 cm than the pattern calls for, the ratio is below 1 and the count goes down. A tighter swatch with more stitches per 10 cm raises it.