Cast On Stitch Calculator
Calculate stitches to cast on based on your gauge swatch and desired width.
Includes ease adjustments and rounding to any stitch pattern multiple.
Getting Your Gauge Right
The gauge swatch is the most important step beginners skip. Knit a 6 by 6 inch swatch in your actual pattern stitch, wash and block it the way the finished piece will be treated, then measure stitches over a 4-inch span in the center. Edge stitches distort, so never count from the first or last stitch.
The Cast-On Formula
Stitches = (desired width + ease) x (gauge / 4)
Ease is the extra width built into a garment for movement and comfort. Close-fitting sweaters use 1 to 2 inches of positive ease. Oversized pieces use 4 to 6 inches. Socks and gloves often use 0 ease or even negative ease, where the fabric stretches slightly to fit.
Rounding to a Stitch Multiple
Most stitch patterns have a repeat that needs a specific stitch count multiple. Ribbing in 2x2 needs multiples of 4. Seed stitch needs multiples of 2. Most cable patterns need multiples of 8, 12, or 16. Round your raw stitch count to the nearest multiple of your pattern requirement before casting on.
Why Gauge Matters More Than You Think
A difference of just 1 stitch per 4 inches seems small, and it is not. Work it through on a 200-stitch worsted sweater at 20 stitches per 4 inches, which is 40 inches of fabric. Knit the same 200 stitches at 19 and you get 42.1 inches; at 21 you get 38.1. Two inches either way, from a discrepancy you could easily miss in a sloppy swatch.
It gets worse as the yarn gets thicker, because one stitch is a larger share of the total. The same 200 stitches in bulky at 12 versus 11 stitches per 4 inches swings from 66.7 to 72.7 inches, a full six inches. That is the difference between a well-fitting garment and one that goes in the donation pile, and the panel below reports the swing for whatever gauge you enter.
Typical Gauge by Yarn Weight
These are the Craft Yarn Council’s standard ranges, which is what the numbers on a yarn band refer to:
| Weight | Stitches per 4 in |
|---|---|
| Lace (0) | 33-40 |
| Super fine, fingering or sock (1) | 27-32 |
| Fine, sport (2) | 23-26 |
| Light, DK (3) | 21-24 |
| Medium, worsted (4) | 16-20 |
| Bulky (5) | 12-15 |
| Super bulky (6) | 7-11 |
They overlap on purpose, because needle size moves a yarn a long way inside its band and sometimes out of it. Your personal gauge always wins over the label.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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