Cómo funciona el cálculo
The cast-on figure comes from your gauge alone: stitches = target width x (your stitches / swatch size), rounded to a whole number, with rows worked the same way from your row gauge. Swatch size is 10 when you choose Metric (cm, per 10 cm) and 4 under Imperial (inches, per 4"). The pattern's own gauge is used separately, to produce the stitch and row ratios and the pattern-as-written width comparison in the table.
Your gauge stitches is the number that matters most, and it should come from a washed and blocked swatch rather than the ball band. Defaults are a 22-stitch, 30-row pattern gauge against your 20 stitches and 28 rows, with a 50 by 60 target. The needle hint compares the two stitch counts: more than 1.5 stitches apart suggests a full size change, more than 0.5 a half size.
Stitches and rows are scaled independently, which is honest but not always sufficient, because row gauge frequently refuses to match even when stitch gauge does, and shaping worked over a fixed number of rows needs rethinking rather than rescaling. The result is not rounded to a stitch-pattern repeat either, so ribbing, lace or cables may need a stitch or two added by hand. Ease, blocking growth and yarn relaxation are not modelled at all.
Preguntas frecuentes
My gauge is 20 stitches where the pattern says 22, what do I cast on? +
For a 50 cm width at 20 stitches per 10 cm, 100 stitches. The tool multiplies your target width by your own stitches per unit instead of scaling the pattern's number, so it works from finished measurements rather than a ratio.
Should I go up or down a needle size? +
Fewer stitches per 10 cm than the pattern means your stitches are too large, so go down. More stitches means you are knitting too tightly, so go up. The tool states which, and whether the gap warrants a full size or a half.
Does the converter work in inches? +
Yes. Selecting Imperial switches the swatch basis to 4 inches, the standard American gauge square, and relabels the target width and length fields. Enter every measurement in the same system you selected, since nothing is converted between the two.
How wide would the pattern come out at my gauge? +
The bottom table row answers exactly that, dividing the pattern stitch count by the pattern's gauge and then by yours. With the defaults, 120 stitches measures 54.5 cm as written but 60 cm at your looser gauge, a 5.5 cm difference.
Why does my row count still look wrong after fixing stitch gauge? +
Row gauge is notoriously stubborn, and changing needle size to correct stitch gauge often leaves rows out. The tool scales rows from your own row gauge and target length, so use that for plain sections and follow the pattern's shaping instructions elsewhere.
