PATTERN CONVERSION FROM ONE
MACHINE TO ANOTHER
Quite often we may see a pattern written for a 4.5 mm standard-gauge machine that we would love to knit on our 10 mm bulky-gauge machine, of course, using a different yarn. Or we see a pattern written for a 6.5 mm mid-gauge machine that we want to knit on our 5 mm standard-gauge machine. But how can we use this same pattern without literally reinventing the wheel, making a new swatch, calculating how many stitches and rows to knit, when and how many stitches to increase or decrease or bind-off?
WELL, IT ISN'T DIFFICULT -- AT ALL!
THE FORMULA
Multiply
the number of stitches you are working with by the gauge of the machine this number
applies to.
Divide that result by the
gauge of the machine you wish to use to get the number of stitches you will need to work
with.
Be sure to have a calculator handy, as well as the pattern. All of the information in the pattern can be used, just as it is written, EXCEPT for the changing of a few numbers that may take you all of ten minutes to calculate.
First we must determine which size of the pattern we wish to make. Of course, it's no major task to change all of the numbers for all of the sizes, but it really isn't necessary unless you're going to knit the pattern in all of the sizes. So, circle the number for your size at each place there is a specified number of stitches to be handled -- increased, decreased, bound off, etc.
NOW . . .
As with all projects, they are quite often ordained to fail unless we have made, properly treated and accurately measured the swatch for the yarn and/or design we are planning to use. So, if going to a different machine from the one for which the pattern was originally written and if using a completely different yarn from the one called for in the pattern, it is IMPERATIVE that a swatch be made, properly treated and accurately measured to ensure proper fit after putting in all of the time and money needed to make any garment.
. . . ON TO OUR PATTERN
Let's say the pattern we like is written for a 4.5 mm machine and we want to knit it on a 5 mm machine. The 4.5 mm pattern tells us to cast on 110 stitches. Well, how many stitches does that equal on a 5 mm machine? Simply . . .
MULTIPLY
the number of sts (110) times the gauge of the machine (4.5 mm). That gives us a
result of 495.
DIVIDE that result of 495 by the
gauge of the machine you want to use (5 mm). That gives us 99 sts. Because we
usually round up to an even number, we would then cast on 100 sts on the 5 mm
standard-gauge machine where the pattern asks for 110 sts on the 4.5 mm standard-gauge
machine. This procedure is followed for each and every number requiring a specific
number of sts to be manipulated.
If the pattern says to bind off 9 sts at the beginning of the next two rows when beginning to do an underarm decrease, follow the same procedure: multiply 9 sts times 4.5 and divide by 5. We should bind off 8.1 sts, which we all know is impossible. But with a fine yarn, we can easily bind off 8 sts and have no ill effects.
Because the row gauge will remain fairly constant between a 4.5 mm standard-gauge machine and a 5 mm standard-gauge machine, it really isn't necessary to calculate the row changes, unless your yarn gauge is vastly different from that in the pattern.
This calculation procedure must be done for each and every number relative to size and shaping in the pattern. That includes the swatch gauge. If the gauge for the 4.5 mm pattern is about 7.25 sts/inch, then the gauge for your swatch on the 5 mm machine should be about 6.52 sts/inch. We can always fudge one or two stitches with the finer-gauge yarns and experience no horrific results. However, if we are working with yarn on a bulky-gauge machine that gives us only 3-4 sts/inch, we must be careful because one single stitch can change a gauge by ¼", or more, in some instances. The same calculation process can be used, however, to calculate rows when going from say a 3.8 fine-gauge machine to a 6.5 mm mid-gauge machine. The formula remains the same:
Multiply
the number of stitches you are working with by the gauge of the machine this number
applies to.
Divide that result by the
gauge of the machine you wish to use.
Happy Converting and even Happier Knitting!