Why did my project come out a different size than the pattern said it would?

If your project is larger or smaller than the pattern said it would be, it’s likely that your gauge is off.

In crochet, your gauge is how many rows and how many stitches per row you produce in a designated area, which is often 4 inches by 4 inches. If the pattern says that your gauge for a 4-inch-by-4-inch square should be 11 rows up and 15 stitches across, but you measure 9 rows up and 13 stitches across, your stitches are likely bigger than those of the pattern’s designer. Therefore, if you follow the pattern as written, your project will be bigger than the designer intended. If you want your project to match the size of the designer’s, then you have a couple of options.

Firstly, you can modify your stitching until your gauge matches the designer’s. Techniques to try include going up or down a hook size (a bigger hook size will create a bigger stitch), intentionally using more or less yarn per stitch (the more yarn you use, the bigger your stitch will be), or using a hook of a different material, as the material of the hook can affect the size of the stitch.

Secondly, you can adjust the pattern to match your natural stitching. This may involve decreasing the number of stitches per row or the total number of rows (if your stitches are bigger than the designer’s) or increasing the number of stitches per row or the total number of rows (if your stitches are smaller than the designer’s).