Stitchboard Admin message #2
Judging Finished Size of Filet Crochet Graph Pattern
February 4, 2018 at 3:37:59 AM  (in response to ohiovikingsue message #1)
 
Sue,

Hi! The size of your finished project depends on your gauge. If you haven't already, you should make a gauge swatch with your chosen fiber and hook. (I know, almost nobody likes to make them!) If you don't make a gauge swatch, you won't have a measurement to work with to know your finished pattern size.

From your swatch, you can figure out the number of stitches and rows per inch. (I would make a combo of filled squares and empty squares in your swatch, so you get a good variety.) To get your gauge information, take the number of stitches per 4 inches of swatch and divide by 4. That number will be your stitches per inch. Do the same for your rows; take the number per 4 inches of swatch, divide by 4 and that will give you your rows per inch.

Then take the number of stitches in your pattern and divide by the number of stitches per inch. So if you have 200 stitches and your gauge swatch is 4 stitches per inch, 200 stitches/4 stitches per inch=50 inches. Do the same for your rows; divide the number of rows in your pattern by the number of rows per inch and you'll get the number of inches.

As for controlling the size, there are various ways. First, if you're not using a tiny hook, you can try going down a hook size or so; however, be aware that if your hook size is too small for your fiber, the result will be too-tight stitches that may be very difficult to work and will perhaps provide less enjoyment of the project, as well.

Another solution is to change your fiber. If you're using a worsted weight fiber, you may want to go to a lighter worsted or a sport weight. If you make a gauge swatch beforehand and calculate it out, you'll know if that new fiber is too small for your intended purposes.

Know there are three things that will affect your gauge size; unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all here, as everyone is different, even if we all use the same size hook and same fiber! The three things are your hook size, your fiber and your tension. Your tension is individual to you, so that's why you can't count on someone else's measurements. This is why many patterns specifically say to make a gauge swatch first, because even though a designer can say to use a certain size hook and a certain fiber, that doesn't mean it will turn out that way for you!

Sorry if that's confusing...and hope it helps!

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Stitchboard Admin message #4
Re: Judging Finished Size of Filet Crochet Graph Pattern
February 5, 2018 at 1:23:30 AM  (in response to ohiovikingsue message #3)
 
Sue,

I'm so sorry I misunderstood! You don't have to take the 80 blocks, so you can choose, say, 60 or 20. The important thing in that is the freePatternWizard isn't a graphics program, so it's usually best to manipulate your image in a graphics program first, to make it larger or smaller. If you try to use the freePatternWizard to actually resize your image, it will turn into a blob if you're making it too large or too small for the program to handle.

(If this is confusing, I'd say to just try it as is and if the pattern looks too blobby, then you can deal with it.)

If you'd really like to tweak your image with a graphics programs and you're using a Windows PC, I can suggest two very powerful (and free!) programs that will allow you to edit your image.

As for knowing how many blocks, yes, unfortunately this is what I was talking about before. Your gauge is as individual as you, so your gauge is crucial to knowing how many blocks you need for the size you want. And actually, I should have talked about blocks, not stitches, since that's what you're really looking for in this case. Still, you should work a gauge swatch, determine how many blocks per inch. Then you'll know that if you have 4 blocks per inch, multiply that by the number of inches you want. If you want a piece that's 50 inches wide, you'd calculate 50 inches x 4 blocks per inch, giving you 200 blocks needed for your finished pattern.

Unfortunately, it all goes back to those pesky gauge swatches! If you're making something simple, like a scarf, that's a bit more forgiving; you often don't have to work a gauge swatch if you're using a similar fiber/hook as what the designer recommends. But with anything you want to work to a specific size, such as a sweater, gauge is important. Though it's tempting to just start a project without any gauge swatch, you can easily be left with something that's too large or too small.

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Stitchboard Admin message #6
Re: Judging Finished Size of Filet Crochet Graph Pattern
February 6, 2018 at 4:00:27 AM  (in response to ohiovikingsue message #5)
 
Sue,

Glad I could help!

The two programs I like to recommend are:
GIMP:
https://www.gimp.org/
and paint.net:
https://www.getpaint.net/

I can't tell you how to use them, though...I'm still using a program from, gasp, 1998!

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Stitchboard Admin message #8
Re: Judging Finished Size of Filet Crochet Graph Pattern
February 7, 2018 at 4:00:22 AM  (in response to ohiovikingsue message #7)
 
Sue,

You're very welcome!

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