Sweater Gauge:
In knitting, the word gauge is used both in hand knitting and machine knitting. The technical abbreviation is GG, which refers to “Knitting Machines” fineness size. In both cases, the term refers to the number of stitches per inch, not the size of the finished garment. Here, the gauge is measured by counting the number of stitches (in hand knitting) or the number of needles (on a knitting machine bed) over several inches then dividing by the number of inches in the width of the fabric. In this article, we will know about sweater gauge counting and yarn consumption.
Sweater GAUGE calculation system:
- 1.5 gauge contains: from 9 to 13 plies
- 3 gauge contains: from 6 to 8 plies
- 5 gauge contains: from 3 to 5 plies
- 7 gauge contains: from 2 to 3 plies
- 10 gauge contains: from 1 to 2 plies
- 12 gauge contains: only 1 ply
Sweater Gauge Counting & Yarn Consumption
Example-1: Now question is – A sweater has 50 stitches on 4 inches fabric, find out its gauge (GG)?
Answer: 50 / 4 = 12.5 (That means the sweater belongs to 12 GG).
Otherwise, we can memorize the information below to identify the sweater’s knitting gauge by yarn (Count and Ply). I’m not a sweater expert, you can discuss with an expert for more information. (If you need).
Sweaters GG
| Gauge | Count & Ply | Count & Ply | |
| 3 GG | 2/16 4 plies | ||
| 5 GG | 2/16 3 plies | ||
| 7 GG | 2/16 2 plies | ||
| 10 GG | 2/32 3 plies | ||
| 12 GG | 2/32 2 plies | 2/16 1ply | |
Note: To figure out the yarn consumption of sweaters, you’ve to add a minimum of 10% wastage. See calculation below as reference.
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Example-2: Sweater’s color is white, order quantity 5000 pcs, yarn consumption in dozen 11.5 lbs. how many lbs. of yarn you need for this order?
Answer: 11.5 / 12 x 5000 + 10% = 5324 lbs. Formula: yarn consumption dozen / 12 x 5000 + 10% (wastage)