How to calculate the number of loops? Knitting for beginners

The article gives useful tips for calculating loops when knitting various products from any yarn.

Why count the loops

Loops love counting. So to paraphrase the famous dictum about money, every needlewoman can. Beginners and professionals are wondering how to correctly calculate the number of loops when knitting or crocheting. Even when knitting things on articles in magazines or on the Internet using exactly the same yarn and knitting needles or crochet hook, as in the example, the sizes of the resulting product may vary. It's all about knitting techniques. Each craftswoman is used to stretching loops and yarn when knitting with a certain effort. The density of knitting can be controlled during operation, but it is difficult for large volumes and will increase the time of knitting. Differences in size may occur in different designs. The popular “elastic band” conceals dimensions very much, so an ordinary canvas of the same size will require fewer loops.

Knitting pattern

The most reliable way to calculate the number of loops is to measure the samples. Such a procedure does not cause joy, since it takes a lot of time, but if you want the thing to be sized and to sit as it was intended according to the patterns, the need for an accurate calculation will not be in doubt. Let the thought support you that the correct calculation will save you from opening things in the middle of work, which is even more time-consuming.

So, you need to connect a small sample with the main pattern, approximately 10-15 cm in width and height. Any housewife who decides to do knitting should know how to knit a sample with knitting needles. Thin yarn will require at least 30 loops and 20 knitted rows. If the product contains 2 different patterns, then you will need to link the samples for each canvas. Loops of the sample must be closed, as on the finished product. Having thus prepared a small knitted fabric, you need to wash it, since all natural materials tend to sit down. Remember the rules for washing knitted products, their delicate texture requires a careful attitude. Be careful when drying, products from most types of yarn do not accept batteries and clotheslines, deforming in this regard. The previously used yarn, from loose old things, does not require such caution, since repeated washing and use have already led the fiber to an unchanged state.

Calculation formula

The finished sample of the cloth, washed and dried, if necessary, must be laid out on a flat surface, well smoothed it, while not stretching too much. If necessary, pins can be used to secure the sample. Next, you need to measure the distance between the rows with a ruler, excluding the extreme 1-2 rows. For example, you need to measure the distance from the beginning of the 3rd loop to the end of the 28th, if the sample is connected on 30 loops. This distance must be divided by the number of loops (26 in our case) and record the resulting ratio as accurately as possible. Suppose we got 104 mm, in this case each loop occupies 4 mm in a row, this is almost an ideal case for calculations, it is unlikely to achieve such accuracy in real knitting.

We denote the number of sample loops as n, the dimensions of the product in cm beyond R, and the measurement distance of the sample is S, then we can derive a simple formula for calculating the number of loops. To calculate the required number of loops (N), you need to multiply the required distance by the number of measured sample loops and divide by the distance occupied by these loops in the sample: N = R * n / S. For example, 50 cm (500 mm) of knitted fabric are required for the pattern, according to the formula, in our case, 125 loops will be required to tie the product exactly in size, and for a hat for a child with a head circumference of 40 cm, exactly 100 loops will be required.

Some subtleties

To calculate the number of rows, you need to do exactly as with the loops, only by unfolding the sample at a right angle. There are some features of measurements of the fabric knitted with needles, which are worth considering, they will help in the work.

For counting loops in a row, it is better to use the side where there are more front loops, and for counting rows it is more convenient to use the side with the wrong loops. For crocheting or a machine, this method of calculating the number of loops is also suitable.

With basic measurements everything seems simple, but needlewomen do not always knit only straight canvases, such as scarves and bedspreads, and the pattern is not always the same for the whole product. Below we will consider the calculations of loops for some special cases, for example, changing the pattern, knitting triangles and other figures with decreases and increments of loops.

Combining different patterns

Knitting with different patterns is quite simple. It is necessary to calculate the number of loops for each picture, necessary for the total size. Further, when switching between the figures, the number of working loops should be divided by the difference between the calculations and in two more. For example, one figure requires 100 loops, and the next one is already 105. Thus, we need to add 5 loops so that they merge into a common canvas. Dividing 100 by 5, we get 20, half - 10, so we start adding from the 10th loop every 20 loops one additional for a new picture. The same calculation is used to reduce. Both patterns converge well, without losing the center of the canvas and maintaining the overall size.

How to calculate the number of loops for a hat with knitting needles

For hats, the general calculation principle described above is suitable, but some features of knitting must be taken into account. First, the needlewoman must be able to correctly take measurements from her head. The circumference of the head should be counted along the top of the forehead, earlobes and lower occipital lobe. The minimum width of the head cloth will be equal to half the measurement from the forehead to the back of the head. So you can immediately determine the number of rows. Some prefer to make the hat more voluminous in order to hide the hair, or vice versa more rounded and tight for male and children's models. You also need to determine the width of the bent gum, if one is provided, and add the necessary rows for it.

You can knit a hat using a seamless method or by making knitted seams connecting the product across the entire width (usually made from the back) or pulling the top down. This does not affect how to calculate the number of loops for the cap with knitting needles. On 2/3 of the canvas + the width of the gum to be bent, the cap is knitted without changing the number of loops, and then you need to divide the loops into 6-8 equal parts to reduce the bottom of the product. For each part, you need to calculate the number of loops to be removed, for this you need to divide all the loops of each part by the planned remaining bottom length of the cap. The obtained number of loops must be reduced in each row. For example, we got 8 parts of 15 loops and we need to reduce them to nothing in 12 rows. 15/12 = 1.25, so in each row you need to remove 1 loop, alternating them on the right and left. The remaining 3 loops must be distributed in the last rows for a smooth rounding. Thus, on the right, you will have to remove the loops in all rows except the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th, on the left in all the even rows and additionally on the 9th and 11th. So the detail of the top will not be bent.

How to calculate the number of loops for a sweater and other products with non-rectangular patterns

Talk and sweaters. These are more complex products, knitting of which requires some skills. The main problem, how to calculate the number of loops for a sweater, are the patterns of necks and sleeves. To calculate a straight bevel, for example, along the length of the sleeve, you need to divide the number of rows by the difference between the loops at the beginning and end of the bevel. For example, for 100 rows of sleeves, you need to reduce the number of loops from 45 to 30. For direct calculation, you will decrease by 1 loop every 6.67 rows, if you round to 7 and begin to reduce loops from the 2nd row, then you get 30 conceived loops at the end . The necks and curved edges of the product are best depicted first on checkered paper, taking 1 side of the cage as a knitted loop or 4 knitted loops depending on the density of the fabric. By drawing an approximate bend over the cells on a piece of paper, you can easily calculate the number of loops in each row.

Counting sock loops

How to calculate the number of loops for socks? To do this, use the pivot tables below.

For thin toe yarn (about 400 m per 100 g) and knitting needles with a diameter of 2-2.5 mm

For yarn of medium thickness (300 m per 100 g) and knitting needles with a diameter of 3 mm

Arithmetic in needlework

Knitting does not seem difficult until you strive for excellence, but this is how truly excellent things are created for yourself and your loved ones. I hope our small mathematical calculations will help to connect convenient and beautiful products. Over time, the experience will tell you other nuances when calculating loops, but the basic methods for calculating the number of loops for socks, sweaters, scarves and other knitted things will remain the same, this is confirmed by more than one generation of needlewomen. Remember that the beginning of knitting serious things should be accompanied by a detailed plan.