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NEWSLETTER: How to Calculate Pattern Repeats
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Last time, we covered how to calculate gauge from a student question in my LMB Designs Ravelry group. (If you're not a member, click the Join this Group button at the top right-hand corner here!)
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How Do You Calculate Pattern Repeats?
Let's say you wanted to make a rectangular shawl using a stitch pattern you used in another project or found in a stitch dictionary. First you need to see how many stitches are in each pattern repeat.
What is a Pattern Repeat? A pattern repeat is the number of stitches that you repeat over and over across the row/round for as wide as you want to make your project. In written instructions, this would be the number of stitches in between the *s. As an example *k2, p3; rep from * to end has a pattern repeat of 5 stitches (knit 2 + purl 3 = 5). So, in order to make a project with a pattern repeat of 5, you would need to cast on a multiple of 5 stitches (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.). If you find your pattern in a stitch dictionary, it will most likely tell you the pattern repeat at the beginning of the pattern (ie. "Multiple of 5").
Note that there are also pattern repeats that have additional stitches outside of the pattern repeat, which will be indicated as "Multiple of 5 + 3." In this example, you would need to cast on a multiple of 5 stitches (5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) plus 3 additional stitches, for a total of 8, 13, 18, 23, etc.
How do I plan the pattern repeat into a project?
First you need to determine how many inches wide you want your project. For our example, let's say we want to make a shawl that is 18 inches wide.
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18" wide shawl = ? stitches
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Next, you need to do a gauge swatch in your stitch pattern to establish your gauge (see the previous newsletter covering gauge). Once you determine your stitches per inch, take that number and multiply by 18 to get the total number of stitches for an 18" wide shawl. For our example, let's say we are getting 5 stitches per inch:
5 stitches per inch x 18" wide shawl = 90 stitches
So, 90 stitches would be the number of stitches to make a fabric 18" wide.
Now, we need to determine if we need to round up or down to equal our pattern repeat. If our shawl pattern is a multiple of 5, then we're good to cast on 90 stitches for our pattern. Note that if we were using the pattern that is a multiple of 5 + 3, we would need to cast on 93 to have the additional 3 stitches for the repeat.
Lastly, you may want to consider adding a border to your shawl if your pattern tends to curl. (Look at your gauge swatch. Does it lie flat or curl on the edges?) To keep the shawl from curling up on the sides, add approximately 1" garter stitch border on either side. Since our example gauge is 5 sts = 1 inch, then we'd add about 5 stitches on either end of our pattern repeat (a garter border won't necessarily be the same gauge as your pattern, but close enough for this purpose). In order to compensate for the additional width of our border, we will reduce our pattern repeat by 2" (90 sts - 10 sts = 80 sts).
So, to see how the final shawl pattern repeats work:
80 total sts / 5 sts in the pattern repeat = 16 repeats
So you would work 16 repeats between two 5-stitch borders.
Now you know how to calculate pattern repeats for your knitting project!
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Come join me on Ravelry and let's knit together!
Lisa M. Barnes
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