I am often asked if one of my patterns can be resized. I know that it can become frustrating to see a pattern you love and yet, not be able to make it in the size you need. I do try to make most patterns in a variety of sizes to accommodate all, but sometimes, the pattern I design is size specific. I don’t have a variation or the stitch counts to make it in other sizes. Today’s blog is JUST A GUIDELINE to show you how changing your hook size can make a pattern slightly smaller or bigger JUST by changing this one detail.

Experimenting!

I decided to do a quick trial experiment because, not only do I love to crochet, I love to get answers to longstanding questions. The question posed to me quite often is: Can I make this pattern bigger or smaller?

If I don’t have the pattern adapted to various sizes, I have offered the suggestion to try different hook sizes.
Here I give you a better visual on how much changing the hook size does increase or decrease the size of your piece.

In this experiment, I took six different hooks:
1. D-3.25mm crochet hook
2. F-3.75mm crochet hook
3. G-4.25mm crochet hook
4. H-5.00mm crochet hook
5. J-6.00mm crochet hook
6. K-6.50mm crochet hook

I then crocheted THE EXACT SAME granny square using each different hook. (See this pattern here for the granny square pattern)

I used Red Heart With Love yarn in color Jadeite (worsted weight) Size 4 Medium (equal to DK or Aran yarn).

Once I completed each square, I placed all together using a US quarter coin as a point of reference to show proportion.
Each square increased somewhat in size but also, notice the stitching is not as tight as you increase the size.

The difference in size from the first square using a D-3.25mm hook to the last square using the K-6.50mm hook is a difference of 3 inches (~8cm)

Visuals Help!

If you are like me, it is so much easier to have a visual to be able to put into perspective how much change happens just by changing your hook. It helps so much to see it right in front of your eyes rather than trying to picture it in your mind how much difference this will make.

This trick may not work for ALL patterns but for some, this adjustment will be very handy in making something just a bit smaller or larger.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t allow for HUGE variations in size but just enough for some to get the desired result if you want to go a bit up or down on a specific pattern.

Also, remember, the larger you go, the looser and open the stitches will appear.

Share with us your experience if YOU have tried resizing by changing your hook gauge. Let us know how that helped you make a pattern smaller or larger. We’d love to hear from you!

 

Below are photos of each square by itself using the quarter as a point of reference.