This has become a hot and highly-contested topic in the Crochet world. Given that, I’ll try to give you facts and you can decide what to do with it.

What Is It Called?

Gauge is the US term. UK/Canadian English will often use the term Tension, so you should be familiar with both.

What is It?

Gauge refers to the number of stitches and rows over a set measurement (e.g., Stitches Per Inch).

Why Do I Care?

Matching the gauge to what’s given can help in several ways: