Crochet Tension Too Tight or Too Loose? How to Fix It

Tension is the amount of pull on the yarn as you crochet: how firmly your yarn hand holds it and how big you make each loop. Everyone's natural tension is a little different, which is why two people using the same yarn and hook can make pieces of different sizes.

There's no "correct" tension in the abstract. What you want is:

• Even tension, so all your stitches are the same size
• Comfortable tension, so your hands don't ache
• The right fabric for the project: firm for amigurumi, softer for a blanket

UK patterns use the word tension where US patterns say gauge: the number of stitches and rows in a measured square. Your tension produces your gauge.

• You struggle to get the hook into stitches, especially the first stitch of a row.
• The fabric is stiff, thick and curls up.
• Your work comes out smaller than the pattern says.
• Your hands or wrists ache after a short time.
• Your starting chain is much narrower than the rows above it.

Quick fixes:

1. 1.Let loops sit on the shaft. When you pull up a loop, slide it onto the wide, round part of the hook before finishing the stitch. Loops pulled tight on the narrow throat are the most common cause of tight crochet.
2. 2.Relax your yarn hand. Remove a wrap from your little finger, or hold the yarn more loosely.
3. 3.Loosen your grip on the hook. A tight grip goes hand in hand with tight stitches.
4. 4.Go up a hook size if your fabric is still too dense. Half a millimeter makes a real difference.
5. 5.Chain with a bigger hook. If only the foundation chain is tight, make the chain with a hook one or two sizes larger, then switch back.

• The fabric is floppy, with large holes between stitches.
• Stitches look uneven or sloppy.
• Your work comes out bigger than the pattern says.
• Amigurumi show stuffing through the stitches.
• The yarn slips around the hook and loops grow as you work.

Quick fixes:

1. 1.Add a little drag to your yarn hand. Wrap the yarn once around your little finger, or weave it between more fingers.
2. 2.Snug each loop up onto the shaft after pulling it through, so it isn't oversized.
3. 3.Go down a hook size. This is the simplest fix of all, especially for amigurumi, where a hook one or two sizes smaller than the yarn label suggests is normal.

Uneven tension, with some rows or stitches tighter than others, is very common for the first few months, and it improves with practice. Some specific causes:

• Mood and tiredness. Many people crochet tighter when stressed and looser when relaxed.
• Long breaks. Coming back to a project after weeks away can change your tension slightly. Do a few practice rows on a swatch first.
• Switching hooks. Hooks of the same size but different materials (aluminum, bamboo, plastic) can give different results, because yarn slides more or less easily on them. Finish a project with the hook you started with.
• Project weight. As a blanket gets heavy, it pulls on your work. Support it on your lap or a table.
• Changing your grip. Pick one way of holding the yarn and stick with it for the whole project.

For scarves, washcloths and most blankets, slightly tight or loose tension doesn't matter much; your project will just be a little smaller or bigger.

It matters a lot for:

• Garments and hats, which have to fit a body.
• Blankets with joined pieces, where squares need to match.
• Projects with tight yarn budgets, because looser tension uses more yarn.

For these, make a gauge swatch before you start: work a square about 6 inches (15 cm) wide in the pattern stitch, block it, and count the stitches and rows across 4 inches (10 cm) in the middle. If you have more stitches than the pattern, go up a hook size; fewer, go down. Our gauge calculator turns your swatch into stitch and row counts for any size, and the gauge guide goes deeper.

It's tempting to try to change how tightly you crochet, but it's often easier to keep your natural, comfortable tension and change the hook to get the right fabric. Designers expect this; that's why patterns give a gauge rather than insisting on a particular hook.

Our hook size converter shows the sizes on either side of your current hook in millimeters and US letters.