This is rather a cheat, I know. But there is a way that you can avoid much of the stress and pain of grading your crochet or knit item. You will still have to do some of the work that’s described in A Simple Guide to Grading Crochet, but you won’t have to work out all of the math.

If you write your pattern for someone to “stitch until pattern reaches X length” then you’ve avoided most of the grading right there. Determine what sizes you wish to make and calculate the sizes of your desired finished product. Use those as reference when writing your pattern.

Granted, you will still need to measure gauge (great video to help you right here) and you might have to calculate some grading numbers at some point, but you can surely avoid a lot of stress by telling the user to stitch to length.

Example: You’re creating a pattern that is worked in panels. The initial foundation chain (or FSC, or FDC) will need to be a number of stitches. You’ll use your gauge to determine the numbers for additional sizes. But once you’ve developed the stitch pattern it’s “repeat until piece measures X from beginning.”

To completely avoid any math, make all sizes have a similar measurement in one direction. Maybe it’s a top and they’re all 25″ long. Then you’ll use the measurements per size to determine the width. Boom, no calculations.

Janine Myska at Knits’n’Knots has a great pattern that uses this technique. Recently, I edited the Wanderer Ruana with an expansion to accommodate more sizes and I was so impressed with her style, I asked her if I could use it as an example. She said, “yes” because she’s super awesome. It is a paid pattern but well worth it to save you the hassle of working math.

Remember, if you have any questions about grading, writing, or refining your patterns, I’m here for you. Let me take the stress out of your publishing process and help you have confidence in your final product. You can purchase Consulting time if you just want to get some questions answered, or you can purchase Bulk Tech Edit time for accessories and short patterns. All other patterns are edited at $25/hour (1 hour minimum with additional billing per half hour).