knitting too loosely

[elibats]

Hello,

Every time I try to follow a pattern, my rows always come out a lot longer than the pattern says they should be, even though I use the needles and yarn the pattern says to use. This makes me think I must be knitting too loosely, but I can't figure out how to make my stitches tighter. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Polly

[WildMountainHoney]

Use smaller needles!

I'm a loose knitter, and I often use a needle 1 or 2 sizes smaller than suggested in order to get gauge.

[suzeeq]

Using the needle size in the pattern is only a start, you need to measure your gauge too, or adjust the pattern. If you have to go down a size or two, that's fine, then what you make will fit better.

[Julia C]

Do you knit a gauge swatch? I have heard that for many patterns the row number is less important than the stitch count.