Loom Gauges 201

Gauging Gauges

Here's a quick review for those who already know this, and a stitch of new information for those who were out that day in Looming 201 class. Loom gauge is usually measured from the center of one peg to the center of the next peg (center-to-center, or C2C). The largest gauge looms are made with pegs that are 3/4” and over from center-to-center. These looms are used to make rugs, bulky shawls and afghans, and are good for loom knitting with fabric strips and super bulky yarns.

The Knifty Knitter looms are “large” or “bulky” gauge, and range from about 5/8" (blue loom) to 3/4" (yellow loom) center-to-center on the pegs. Large gauge looms handle bulky and super bulky yarns quite nicely, but if you want to use a worsted weight yarn, you will need to use two strands of yarn held together.

The next size down is “regular” or “half” gauge, and the pegs or pins are 1/2" center-to-center. You can use one strand of bulky yarn (like LB Homespun) or one or two strands of worsted weight yarn on a regular gauge loom quite nicely.

Smaller yet are the “small” gauge (3/8" spacing), “third” gauge (1/3" spacing), “fine” gauge (1/4" spacing), and extra fine gauge (3/16" spacing) looms. These are used for very lightweight yarns, making dishcloths, socks, felting, etc.

Center-to-Center Gauge Measurements
Bulky Gauge = ¾” to 1”+
Large Gauge = 5/8”
Regular or Half Gauge (HG) = ½”
Small or Fine Gauge (SG) = 3/8”
Third Gauge (3G) = 5/16” or 1/3”
Fine Gauge (FG) = ¼”
Extra Fine Gauge (EFG) = 3/16”