Help! My Grounded Cowl is the Wrong Size – 3 ways to adjust the size of your chunky crochet

One of my lovely customers reached out to me today because she’d made a Grounded Cowl and it wasn’t big enough. The 30 stitches in each row came out to be 90cm around, instead of the 100cm in the design.

The good news is that there are 3 ways to easily make a Grounded Cowl, or any other crochet or knitting, the right size – feel free to use a combination of the solutions below.

Solution 1 – Use a Different Size Crochet Hook

The size of your crocheting will depend on the size of the crochet hook you use – the diameter determines the size of the stitches.

If your crocheting is too small, then use a bigger hook. If your crocheting is too big, then use a smaller hook.

In the case of the small Grounded Cowl, the hook size can be increased from 25mm to 30mm or even 35mm.

To know if your bigger/smaller hook has fixed the problem – crochet the first one or two rows and then measure it to check the size of your crocheting in relation to the design.

Solution 2 – Use a Different Number of Stitches

The size of your crocheting is determined by the number of stitches in the row or round, and you can adjust the size by adding or removing the number of stitches. The solution is great if you don’t have a larger crochet hook, you can use the one you already have.

To work out how many stitches to use it involves some simple maths – the new number of stitches = the current number of stitches / the current size x the new size.

In the case of the small Grounded Cowl, the number of stitches in the row can be increased to 33. I worked out the new number of stitches (33) = the current number of stitches (30) / the current size (90cm) x the new size (100cm).

To know if the new number of stitches has fixed the problem – crochet the first one or two rows and then measure it to check the size of your crocheting in relation to the design.

Solution 3 – Blocking

Blocking is one of crocheting and knitting’s hidden superpowers – my “normal sized yarn” crocheting and knitting started to look heaps better once I started blocking! It works the best with natural fibres – did you know that wool can change size by up to 30%!

What blocking does is it uses water to relax the fibres so they can then be reshaped before drying.

I don’t use blocking very much with chunky crochet, but it can come in handy in this case.

Here’s what to do:

• Soak your Grounded Cowl in cold water for about 30 minutes.
• Lie your Grounded Cowl out on a towel, and then roll the Grounded Cowl up in the towel. This removes the water from the cowl without damaging the delicate wool fibres.
• Lie you Grounded Cowl out flat in a place it can dry without being moved or disturbed. It can be handy to do this away from pets and kids.
• Now reshape you Grounded Cowl to the size you would like it to be. Don’t be afraid to be a little rough!
• Leave your Grounded Cowl to dry. To speed this process up pop it in front of a heater, or hold an iron above it and steam it (don’t put the iron on the cowl though).

So there you go – that’s how you can adjust the Grounded Cowl Crochet Pattern to suit how you crochet.

I’d love to know which solution/s worked for you – let me know in the comments below. Feel free to ask for help with working out how many stitches to use as well.

With love, Lynda.