Pick up stitches calculator
Pick up 115 stitches along the edge. That is 10 stitches for every 13 rows. Work it in runs, skipping one row after each run: 2 runs of 3 stitches and 1 runs of 4, then repeat.
Result
Stitches to pick up
Before fitting the multiple
Stitches in one repeat
Rows in one repeat
Stitches in each shorter run
Shorter runs in one repeat
Stitches in each longer run
Longer runs in one repeat
Rows along the edge
How it works
Stitches are wider than they are tall, so one stitch in every row along an edge makes a band that flares. The right pick up ratio is your stitch gauge over your row gauge. The tool reduces that ratio and splits it into short runs, each followed by one skipped row, which is how you pick up stitches along an edge in practice: three stitches for every four rows is only one such rate, right for one gauge. For how many stitches to pick up for a button band, it multiplies the edge length by the stitch gauge and moves the total to the nearest count your rib accepts. Use blocked gauge figures, and the band's own stitch gauge if you swatched it.
Formula
stitches to pick up = edge length × stitches per inch, moved to the nearest count that fits the rib multiple. Pick-up rate = stitches ÷ rows of your gauge, reduced to its lowest terms. The rows skipped in one repeat = rows − stitches of that reduced rate, and the stitches are shared between those skips as evenly as whole numbers allow.
Worked example
The calculator opens with this example; the result above is computed from it.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Gauge: stitches | 20 |
| Gauge: rows | 26 |
| Gauge: measured over | 4 in |
| Length of the edge | 23 in |
| Band stitch multiple | 1 |
| Plus extra stitches | 0 |
| Stitches to pick up | 115 |
| Before fitting the multiple | 115.0 |
| Stitches in one repeat | 10 |
| Rows in one repeat | 13 |
| Stitches in each shorter run | 3 |
| Shorter runs in one repeat | 2 |
| Stitches in each longer run | 4 |
| Longer runs in one repeat | 1 |
| Rows along the edge | 149 |
Common cases
| Case | Starting values | Stitches to pick up | Before fitting the multiple | Stitches in one repeat | Rows in one repeat | Stitches in each shorter run | Shorter runs in one repeat | Stitches in each longer run | Longer runs in one repeat | Rows along the edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardigan button band in two by two rib | Gauge: stitches 20; Gauge: rows 26; Gauge: measured over 4 in; Length of the edge 23 in; Band stitch multiple 4; Plus extra stitches 2 | 114 | 115.0 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 149 |
| Border along the side of a blanket | Gauge: stitches 18; Gauge: rows 24; Gauge: measured over 4 in; Length of the edge 40 in; Band stitch multiple 1; Plus extra stitches 0 | 180 | 180.0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 240 |
| Edge of a garter stitch piece | Gauge: stitches 18; Gauge: rows 36; Gauge: measured over 4 in; Length of the edge 30 in; Band stitch multiple 1; Plus extra stitches 0 | 135 | 135.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 270 |
| Band on a longer cardigan, from the pattern count | Gauge: stitches 71; Gauge: rows 104; Gauge: measured over 16 in; Length of the edge 18 in; Band stitch multiple 2; Plus extra stitches 1 | 79 | 79.9 | 71 | 104 | 2 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 117 |
Questions and answers
How many stitches do I pick up for a button band?
For an edge of 23 in at a gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows over 4 in, pick up 114 stitches for a two by two rib. Along the edge that is 10 stitches for every 13 rows.
How many stitches do I pick up along a garter stitch edge?
At 18 stitches and 36 rows over 4 in, the rate comes to 1 stitch for every 2 rows, which is one stitch in each garter ridge. An edge of 30 in takes 135 stitches.
Assumptions and limits
- Use the gauge of your own blocked fabric, not the pattern's gauge: one of the two figures is often off.
- A band worked on smaller needles or in rib has its own stitch gauge. Enter that one if you measured it.
- When two counts fit the multiple equally well, the tool takes the lower one. A band with slightly too few stitches lies flatter than one with too many.
- Pick up along a few inches, knit the band's depth and check that it lies flat before doing the whole edge.
The result is an estimate for planning, not professional advice.
Sources
- Kelbourne Woolens, Kate Osborn: Perfectly picked up stitches (stitch gauge over row gauge, reduced and split into runs; four worked gauges)retrieved 2026-10-13
- Modern Daily Knitting, Patty Lyons: Button band gladness (edge length times stitch gauge; scaling a pattern's count; rib multiples)retrieved 2026-10-13
Last updated:
Method in depth: Pick-up rates: stitch gauge over row gauge
Cite this page: Knit Math, “Pick up stitches calculator”, https://knit-math.pages.dev/stitch-counts/pick-up-stitches-calculator/ (updated 13 October 2026).
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