“Chain a multiple of 12 plus 3” is a list wearing a disguise. Enter the repeat and your target, and the list appears: every count the pattern accepts nearby, each with its width at your gauge. Chevron and ripple patterns lean on this hardest: their peaks and valleys fix the repeat.
The Repeat and Your Target
The target is in
Counts That Fit
147stitches
nearest to 150 over 12 + 3
Each step between counts is one full repeat: 12 stitches, 4.0 in of width.
- 12341.0 in
- 13545.0 in
- 147 ← nearest49.0 in
- 15953.0 in
- 17157.0 in
The Formula
legal counts = multiple × n + extra, for every whole nThe multiple is one pattern repeat; the extra balances the row’s two edges. A ripple over 12 + 3 accepts 147, 159, 171, and nothing between, which is why ripples planned by width alone arrive with half a wave.
Worked Example
A ripple blanket (12 + 3) aimed at 150 stitches, gauge 12 per 4 in:
- Legal neighbors: 147 and 159: 150 itself doesn’t divide.
- At 3 stitches per inch: 147 runs 49 in wide, 159 runs 53. Pick by the sofa, not the arithmetic.
- Chains: the starting chain calculator adds the turning chain to whichever wins.
Reading Repeats from a Pattern
- “Multiple of 12 + 3” states stitches; “chain a multiple of 12 + 6” may fold the turning chain in: check which the pattern counts.
- Counting an unlabeled repeat: count stitches from one wave’s peak to the next on a swatch: that’s the multiple; the extra shows at the edges.
- Two patterns in one blanket need a count both repeats accept, the least common multiple problem this page solves by listing both neighborhoods.
Assumptions and Defaults
- The list shows the five legal counts nearest the target.
- Widths divide by your gauge when it’s given.
- Inches mode converts the target through the gauge first.
Multiple Questions, Answered
What does “multiple of 12 plus 3” mean?
Multiple of 12 plus 3 describes the stitch counts a pattern accepts, which take the form 12n + 3, such as 147, 159, and 171. One repeat is 12 stitches and the extra 3 balance the edges, so enter any repeat above and the valid counts list themselves.
Which count do I choose when my target doesn’t fit the repeat?
When your target doesn’t fit the repeat, choose whichever neighboring count gives a width that suits the project, and the list shows both with their widths in inches. Blankets usually take the smaller count, whereas garments follow the body’s measurements.
How do I find a stitch repeat that isn’t written down?
To find a stitch repeat that isn’t written down, count from peak to peak, or shell to shell, across a swatch, since that span is the multiple. Then work one row on a long test chain, and any extra stitches the pattern needs will show at the edges.