Knitting tension help please

[Horsemad]

I've been given a knit your own bobble hat kit - have just done the tension swatch (see attached diagram) and my knitting is over by one stitch, so my knitting measures about 2cm too wide.

What do I need to do please?! 😆 Can I just drop 1 stitch from the number I need to start with?

I should add, I can knit and have done a lot in the past but never done a tension swatch before...
I do tend to knit 'tight', so deliberately tried to not do so on this swatch.

Any help gratefully received, thanks!

You could try a needle a size smaller.

Don’t drop a stitch from the overall count, go down a half or full needle size. Or knit to your usual tight tension?

Yeah, a smaller needle size will probably do it or as you say Saucery, knit as I usually do! 🙂

Thanks both ( hi elephant 👋🙂)

Ooo! I didn't realise it was you posting Horse. I think you are very conscientious checking your tension, mind you that my be my downfall at times .

Lol lol, never ever checked tension before. 😆
Only doing it now because I only have the one ball of yarn, mind you if I knit tight I'll have yarn left over but probs won't be able to get the damn hat on my head!! 😆😆😆

I tried to correct my tension when knitting a cardigan, i.e. I knitted more tightly than I normally do, to make it fit the gauge and it ended up being absolutely huge! I must've naturally fallen back into my usual loose knitting as I relaxed into the pattern and hadn't realised!

Don't try to knit tighter or more loosely than usual; instead change the size of the needles or the yarn so the no. of stitches match the swatch size.

I've never knit a tension square, it probably shows in my very amateurish and occasionally wonky knitting