Knitting tension help

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

The tension has to be 11cm x 11cm.

I can get the width, but the length is about 3 cm too short. I’ve tried a million different needle sizes, but l can’t change it.

What do l do?

22 stitches by 28 rows

what are you knitting? Does tension matter?

Might stretch longer on blocking/washing?

I’m knitting a child’s cardi, so it will matter unfortunately

You can knit extra rows of the pattern before you decrease for arm holes if it's too short

You’re not accidentally twisting stitches or combination knitting are you? I suddenly started doing that for some reason and it was really confusing!

Changing needle material (e.g. metal to bamboo) rather than size can also apparently make a difference so might be worth trying if you have different needles lying around.

Knit the width as it says in the pattern, but knit the length according to the child's measurement from back of neck to waist.

Thanks for help guys, l was going to knit to length and then add a bit more in armholes. Great accuracy😁

It's quite common not to be able to get row gauge - this is why a lot of patterns will tell you 'knit until item measures x cm from point y' (e.g. cast on edge, or last decrease or whatever). Then your row gauge doesn't matter, you just knit more rows - you will need more yarn than possibly the pattern calls for, but these estimates are usually pretty generous.

Did you measure your tension square after you blocked it? This can make a big difference.