I should have problaby mentioned that this is crochet. :)

~ Kit

I have mostly experience with knitting, and I have not read too many crochet patterns. But, in knitting, you worry more about the width, or number of stitches across. If the number of rows is off, that is not too big a deal, because most knitting patterns just say "knit till piece is 9 inches long, etc. They usually don't say how many rows, unless it is at the beginning of a piece where you will do so many rows of ribbing, etc. I don't know what you are crocheting, but if it is something where you will be making a front and back, I would just keep track of how many rows it took to get to a certain length and write it down, so you can duplicate it exactly on the back.

If you are making clothing, the gauge is important. Debbee above gives good advice. If, on the other hand, it is something like a baby afghan, it really does not matter much. You might need more yarn, but you do not have a fit issue. I often make a baby afghan or throw larger than the directions call for, so I do not worry about gauge..

I assume the directions for the swatch said to do the swatch in dc.