Hello Emma, 

First of all, I’m glad that you got my book. I hope this will be your little handbook to accompany you on the journey into to the knitting world. :)

To answer your question: the knit gauge given in the beginning of the book, 20 sts x 28 rows to 10 x 10 cm, is for the particular cotton yarn that I knitted with in this book. Your own knit gauge depends on the yarn and needles that you’re using, and the tension of your own hand knitting. You can read more about knit gauge, which is an important part of knitting, on P.14 in the book. 

Regarding the knit chart for each square in the book, the number of rows shown in a chart is not necessarily the same as the number of rows that you are going to knit. The actual number of rows to knit for a perfect square, if that’s what you want, is affected, again, by your choice of yarn and gauge. 

And, you may want to continue to knit after getting a square, to practice more of the pattern stitch. There is no limit to how many rows that you can knit here. The squares are for learning and practicing, I wouldn’t worry too much about how it comes out (it may even become a rectangle :D), as long as I’m doing it right and getting a hang of the pattern.

To sum it up, the number of rows in a knit chart is for your reference only, you don’t have to follow them literally. 

Finally, for you to learn how to work the different stitches from this book, as long as you have a knit gauge that is suitable for your choice of yarn and needle, the knit tension is not important here.

So, relax, have fun and enjoy the squares as tools to help you progress in your knitting skills. :D