Alison, these are great questions! It does sound like your starter is a little low on hydration. It should look and feel a bit like pancake batter in consistency. Feel free to add a bit more water to your feedings until it seems about right. We usually add equal amounts of flour and water by weight, but if your starter seems to dry out quickly due to your climate, you might need to adjust it. As far as measuring the volume of your starter goes, the easiest way is to keep it in a clear container and put a mark at the top of the unfed starter. (Dry erase marker or a rubber band wrapped around the container both work well.) This way, it's very easy to see when it has doubled in size. The weight of fed starter by volume will vary wildly, which is why it's best to use weights when adding fed starter to a bread dough. We hope that helps! Kat@KAF

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