The quintessential question for all who knit and crochet! It should surprise none of you that the answer is usually, "it depends..." - and it always involves math.
I HAVE A PATTERN
- Congratulations! This is the easiest route to an answer! Then it comes down to the size you make and the yarn you choose.
- It's always worth a minute to look on Ravelry and the designer's website to see if there are pattern errata before you start.
- Want to use something other than the recommended yarn? We have an entire post on that to help...
I HAVE NO PATTERN BUT JUST WANT TO MAKE SOCKS OR A HAT
- For both knit and crochet, the general rule of thumb is that a typical 100g skein of yarn will safely make you a hat. Crochet takes about 25% more yarn than knitting (though it depends a lot on the stitches used!). So if you knit it, you will have more left over than if you crochet.
- For knitting, the general rule of thumb for socks is that a typical 100g skein of fingering yarn will get you a pair of average women's socks for an average foot. Very tight gauge, complicated cables, men's, large woman's size, or knee-highs? Buy 2 skeins.
I HAVE NO PATTERN AND AM MAKING A SCARF/BLANKET/SQUARE WRAP
- You can calculate a very rough yarn estimate for rectangular, stockinette or garter stitch items with this handy formula. It works best in the middle of the yarn size spectrum and can falter at the extremes like lace and super bulky. It also doesn't account for cables or lace or other textured stitch patterning.
- Formula: (length x width x gauge) / 6 = yards needed. Length and width are in inches and gauge is in stitches per inch. The division by 6 is to convert the answer from square inches to yards.
- For example, if you'd like a scarf 48" long and 8" wide using a worsted weight yarn, (48 x 8 x 5) / 6 = 320 yards.
- Round up as running out of yarn is the worst!
I HAVE NO PATTERN AND AM MAKING A SWEATER/VEST/ETC
- From here on out, we suggest the KnitBot Stashbot by Hannah Fettig. This incredibly useful little booklet is a godsend for knitters trying to figure out basic amounts for basic projects. Sadly, we have no such guide for crochet in the store but if you do both, add an additional 25%. As always, your mileage may vary, but this is a good rough estimate to start with.
- There are also knitting calculators out on the web! Jimmy Beans has one as does Knittable.
- Again, if you're unsure round up as an extra skein of yarn can always find a home, but a sweater with only 1.5 sleeves is less fun.
- Find a similar style thing you want to make on Ravelry and use their yarn requirements as a guide. Especially if you are doing something with cables because that uses more yarn!
DO I HAVE ENOUGH TO FINISH (A.K.A. WILL I WIN AT YARN CHICKEN)?
- For this, you need a kitchen scale! Weigh your project without the extra yarn or needles. It's fiddly but doable. Then weigh the amount of yarn you have left. Depending on where you are in the pattern you should have a pretty good idea of how much yarn you will need vs what you actually have left. May the odds be ever in your favor!
FAQs
Yarn is the thread, in the form of a loosely twisted collection of fibers, as of hemp, of which rope is made. It also refers to thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving. Hope this helps. Suggest Corrections.
How much yarn do I need for various projects? ›
How Much Yarn Is Needed for Basic Projects?
| Fine Weight Yarn (#2) | Medium Weight Yarn (#4) |
|---|
| Hat | 250-300 yds | 200-225 yds |
| Scarf | 450-600 yds | 375-450 yds |
| Shawl | 450-700 yds | 375-550 yds |
| Socks | 300-450 yds | 250-350 yds |
3 more rowsSep 28, 2023
Yarn is the thread, in the form of a loosely twisted collection of fibers, as of hemp, of which rope is made. It also refers to thread made of natural or synthetic fibers and used for knitting and weaving. Hope this helps. Suggest Corrections.
How do you determine how much yarn you need? ›
Formula: (length x width x gauge) / 6 = yards needed. Length and width are in inches and gauge is in stitches per inch. The division by 6 is to convert the answer from square inches to yards. For example, if you'd like a scarf 48" long and 8" wide using a worsted weight yarn, (48 x 8 x 5) / 6 = 320 yards.
How do I know what size yarn to use? ›
Count the wraps within the inch, and compare against these measurements below:
- Lace or 2 ply: 35 or more.
- Light fingering, sock, or 2 ply: 22 – 34.
- Fingering or 4 ply: 19 – 22.
- Sport: 15 – 18.
- DK: 12 – 17.
- Worsted or Aran: 9 – 11.
- Bulky or Chunky: 8 – 10.
- Super Bulky or Super Chunky: Anything that has 7 or less wraps per inch.
Example Yarn Requirements
| Blanket Size | Example Yarn Amount (in yards) |
|---|
| Baby Blanket | 1000 – 1200 |
| Throw Blanket | 1500 – 3000 |
| King Blanket | 4000 – 6000 |
May 22, 2023
To find the number of skien or balls needed for your project just divide the grams of yarn needed for your project (step 4) by the grams of yarn in a single skein or ball of the yarn you're using for your project. At this point, you'll have a pretty good idea of how much yarn you need to go buy!
What is the formula of yarn? ›
The formula used to calculate yarn count in the direct system is N = (W/l) divided by (L/w), where N stands for the yarn count, uppercase W stands for the sample's weight, lowercase l stands for the unit of measure's length, uppercase L stands for the sample's length, and lowercase w stands for the unit of measure's ...
What are the three types of yarn? ›
The three basic classifications of textile yarn include staple fiber yarn, which uses mostly short natural fibers to make yarn; ply yarns, which involve one or more strands of staple fiber yarn wound together; and filament yarn, which is wound from one or more long continuous filaments.
What is one thing of yarn called? ›
A skein is a ball of coiled yarn. If it weren't for the skein, the world would be full of tangled messes of yarn that would take hours to untangle before you could start your knitting.
How much yarn do I need to make a ____?
| Yarn Weight 1 | Yarn Weight 2 |
|---|
| Hat | 250-325 Yards | 250-325 Yards |
| Scarf | 525-825 Yards | 450-625 Yards |
| Socks | 350-500 Yards | 300-450 Yards |
| Shawl | 550-850 Yards | 450-700 Yards |
3 more rowsRemember to add in length for take-up, shrinkage, and loom waste. For a rough calculation, multiply your desired width in inches by your ends per inch (sett), by the length of your warp in yards. You can use this to decide how many cones of yarn to buy or if you've already got enough at home.
Do I have enough yarn left? ›
The standard advice on whether you have enough yarn to complete one more row is to stretch out your knitting and, if the length of yarn is 4 times the width of your work, you should have enough.
How do you check yarn count? ›
The direct system is calculated with the formula N = (W/l) / (L/w). The indirect system uses the formula: N = (L/w) / (W/l). In these formulas, N is the yarn count, W is the weight of a sample of yarn, l is the unit of length, L is the length of the sample, and w is the unit of weight.
Do I have enough yarn to bind off? ›
To be on the safe side, you'll need 5 times as much yarn for the bind-off as your project is wide. This will leave a little tail of maybe 3-4 inches for weaving in the tails as well. (The exact factor was 4.6 for my swatch. It was 12 cm wide and I needed 56 cm for the cast-off.)
Should you always ball your yarn? ›
This is sometimes called a skein of yarn and sometimes called a hank of yarn but the most important thing to know is that you should not attempt to knit or crochet the yarn straight away. Unless you first wind it into a ball you will end up in a terrible mess.
