How much yarn do I need?
A practical way to estimate yardage when the pattern does not tell you, and how to avoid running short.
Running out of yarn halfway through a project is frustrating, and matching dye lots later is difficult. Here is how to plan.
Start with the pattern
A good pattern lists the yardage or metres needed. Add 10–15% as a safety margin, and buy all the yarn for a project at once so that the dye lot matches.
Estimate from a swatch
- Work a swatch of about 10 × 10 cm in your chosen stitch and yarn.
- Weigh the swatch on a kitchen scale, in grams.
- Multiply the swatch weight by the area you need, divided by 100 (the swatch area in cm²). For example, a 5 g swatch and a 3,000 cm² throw need about 150 g.
- Add 10–15% for the ends, joins and edges.
Rough ranges
These are indicative only. Stitch, hook size and yarn weight change them a lot.
| Project | Typical yardage (worsted weight) |
|---|---|
| Small amigurumi (10–15 cm) | 40–100 yd (35–90 m) |
| Adult hat | 150–250 yd (140–230 m) |
| Scarf | 300–500 yd (275–460 m) |
| Baby blanket | 600–900 yd (550–825 m) |
| Adult sweater | 1,000–1,800 yd (900–1,650 m) |
If you run short
Check whether the shop has the same dye lot. If not, alternate the two skeins for a few rows so the change looks deliberate. Try to keep a spare ball unwound until you finish.