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Yarn Calculator
Use this free yarn calculator to find out exactly how much yarn your next project needs before you buy. Pick the project, the size, and the yarn weight, enter your gauge if you know it, and the calculator works out the total yardage, adds a buffer if you want one, and tells you how many skeins to buy. It works in yards or meters, so it fits any pattern and any yarn label.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base yardage | 1,200 yd |
| Gauge adjustment | × 1.00 |
| Buffer (10%) | +120 yd |
| Total yarn needed | 1,320 yd |
| Skeins to buy | 6 skeins |
| Leftover yarn | 0 yd |
How it works
The calculator starts with a base yardage for your project and size. These base numbers come from typical finished measurements: an adult medium sweater takes about 1,200 yards of worsted weight yarn, a scarf about 400 yards, a throw blanket about 1,800 yards, a hat about 220 yards, a pair of socks about 400 yards, and a shawl about 600 yards. Smaller sizes need less and larger sizes need more, so the size you pick scales the base up or down. A baby sweater, for example, needs roughly half the yarn of an adult medium, while an extra-large sweater needs about 40 percent more.
Next the yarn weight adjusts the total. This surprises many knitters, but finer yarn needs more yardage for the same project. A fingering weight sweater has far more stitches than a bulky weight sweater of the same size, and even though each stitch uses less yarn, the total adds up to more. Fingering weight needs about 40 percent more yardage than worsted, DK needs about 15 percent more, bulky needs about 20 percent less, and chunky needs about 30 percent less. If you are substituting a different yarn weight than the pattern calls for, this adjustment is the part that keeps you from running short.
Gauge is the third adjustment, and it is the one only you can measure. Gauge means how many stitches fit in one inch of your knitting, and it depends on your yarn, your needles, and how tightly you knit. The standard gauge for worsted weight is about 5 stitches per inch, for DK about 5.5, for fingering about 7, for bulky about 3.5, and for chunky about 3. If your gauge is tighter than standard, you fit more stitches into every inch, so you need more yarn; if it is looser, you need less. The adjustment is the square of the ratio between your gauge and the standard gauge, because gauge changes both how many stitches fit across the width and how many rows fit down the length. The honest way to get your gauge is to knit a swatch of at least 4 by 4 inches, wash and block it the way you will wash the finished piece, and then count the stitches.
Finally the calculator adds your buffer and divides by the skein size. The buffer covers the swatch, the rows you rip back, and small changes such as longer sleeves or a wider body. Ten percent is a good default for most projects, and 15 to 20 percent is sensible for a first attempt at a pattern or a fitted garment. The skein count is always rounded up, because you cannot buy part of a skein. The leftover line tells you how much yarn you will have left after the project, which is handy if you are planning a matching hat or a pair of mittens from the same yarn.
Yarn labels list yardage in yards or meters depending on the brand. One yard is 0.9144 meters, so 1,320 yards is about 1,207 meters. Use the unit selector to match your labels, and enter the skein size in the same unit so the skein count comes out right.
Skeins = total yarn ÷ skein size, rounded up
Worked example
You are knitting an adult medium sweater in worsted weight yarn at the standard gauge of 5 stitches per inch. Your skeins hold 220 yards each, and you want the recommended 10 percent buffer.
Step 1: Base yardage — an adult medium sweater in worsted weight needs 1,200 yards.
Step 2: Weight factor — worsted is the reference weight, so the factor is 1.00 and the yardage stays at 1,200 yards.
Step 3: Gauge adjustment — you are using the standard gauge, so the factor is (5 ÷ 5)² = 1.00 and the yardage stays at 1,200 yards.
Step 4: Buffer — 10 percent of 1,200 is 120 yards, so the total is 1,200 + 120 = 1,320 yards.
Step 5: Skeins — 1,320 ÷ 220 = 6 skeins exactly, with 0 yards left over.
Buy 6 skeins of 220 yards, all in the same dye lot. If you switch to DK weight yarn for the same sweater, the calculator gives 1,200 × 1.15 × 1.10 = 1,518 yards, which is 7 skeins of 220 yards.
FAQ
How much yarn do I need for an adult sweater?
An adult medium sweater in worsted weight yarn typically needs about 1,200 yards. With a 10 percent buffer that is 1,320 yards, which is 6 skeins of 220 yards each. A small sweater needs about 950 yards, a large about 1,450 yards, and an extra-large about 1,700 yards, all before the buffer.
Does yarn weight change how much yarn I need?
Yes. Finer yarns need more yardage for the same project because each stitch uses less yarn but you need many more stitches to cover the same area. Fingering weight needs about 40 percent more yardage than worsted, DK needs about 15 percent more, bulky needs about 20 percent less, and chunky needs about 30 percent less.
What happens if my gauge is different from the pattern gauge?
A tighter gauge, meaning more stitches per inch, uses more yarn, and a looser gauge uses less. The calculator adjusts the yardage by the square of the ratio between your gauge and the standard gauge for that yarn weight, because gauge affects both the stitch count across and the row count down. Knit a swatch, measure your real gauge, and enter it for the most accurate result.
How many skeins should I buy?
Divide the total yardage, including your buffer, by the yardage on one skein and round up. You cannot buy part of a skein, so always round up to the next whole skein. Buy all your skeins at once and check that they share the same dye lot, because the color can vary slightly between lots.
Should I add a buffer when buying yarn?
Yes, a 10 percent buffer is a good default. It covers swatching, a few ripped-back rows, and small changes such as longer sleeves or a wider body. It is far cheaper to buy one extra skein now than to discover later that your dye lot is sold out and the new lot does not match.