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Yarn calculator

Yarn requirement scales with area and with how densely the stitch packs it, which is what gauge measures.

cm
%
Skeins needed
3
= Exact Yarn quantity
Yarn length
490
In yards
536
Total stitches
49 500
Stitches across
110
Rows
450
Finished area
0.750
Show the working
  1. Finished width = 50
  2. Finished length = 150
  3. Stitches per 10 cm = 22
  4. Rows per 10 cm = 30
  5. Yarn per stitch = 0.9
  6. Metres per skein = 200
  7. Waste and seaming = 10
  8. Stitches across = 50 / 10 * 22 = 110
  9. Rows = 150 / 10 * 30 = 450
  10. Total stitches = 110 * 450 = 49 500
  11. yarn_cm = 49 500 * 0.9 = 44 550
  12. Yarn length = 44 550 / 100 * (1 + 10/100) = 490.05
  13. Skeins needed = ceil(490.05 / 200) = 3
  14. In yards = 490.05 * 1.0936132983377078 = 535.925
  15. Finished area = 50 * 150 / 10000 = 0.75

Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.

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    The formula

    • stitches = width x gauge / 10
    • yarn length = total stitches x yarn per stitch

    Yarn per stitch is roughly three times the stitch width for stocking stitch and more for cables or garter.

    Always buy one extra skein from the same dye lot. Dye lots vary visibly and are rarely restocked.

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