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All About Crochet

Free crochet tool

Yarn Quantity Estimator

Estimate how much yarn a project needs by weighing and measuring a small swatch.

Measurements
Yarn length
Your swatch
in
in
I measured the yarn used by
g

A kitchen scale that measures to 1 g works well; larger swatches are more accurate.

Your project
in
in
Yarn label
yd
g
%

Skeins to buy

6

Rounded up, including your safety margin

Total length

1,188 yd

1,086 m

Total weight

594 g

This is an estimate based on area. Borders, seams, fringe, color changes and tension changes all use extra yarn.

How to use it

  1. 1

    Crochet a swatch in your project stitch and yarn — a larger swatch gives a more accurate estimate.

  2. 2

    Weigh it on a kitchen scale, or unravel it and measure the yarn.

  3. 3

    Enter your project dimensions and the details from the yarn label.

How it works

The estimate scales your swatch by area: project area ÷ swatch area × yarn in the swatch. It converts between weight and length using the yarn label, adds your safety margin and rounds up to whole skeins. It works best for rectangular projects in a single stitch; shaped pieces, borders, fringe and color changes need extra.

Common questions

How big should my swatch be?

At least 4 × 4 in (10 × 10 cm); 6 × 6 in (15 × 15 cm) or larger is better for weighing, because small swatches are hard to weigh accurately.

What safety margin should I use?

10% is a sensible default. Use more for projects with borders, lots of color changes or very textured stitches.