How Much Yarn Do I Need?

So you’ve got your wool and your pattern at the ready, but the next question is, how much do you need? While heavily textured items such as sweaters and oversized looks require additional yarn, smaller items such as babies clothing really don’t need the same amount of material. Whatever you’re planning to knit, always estimate generously as it is better to have leftovers rather than not enough! Here’s our guide to yard estimates for whatever project you’re planning.

Here are a few things to remember when calculating how much yarn you need:

• If you’ve got the recommended yarn for a pattern, it will normally tell you how much wool you need for each size.
• If you want to use a different yarn from the pattern, you may need to do a bit of working out:Number of skeins called for in the pattern × yards per skein = total yards needed for the pattern.

If you aren’t following a pattern exactly, or are looking to estimate in another way, the following will help you to determine how much yarn you need to buy. These guidelines are based on the recommended amounts you need for a basic cardigan or sweater in a range of sizes and are intended for smooth yarns and lightly textured knitting.

Babies 12-18 Months Clothing
Fingering weight: 600-700 yards

Toddlers 2-6 Years
(For a pullover or cardigan)
sportweight: 800-1000 yards

Children 6-12 Years
(For a pullover or cardigan)
Sportweight: 1000-1500 yards

Ladies Sizes 32-40 Bust
(For a regular pullover) (Add 5% for a cardigan)
Fingering weight: 1500-1700 yards

Men Sizes 36-48 Chest
(For a regular pullover) (Add 5% for a cardigan)
Sportweight: 1700-2100 yards

Please click here for our full range of yarns.