Many wonder whether they will have enough yarn to complete a project. It's not guessing; it's mathematics. Yarnspirations figured out how many yards to purchase for the average project. Of course, some projects are yarn pigs, like the crocodile stitch or textured stitches, but this will give a close idea.
This doesn't tell you colour breakdowns if you are changing colour, just total yards roughly in a project. This is the USA form of measurements or those using imperial mathematics.
You can get the METRES version here.
Yarn Labels
- The metres per ball, skein, O'Go, hank, cake, or cone are found on the labels of major manufacturers.
- You will also see the weight assignment to match the project with the hook or needle size. On the label below, it's #5 Bulky Weight.
- Generally speaking, crochet uses more yarn than knitting.
Example:
I want a Bulky #5-weight baby blanket that is between 875 and 1000 yards. Use the yards on the package to determine the number of balls you need.
1000 yds divided by the 228 yds shown on the package = 4.38 balls. Round up to the nearest whole number, in this case, five balls. So, I would buy five balls of this to make the baby blanket.
Super Fine #1 Weight Projects
- Hats 250 - 325 yds
- Scarf 525 to 825 yds
- Socks 350 - 500 yds
- Sweater 3375 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 525 to 825 yds
- Afghan 3750 to 4125 yds
- Shawl 550 to 850 yds
Fine #2 Weight Projects
- Hats 250 to 325 yds
- Scarf 450 to 625 yds
- Socks 300 to 450 yds
- Sweater 1750 to 2625 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 1250 to 1500 yds
- Afghan 3500 to 3750 yds
- Shawl 450 to 700 yds
Light #3 Weight Projects
- Hats 200 to 250 yds
- Scarf 375 to 500 yds
- Socks 275 to 400 yds
- Sweater 1500 to 2250 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 1125 to 1250 yds
- Afghan 3000 to 3500 yds
- Shawl 400 to 625 yds
Medium #4 Weight Projects
- Hats 125 to 200 yds
- Scarf 250 to 375 yds
- Socks 250 - 350 yds
- Sweater 1125 to 1625 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 1000 to 1125 yds
- Afghan 2250 to 3125 yds
- Shawl 375 to 550 yds
Bulky #5 Weight Projects
- Hats 200 to 250 yds
- Scarf 375 to 500 yds
- Socks 275 to 375 yds
- Sweater 950 to 1125 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 875 to 1000 yds
- Afghan 2000 to 2250 yds
- Shawl 375 to 550 yds
Super Bulky #6 Weight Projects
- Hats 125 to 150 yds
- Scarf 250 to 375 yds
- Socks 200 to 250 yds
- Sweater 825 to 1125 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 750 to 875 yds
- Afghan 1625 to 2000 yds
- Shawl 350 to 474 yds
Jumbo #7 Weight Projects
- Hats 30 to 60 yds
- Scarf 125 to 200 yds
- Socks 175 to 200 yds
- Sweater 825 to 1125 yds
- Baby Blanket or Palliative 625 to 750 yds
- Afghans 1375 to 1625 yds
- Shawl 300 to 400 yds
More Ideas
- Timeless Tunisian Blanket Stitch Sampler
- 3 Crochet Baby Bib Patterns
- Knit Caron Cupcakes Hat - Pattern on Label
- Mikey's Beehive Assignment
- Let's Stripe V-Stitch Adult Hat Pattern
- Colorblock Ruana Crochet Pattern
- Beginner Color Play O'Go Striped Scarf Pattern
Janet says
When a pattern is written for dk #3 wt yarn, but I want to use #4 wt, there are times I need to know the difference in yardage. I realize this may also require doing a swatch and that it can complicate some patterns. But a simple large Granny square, or "From the Middle," or C2C work out fine. One time I did make a shawl that started with short row on one end, and increased until the center and then decreased to the other end. My #4 wt made it much larger and out of proportion. But that's a different problem. Ha!