amberblissthis Remember my noteworthy tip on calculating yardage for tiny crochet projects like earrings? You can check out that post HERE! Now, I want to give you the inside designer’s scoop on how to calculate yardage for other–larger–crochet projects.
I’ve been there. Have YOU?
It’s time to figure out how many yards I used in a crochet project. GULP! And I’m at a loss. Every math term I ever learned is RUSHING through my head and none of them seem to apply. WHAT TO DO?
Whether you are a crochet pattern tester, a designer, a product maker, or just crocheting for mental health and fun, knowing how to calculate how much yardage you have used in a project is really valuable. I’ll detail 2 ways to calculate yardage on your larger crochet projects: with and without a scale.
*This post contains affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you choose to make a purchase after clicking on a link. Please see my Privacy Policy for complete details.
Is Knowing Yardage Really Important?
You may wonder why in the world you need to calculate yarn yardage. OH, I AM SO GLAD you wondered. Let me tell you some EXCELLENT reasons to figure out your yardage!
- If you’ve ever come to the halfway point or near the end of a project and run out of yarn, you know the importance of accurate yardage. (Also, if this has happened to you, be sure to check that your gauge is the same as that called for in the pattern.)
- If you are a crochet pattern tester, the designer will most likely want this information from you. The more accurately you can report the yardage, the better. Trust me, designers rely heavily on the information we get from our pattern testers.
- If you are working a pattern that has customizable options, you’ll need to determine whether you have enough yardage to change things like length and width. For example, my skirt patterns are customizable, and it’s important to determine how much yardage you will need before starting. It’s not exactly the same as calculating yardage after you’ve made an item, but it is similar.
- If you are a product maker, you’ll want to know yardage to accurately calculate your costs so that they can be incorporated into your final price.
- If you are a new designer or thinking about becoming a crochet designer, this is an essential part of pattern writing. It’s important to provide accurate yardage to your customers so that they can purchase sufficient amounts of yarn to crochet your patterns.
What Is Gauge and What Does it Have to Do with Yardage?
Gauge is the number and rows of stitches in a specific measurement. Crochet gauge is often given in 4″ length and height. For example, a gauge may be listed as 16 rows X 16 sts = 4” X 4”. This means that every 16 rows of your pattern should measure 4″ and every 16 sts of your pattern should also measure 4″.
If you have too many rows or stitches in your 4″ gauge, you should try a slightly larger crochet hook. You’ll want to try a slightly smaller hook if you don’t have enough rows or stitches in your 4″ gauge. You always want to try to get your gauge as close to that listed in the pattern as possible. If you don’t meet gauge, your item could turn out far larger or much smaller than you were expecting. There’s nothing worse (as a crocheter) than spending hours and hours on a project only to have it turn out not as expected. In addition to being the wrong size, you may have far too much or too little yarn for your project if you aren’t meeting gauge. Gauge and yardage are closely related and dependent on one another.
This is a very simplified explanation of gauge, but it is helpful to at least know why it is important. If you’ve had items turn out an unexpected size, or use much more or less yarn than you were expecting, you’ll want to look back at your gauge.
Determining Yardage with a Scale
If you have a simple kitchen scale, determining yardage is a breeze!
I have a great digital scale from Amazon that is perfect for all my crochet yardage needs. It’s under $10 and has paid for itself over and over. I really can’t emphasize enough how important it is to invest in a scale if you plan on being a serious pattern tester or designer.
You’ll need a bit of information from your yarn wrapper (or if you’ve lost the wrapper, you can easily search for this information on the website of the yarn company).
Get This Information from Your Yarn Wrapper
This information is necessary: net weight (You can use ounces or grams.), total length of skein (You can use yards or meters.). Most yarn manufacturers will include ounces, grams, yards and meters on their yarn wrappers. You just need to choose the one you are comfortable with and make sure that you stay consistent. I’m going to use ounces and yards for my example.
You are going to want to weigh your completed item. It’s easy to do. If your item is too large to stay on your scale without falling off, put a large bowl on your scale. I use a plastic kitchen bowl. Then tare your scale. This sets the scale to ZERO. Then place your item in the bowl. Double check to make sure you are using the correct unit of weight–ounces or grams. Write down the weight.
Now. Here comes the math.
You’re going to put the weight of the item you created over the weight of one skein of yarn. That is equal to the total yards of the item you created over the total yards of one skein of yarn. Check out the examples in the graphics below.
Just a note: be sure to weigh before trimming your ends. You’ll want all the yarn there to get a really accurate weight to convert to yards. Those ends count toward your finally yardage needs.
Determining Yardage without a Scale
It is a little more time consuming to determine yardage without a scale, but it is definitely doable!
Here’s what I do. Measure out 10 yards of yarn. (Check out this article if you aren’t sure how to easily measure out your yarn.) Crochet in the stitch or stitch pattern until the 10 yards is used. Count how many stitches (or stitch repeats if it is a pattern using multiple stitches) you used in 10 yards. Next, figure out how many stitches you have in your pattern. (That’s where some math comes into play!) Multiply the total number of stitches in the pattern by 10 (because that is how many yards you used for your stitch sample). Then divide that number by the number of stitches it took to use the 10 yards.
Perhaps this will help!
And now, check out the formula with numbers entered in so that you can see how it works.
Keep in mind that if you have different stitches, shorter or longer rows, changes in the pattern, borders, or other differences, you’ll need to take those into account and follow the same instructions for the variations and add them to your total.
Easy as That!
And there you go! Two ways to easily calculate yardage for your crochet projects! Hopefully, you found this helpful. If you have another tried and true method for yardage calculation, be sure to drop them in the comments!
