1 comment ·May 19, 2021

A Few Tips Before Starting your Crochet and Knitting Projects

We often get asked how many skeins of yarn it takes to make a sweater or a beanie.? The answer is always; it depends. Though there are some guides for yarn amounts, there are also factors to consider when choosing yarn for a project.

So how do you choose a yarn that's right for you?

Here are some of the factors to consider when calculating yarn amounts:

1. What kind of project you want to make?

The first factor in finding how much yarn needed will be the kind of project you're making: a knitted beanie project would require way less yarn than a sweater or a scarf.

2. What type of weight yarn will you be using?

Yarn weight is an important factor to consider when choosing suitable yarn for your project. The weight of the yarn you select must match your project. If you are making a light, airy shawl, you won't need a heavy, chunky yarn.

And, if you are knitting a winter blanket, you wouldn't want to use a thin, lacy yarn. The thickness of your yarn will affect how your finished product will look like and how much yarn you need.

3. What size project you want to make?

A baby sweater or any baby garments will take less yardage than an adult sweater. A scarf may only take one skein of fingering weight, while a larger scarf may require two or three skeins of fingering weight.

This seems obvious, but when combined with what weight yarn you'll be using, it can make a difference.

If you choose to knit with a worsted weight yarn for sweater, you will require less amount of yarn to knit a sweater in any size than knitting the same sweater in fingering weight yarn.

That is because the worsted weight yarn will knit up at a larger gauge than your fingering weight yarn.

So, based on these three factors, how do you decide how much yarn you'll need?

To answer this question quickly, start with selecting your pattern.

The pattern will tell you what you're looking for:

Any good pattern will tell you how much yarn is needed for to do the project as written. A beanie hat will probably require 100-gram skein of Worsted yarn. A sweater will depend on the size you choose, but a well-written pattern will have estimates of how much yardage you will need to make the pattern in your size.

You can find Muezart's Pattern here!

Consider the Material.

Picking the suitable yarn material for a project can also be complicated. When choosing yarn material, consider what the product is that you're making and what for are you making it.

When you think about what the product is, also think about what its functionality. For example, if you're knitting dishcloths, then you would want cotton yarn. If it's a scarf, choose something super soft like Silk or alpaca. If it's a wrap, you want something beautiful and drape, like our Eri Silk yarn!

Finally, always buy an extra skein just in case!

Especially when working with naturally dyed yarns, when you're buying yarn for a larger project, an added safety skein in the same dye lot can be helpful.

That skein will come in handy if you're running low on yarn before finishing your project, especially if the yarn you're using is hand spun or dyed in small amounts and you're trying to match the colors find more of a one-of-a-kind yarn.

P.S. We're sharing a cheat sheet for how much yarn to buy for a project! This handy reference chart estimates how much yarn you need to knit a beanie, scarf, or adult-sized sweater, baby garments in yards.

Image Credit: https://elyloucrochette.wordpress.com/

Please use the chart as a suggestion and refer to all the things we talked in this post when making your final buying decisions - we hope you find this helpful!