How to Calculate Yarn Yardage When Crocheting

After you’ve purchased your crochet hook, and you’ve chosen your type of yarn, the next question crocheters often ask is: how much yarn do I need to buy? Calculating the yardage needed for your project is simple. I’ll show you how below!

How to Calculate Yarn Yardage

How to Calculate Yarn Yardage

First, you have a pattern in mind, right? Good.

  • Find the number of stitches

The total number. This is not a drill.

To find the total number of stitches in your pattern, you need to read the pattern, and add up the stitch counts at the end of each row. This might take a while. I’ll wait.

  • Create a test swatch

Using the same weight of yarn that is called for in the pattern, crochet a test swatch. I typically crochet at least 10 stitches per row, and 5-10 rows for my swatch.

  • Measure the swatch to find out the size of one stitch.

Obviously if you are crocheting a thicker yarn, the size will increase. Or, if you have a pattern that requires a few different types stitches, you’ll want to also measure the size of those and plan accordingly. For the purpose of this exercise, we’ll say that each stitch is one-inch.

  • Math!

Multiply the total number of stitches by the size of each stitch. Example: 365 stitches x 1 inch per stitch = 365 inches of yarn needed.

  • Yardage Calculation

Once you have the number of inches you need, divide that number by 36 (since that is how many inches are in a yard). For the best result, round up. You’ll always want to err on the side of having too much over not enough yarn. For this project, I’d ensure to have approximately 11 yards of yarn.

Now that you have the total amount of yarn you need for your project, get to work! 🙂

Happy hookin’!