How do I know how much yarn my project needs?

Most patterns state the total yardage or meterage required. If you're improvising, find a similar finished project and use its yarn requirement as a starting point.

Should I buy extra yarn?

Yes — buy at least one extra skein. It guards against running short and means your spare comes from the same dye lot, so the color matches exactly.

A dye lot is a batch of yarn dyed together. Different lots of the same color can vary subtly, so buy all the yarn for a project from one lot when you can.

Yarn Estimator — How Many Skeins of Yarn Do I Need?

A free, cozy suite of yarn calculators — for & by knitters & crocheters.

Yarn Estimator Calculator

Determine how many skeins of yarn your project will require.

Free knitting & crochet patterns

From the shop

Fine yarn & heirloom tools

Visit the shop

McIntosh · DK · 246 yds / 100 g

Bluefaced Leicester DK

100% British Bluefaced Leicester, hand-dyed to order in semi-solid colors. Soft, lustrous and crisp in cables.

24 colorways

Shop at McIntosh from $29

Furls

Streamline Metal Crochet Hook

at Furls

$26

McIntosh

Calm DK

DK · 164 yds / 50 g

$32

Lang Yarns

Cashmere Premium

DK · 126 yds / 25 g

$24

Schoppel

Zauberball

Fingering · 437 yds / 100 g

$19

Browse the whole shop

We earn a commission on purchases through these links, at no cost to you.

Share Yarn Calculator with your friends

Know a maker who'd love this? Spread the yarny goodness.

Add this calculator to your site

Free to embed. Pick a theme (or your own colors), then copy the code:

<iframe src="https://yarncalculator.com/embed/yarn-estimator-calculator?theme=spring" data-yc-embed="yarn-estimator-calculator" width="100%" scrolling="no" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e2d7c2;border-radius:14px;max-width:560px;width:100%" title="Yarn Estimator Calculator — Yarn Calculator"></iframe>
<script src="https://yarncalculator.com/embed.js" async></script>
<p style="font:14px/1.4 sans-serif;text-align:center">Powered by <a href="https://yarncalculator.com/calculators/yarn-estimator-calculator">YarnCalculator.com</a></p>