How much yarn do I need?
One of the most common questions in our stores is how much yarn to buy when you don’t have a pattern in mind. We totally get it - sometimes you fall in love with the yarn first. This handy guide helps you add to your stash confidently, so those impulse buys actually become finished projects.
Four quick tips!
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Stitch choice and gauge change meterage a lot.
- Garter stitch uses more than stocking stitch.
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Cables/bobbles and stranded colourwork (floats) also use more.
- When in doubt, buy one extra ball while the dye lot is still available.
Hats and Beanies
100g of most yarn weights is standard for an adult beanie - depending on the stitch and the amount of turn up cuff, you have you may even get a pom pom from that. Lush and full pom poms can take up more yarn than you would expect so if you would like quite a large one, make sure to buy an extra ball for the pom pom.
50g of yarn will make a baby or child's size hat with another ball often needed for the pom pom.
Socks
100g of 4ply yarn is required for a pair of average adult socks, and most sock yarns are sold as 100g so only 1 ball is needed. Really large or high socks, however will require slightly more. 100g of 8-10ply sock yarn, like our Manos Alegria Grande, will knit a sock above the ankle but not as high as the calf.
Shawls
2 or 3 100g skeins will make a lovely shawl. Lace patterns will often block out to larger dimensions than you would get with straight knitting.
Scarves
Scarves can be hard to estimate because they vary so much in both width and length. Generally, 200g minimum is needed for a scarf that you would like to be able to wrap around your neck twice. A fully ribbed scarf will use more yarn than flatter stitches, as will moss or seed stitch.
Mittens and gloves
50g can make a small pair of fingerless mittens. 100g is needed for larger hands and gloves with knitted fingers.
Baby Blankets
Between 300-400g of yarn will make a nice sized plain cot blanket. Go up to 500g if you are using an intricate stitch that uses more yarn.
Children's Jumpers
Above is a chart for yarn requirements on a select number of children's sizes. If you are knitting for a child in between sizes, you can estimate metres in the middle of the ranges provided. After being 10 years old, you should be able to knit from the smaller chest ranges of the adult chart below.
Women's Jumpers
Estimating the quantity of yarn needed for a jumper can be the most challenging as they have a lot of variances in length of body, length of sleeves, amount of ease, and different stitches. When figuring out how much yarn you need for a garment you always want to work with meterage rather than grams because the weight of yarn can vary so much.
Here is a chart with basic approximate meterage for a plain women's jumper in the most common yarn weights. For men's jumpers you can still use the chest sizes of the chart below and then add 10-15% more yarn to allow for longer arms and torsos and broader shoulders.
| Size - Bust |
4ply |
8ply |
10ply |
12ply |
14ply |
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From left to right, Rowan Felted Tweed, Morris Empire 2ply, Rowan Kidsilk Haze, Morris Avalon 8ply, Morris Maya 14ply.
So how many balls or skeins of yarn do I need?
To figure out how many balls or skeins of yarn you will need from the chart above, simply divide the meterage for your size by the amount of metres on a ball of your chosen yarn. For example, for a size 14 in an 8ply using a yarn that has 125m in a ball you would divide 1170/125 to get 9.36. You would then know you need 10 balls for your jumper.
If you ever need any help calculating how many balls or skeins of yarn you need for your meterage, just visit us in one of our stores or send us a quick email and we can figure it out with you.
And if you are in doubt about how much you will need, always buy an extra ball or two while the correct dyelot is available. Leftover yarn from a sweater can often be used to knit baby clothes or spark creativity and be combined with other scraps to become something new entirely.
Everyone likes their sweaters to fit a little bit different, some cropped, some looser, and others with different design features. Therefore while the above chart is really handy, it's also a good idea to start looking at patterns you like and make your own little cheat sheet with meterage requirements for your size in various plys.
The Dot Blanket by Morris and Sons.
And how much yarn to crochet?
Crochet uses significantly more yarn than knitting and can be estimated as using 25% more yarn than knitting would. 100gm can still crochet a beanie but you will likely need extra for a pom pom.
With jumpers we recommend looking at patterns you like and making up your own little chart of meterage requirements for your size. Just like with knitting, different stitches can use up more yarn than others so keep that in mind when thinking about what kind of jumper you want to make.
Hopefully this guide is helpful the next time you fall in love with a yarn before finding the pattern. I encourage you to make a few notes in your phone or on a notepad to have with you at all times, you never know when inspiration is going to strike.
if you've been inspired by this article and are eager to discover the perfect match for your next knitting project, look no further than Morris & Sons! Browse our extensive range of high-quality yarns today!
Before you go, don't forget to share with us in the comments below your best tips on buying for your stash.
