How Much Yarn Do I Need?

April 23, 2010

How Much Yarn Do I Need? Yarn "butterfly," waiting to be a cardigan.   The photo at left is a butterfly of beautiful yarn I got at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth at Sock Summit last fall. The worsted yarn is called Twisted and the fingering is the venerable Socks that Rock, both in the Valkyrie colorway: lovely purples, browns, and grays. My plan was to make a long vest out of this scrumptious pile of fiber, but when I got home and looked at the pattern I had in mind, I didn't have enough yarn. Bummer! And I only needed about 250 more yards. Twisted comes in generous skeins of 560 yards, so I'd have leftovers if I ordered another skein, plus the dye lot might not be consistent with my lot. (One of the lovely characteristics of hand-dyed yarn is that it's just that—dyed by hand!—so the dye from one lot might be pretty different from that of another lot). Anyway, after half a year of thinking about this yarn and what project to use it with, I found some inspiration hidden in one of my favorite books, The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square. I was looking up some technique or other (I got sidetracked and now I can't remember what I needed to look up; I'm sure it'll come back to me when start back in on my Minimalist Cardigan tonight), when I passed the section on yardage estimates. I thought about my lonely bag of Blue Moon yarn, and lo and behold—the idea came to me: A cardigan with the main body knit from Twisted and the ribbing at the bottom, cuffs, neck (and the button band) knit from Socks that Rock held double. I might need another skein of sock yarn for this, but I can choose anything that's similar to my colorway and hold it with Socks that Rock and it'll work. Right? I'm using Ann Budd's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns to plot out the cardigan schematic. So the moral of this story is that inspiration comes in all forms. And here's the list of yardage estimates for you. Take a look at the list and then wander through your stash and see if you have any yarn that's a tad short (or long!) on yardage for the project you had  planned for it; use the estimates to plan a new project for that yarn. You never know what will pop out at you. Yardage Estimates for Sweaters in Standard Yarn Weights by Vicki Square The following guidelines are for the amounts of yarn needed for a basic pullover or cardigan in a variety of sizes and yarn sizes. These estimates are for smooth yarns and plain or lightly textured knitting. Keep in mind that heavily textured patterns such as all-over cables or oversized looks can easily require additional yarn (400-600 yards; 375-550 meters). When knitting with two or more colors, the total yardage will be greater to account for the yarns being carried across the back of the work. Estimate generously, and if you have leftovers ... well, they're a designer's best friend! Now go forth and visit your stash! Cheers,

Kathleen Cubley is the editor of Knitting Daily. Kathleen's Knit-Along We're knitting the Minimalist Cardigan and I'm using Cascade Venezia in a beautiful cream. Come knit with us! More Knitting Daily •  Blogs •  Galleries •  Knitting Daily TV •  Free Patterns •  Join Knitting Daily •  Share Your Comments

Make sure you have the instruction you need, when you need it. The Knitter's Companion Expanded and Updated by Vicki Square All the information you need is right at your fingertips with Vicki Square's The Knitter's Companion—an indispensable addition to any knitter's bag of tricks. Inside you'll find an overview of stitches, gauges, joins, seams, borders, and buttonholes, complete with full-color drawings that illustrate the details of each technique. Plus, you'll love the section on color knitting techniques and favorite details such as tassels, fringe, knitting with beads, and more. From casting on your first stitch to binding off your last, The Knitter's Companion has you covered. More than 250,000 copies sold! Get this essential reference today! What others are saying about The Knitter's Companion: "This little book should be in every knitter's knitting bag." —Knitting News "If you don't yet have a good reference book in your knitting library, I strongly recommend The Knitter's Companion." —Knitter's Review "The best grab and go knitting book...The color illustrations alone are worth buying this new and improved version." —Knitty.com "Small enough to stow in your bag, [this] compact spiral-bound guide offers on-the-spot answers to all of your stitching questions." —Family Circle’s Easy Knitting

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