The following charts are designed to help you ESTIMATE the amount of yarn that you might need. I STRESS that these are estimates and depend entirely on your gauge. Always purchase more than you will need because, for the most part, we purchase all existing quantities of the yarns we carry and when they are sold out, they are gone! This is one of the reasons that we sell yarn by the bag (the other reason is that it enables us to offer the yarn at the lowest prices possible!).

Chart 1: Yardage ESTIMATES for Adult Sweaters

Chart 2: Yardage ESTIMATES for Children’s Sweaters

On the site, you will see that we’ve provided you with gauge and yardage information for each yarn. All you need to do is to select a yarn that you adore and refer to the charts to assist you as you determine the amounts that you might need.

As you look around the site, you’ll also notice the following terms used to describe the yarn:

Please note, terms like “Bulky” and “Chunky” are terms for gauge and do not mean that the yarn is heavy or cumbersome!

Needle size is determined by both YOUR gauge and the type of yarn that you have selected. If you knit or crochet a yarn too tightly, the hand (or feel) will be hard and the garment will be stiff. If you knit or crochet the yarn too loosely, the hand will be too soft and the garment will be limp. As a starting point, the following needles might give you the desired gauge. However, if you produce a tight stitch, you may need to increase the needle size by 1 or 2 sizes and if your work is loose, you may need to reduce the needle size by 1 or 2 sizes.

Again, these are simply suggestions and are intended to point you in the ballpark of what needle size may produce a specific gauge. PLEASE TAKE THE FEW MINUTES TO KNIT OR CROCHET A GAUGE SWATCH. This will help to insure greater success.

Gauge and Converting a Pattern to Match YOUR Gauge

Gauge is one of the simplest things that one can do to help ensure a great garment. It is not time consuming. It enables you to enjoy the new yarn and learn the nuances of the fibers. Especially with novelty yarns, creating a gauge swatch helps you understand the properties of the yarn. It will also help you to decide more accurately about coordinating yarns for ribbing or other trim. Novelty yarns do not always look the same when knit or crocheted and the swatching process will ultimately contribute to a more "professional" look.

Substituting Yarn: How Much Yarn Do I Need ?
These simple calculations will assist you.

Step One: Determine the quantitiy of yarn needed to complete the project in the yarn listed in the pattern

1.	Find the number of balls required for each color.
2.	Find the number of yards (or meters) per ball or skein of that yarn.
3.	Multiply the number of yards (or meters) in each ball times the number of balls.

Additional Tools, Software and Resources

Please note: These links are provided as external resources for your use.
We do not guarantee the functionality and compatibility of these resources with your particular computer system.
If you experience any difficulty with these products, please contact the author or manufacturer directly.