Not sure how many skeins to buy? Pick your project, size, yarn weight and stitch, and this free calculator estimates the yarn you need in yards and meters, plus how many skeins or balls to buy with a 10% safety margin.
How much yarn do I need?
Pick a project, a size and your yarn. Get an estimate in yards, meters and skeins (or balls). Works with US and UK yarn labels.
An estimate to plan with, not a guarantee. Tension, yarn fiber and pattern details change the real amount, so the skein count already includes about 10% extra. Check your pattern’s yardage when it lists one.
How the estimate works
The calculator multiplies the project area by an average yarn use per square inch for each yarn weight, then adjusts for the stitch: dense stitches like single crochet use more yarn, open stitches like granny clusters use less. Real yardage depends on your tension, hook and yarn fiber, so treat the result as a starting point and check the yardage listed in your pattern.
US and UK yarn names
Yarn weights follow the Craft Yarn Council numbers. Medium #4 is called worsted in the US and aran in the UK, light #3 is DK, bulky #5 is chunky and super bulky #6 is super chunky. If your label lists meters, switch the length to meters and the calculator converts it for you.