Knitting Yarn Length

Plan your next project with confidence. Enter the number of rows, stitches per row, and the yarn consumed by each stitch to estimate the total yardage or meterage required before you start knitting.

Total rows planned for the project.
Count the stitches across your pattern repeat.
Measure several stitches, average their length, and convert to centimeters.

Estimate only; always buy extra yarn.

Examples

  • 120 rows × 68 stitches × 1.1 cm ⇒ 89.76 m of yarn
  • 80 rows × 45 stitches × 0.9 cm ⇒ 32.4 m of yarn
  • 200 rows × 120 stitches × 1.3 cm ⇒ 312 m of yarn

FAQ

How do I measure yarn per stitch?

Knit a small sample, unravel it, measure the yarn used, then divide by the number of stitches to get an average length per stitch.

Does stitch pattern affect yardage?

Yes. Lace, cables, and brioche can consume more yarn than stockinette. Update the per-stitch measurement for each pattern.

Can I switch units to inches and yards?

Enter the per-stitch length in centimeters, calculate, then multiply the result by 1.09361 to convert meters to yards.

Additional Information

  • Swatching a 10 × 10 cm sample and measuring the yarn used per stitch gives the most reliable estimate.
  • Add a 10–15% buffer for cast-on tails, seaming, fringe, or tension variations.
  • To convert meters to yards, multiply the result by 1.09361.

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