Yarn calculator — project size to meters and skeins
Enter width, length, meters per cm² from a swatch, waste, and meters per skein to see how many skeins to buy.
Units
Easiest: fill swatch meters from a 4×4 in sample — we set meters/in² = swatch ÷ 16. Keep width/length in inches.
Results
Area: 480 in²
Meters needed: 681.1 m
Skeins to buy: 7
Formula
area=W×L; meters=area×metersPerArea×(1+waste); skeins=ceil(meters÷skein)
Worked steps (check these)
- Area = 20 × 24 = 480 in²
- Meters needed = 480 × 1.29 × (1+0.1) = 681.1 m
- Skeins to buy = ceil(681.1 ÷ 100) = 7
Shopping estimates only — follow supplier safety notes and brand ratios.
Running out of yarn mid-blanket is painful when dye lots differ. Size × density × waste gives a shopping number you can round up.
How to use
- Measure finished width and length in cm
- Enter meters per cm² from a swatch
- Set waste % and meters per skein
- Buy the rounded skein count from one dye lot
Why this calculator
- Uses your swatch, not a generic table
- Rounds skeins up for shopping
- Shows meters before rounding
Good for
- Scarves
- Baby blankets
- Simple rectangles
Tips
- Buy an extra skein when color matching matters.
- Gauge changes with needle size — re-swatch if you switch tools.
Examples
| Input | Output | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 50×60 cm, 0.2 m/cm², 10% waste, 100 m skein | 660 m → 7 skeins | Default example |
Yarn FAQ
- How do I find meters per cm²?
- Knit a 10×10 cm swatch, note meters used, divide by 100. That becomes your density input.
- Pattern already lists yardage?
- Use the pattern yards/meters and only round skeins here — or compare against this size-based estimate.
- Need curtain fabric instead?
- Open Curtain fabric calculator.