Published ranges answer most yarn questions: until the stitch changes the spend. Garter uses more than stockinette, cables more again. Pick your project, weight, and fabric; the yards and skeins follow.
Your Project
You Need About
2,688yards
for a blanket in stockinette
Knitting a sweater from a pattern? The pattern’s own by-size yardage beats any range: this page is for planning before the pattern exists.
- Range2,250–3,125 yd
- In meters2,460 m
- Skeins13 · buy 14
The Formula
yards = the published range for your project and weight × stitch factor · custom blankets scale by areaGarter packs rows twice as dense as stockinette and ribbing folds in on itself: both spend about a tenth more yarn for the same size. Cables cross yarn over yarn and spend up to a fifth more. Lace spends air instead.
Worked Example
A worsted garter-stitch blanket, 50 × 60 in, 220 yd skeins:
- Worsted afghan range: 2,250–3,125 yd. Garter: × 1.1 → 2,475–3,438; plan on about 2,950.
- 2,950 ÷ 220 = 13.4 → 14 skeins, buy 15.
- Loom knitters: same figures, the loom changes the tool, not the yarn the fabric holds.
Knitting Yardage Chart
Lion Brand’s published ranges, yards, stockinette.
| Project | 1 Super fine | 2 Fine | 3 Light | 4 Medium | 5 Bulky | 6 Super bulky |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hat | 250–325 | 250–325 | 200–250 | 200–225 | 125–200 | 125–150 |
| Scarf | 525–825 | 450–625 | 375–500 | 375–500 | 250–375 | 250–375 |
| Socks (pair) | 350–500 | 300–450 | 275–400 | 275–375 | 250–350 | 200–250 |
| Shawl | 550–850 | 450–700 | 400–625 | 375–550 | 350–500 | 350–475 |
| Adult sweater | 3,375 | 1,750–2,625 | 1,500–2,250 | 1,125–1,625 | 950–1,125 | 825–1,125 |
| Baby blanket | 1,500–1,625 | 1,250–1,500 | 1,125–1,250 | 1,000–1,125 | 875–1,000 | 750–875 |
| Blanket / afghan | 3,750–4,125 | 3,500–3,750 | 3,000–3,500 | 2,250–3,125 | 2,000–2,250 | 1,625–2,000 |
Getting Exact Instead of Close
- The weighed swatch beats every chart: knit 4 × 4 in your stitch, weigh it, and the yardage calculator‘s swatch tab computes your true per-square-inch spend.
- Sweaters: pattern yardage by size beats any generic range: designers counted their own stitches. The range here is for when there’s no pattern yet.
- Buy the spare skein and keep the band: dye lots move fast.
Assumptions and Defaults
- The headline is the adjusted range’s midpoint; the range rides beneath it.
- Custom blankets scale the afghan range by area against a 50 × 60 baseline.
- Stitch factors are working allowances: garter and rib +10%, cables +20%, lace −10%.
Knitting Yarn Questions, Answered
How much yarn does it take to knit a blanket?
Knitting a blanket in worsted takes about 1,000 to 1,125 yd for a baby blanket and 2,250 to 3,125 yd for a throw-size afghan, plus about a tenth more in garter stitch, which most knit blankets use. Enter your own size above, and the figure scales to match.
Does garter stitch really use more yarn?
Yes, garter stitch uses about 10% more yarn than stockinette for the same area, because its ridges pack the rows twice as densely. Ribbing folds extra fabric into its columns for a similar amount, and cables, which cross strands over each other, can use up to 20% more.
How much yarn does a loom-knit blanket take?
A loom-knit blanket takes the same yarn as a needle-knit one, because the fabric determines the yarn, not the tool. Use the figures above at your loom’s gauge, and apply the garter allowance when your loom stitch is the usual e-wrap garter.
How many skeins of yarn should I buy?
To find how many skeins to buy, divide the yards by the label’s yardage, round up, and add one spare for dye-lot safety. The worked example’s 2,950 yd in 220 yd skeins comes to 14 skeins, so buying 15 leaves you a comfortable margin.
Base ranges: Lion Brand, “How Much Yarn Do You Need?”