Craft & Making
Yarn Calculator
Enter project need (metres or grams), skein yield and buffer to see skeins to buy.
How much yarn do I need?
Yarn buying converts a pattern’s total need into whole skeins or balls. Toggle metres or grams to match how the pattern and ball band are written, add a buffer for tension differences and dye-lot insurance, then divide by the length or weight printed per skein and round up. Length mode mirrors classic yardage charts; weight mode helps when you only know finished-object grams. Always prefer one dye lot for visible colour work. For a metres-only workflow see the sibling skein requirement tool, and estimate fabric lengths with fabric meterage when sewing sits beside knit or crochet.
Worked example
1,200 m needed + 10% buffer = 1,320 m. At 210 m/skein → ceil(1320/210) = 7 skeins.
Limits and assumptions
Does not convert between fibre types automatically. Gauge changes can invalidate the pattern’s stated need.
Frequently asked questions
Metres or grams — which should I use?
Match the unit on your pattern. If it lists yardage, use metres (convert yards first); if it lists total grams, use weight mode.
Why add a buffer?
Tension, swatching and dye-lot matching often need spare yarn; 5–15% is common.
Are skeins and balls the same here?
Treat “per skein” as whatever put-up you buy — ball, hank or cake — as long as metres or grams match.
How is this different from skein requirement?
Same core maths, but this page lets you switch length versus weight framing on one form.