How Much Yarn Do I Need?

For years I would find a great bargain and buy some skeins of yarn only to find when I wanted to use it for a particular project I didn't have enough to complete the project. I tried to carry a small card with the amounts I needed for some of my favorite patterns but couldn't make the adjustments (instant mathematics required) if the yarn size varied in how many stitches per inch it made. So even though I tried to be prepared when I found a good buy on yarn, I still either came up far too short or bought way too much.

A constant companion in my purse

Then I found Ann Budd's Yarn Requirements brochure. This thing contains help in determining how much yarn to get for mittens, gloves, socks, tams, scarves, hats, sweaters and vests. Sizes of the finished project range from 2 years old to adult and, if you are someone who needs to be able to buy in either meters and yards, this guide has you covered. Finally it includes gauges that range from 3-7 stitches per inch.

As you can see, this particular leaflet is well worn because I never leave home without it. I never know when or where I'll find that perfect yarn. Not all trips are yarn related, but often they can become that. (I can end up in Zellers, a dollar store, Walmart or one of my LYS about any time I'm out.) Back to the main topic; this guide is about 4 years old now, and I'd say it looks pretty good for its age.

Thanks Ann Budd for coming to my aid. I've always purchased the right amount of yarn for a project ever since I started using your yarn yardage requirement guide.

Comments

Anatomy of a Sock

I've been knitting socks for a relatively short time. One of the disconcerting things for me as I started following patterns for socks is the pattern designer assumes the knitter (in this case that would be me) knows all the parts of a sock. So I thought I'd devote a post to improve my own knowledge about the anatomy of a sock and maybe some of you will learn something about the humble yet necessary sock as well. Here's the names of the parts of the foot as I know them. #49 ankle, #50 heel, #51, instep, #52 ball, #53 big toe, #54 toe, #55 little toe, #56 toenail. There are some parts more important for this discussion; first the heel of a foot is generally used to refer to the entire C-shape from the ankle to the instep. Speaking of the instep, it refers to that curve near the bottom of the foot. And what seems to be missing in the design above is the sole which generally refers to the bottom of the foot in total or plantar aspect in more technical terms...

Ode to the Cat

It has been six months since Mike, the cat's, passing. I think of him every day and miss him especially when Paul is away. Mike was a being in the house with me and we were close. Grieving his death has been muddled with my Dad's passing and sometimes I feel guilty about that happening. As time passes the ache becomes less hurtful for both and I am starting to get mostly good memories in its place. Recently I helped celebrate Pablo Neruda's birthday with Jami, my poet and overall very creative friend. Guests were asked to select one poem written by Neruda to read to the small group who gathered for the celebration. I picked this one: Ode To The Cat -- Pablo Neruda There was something wrong with the animals: their tails were too long, and they had unfortunate heads. Then they started coming together, little by little fitting together to make a landscape, developing birthmarks, grace, flight. But the cat, only the cat turned ou...

Knitting-Related Guinness World Records

I had to share some of the Guinness World Records connected with knitting. It is amazing to me the type of skill, stamina and unique characteristics these record holders have in common. How about trying to knit with these SPNs?? Ingrid Wagner and her large needles and knitted swatch The largest knitting needles measured 3.5 m (11 ft 5.8 in) long and had a diameter of 8 cm (3.15 in). Ingrid Wagner, a rug and art creation artist, from the UK used the needles to knit a tension square of ten stitches by ten rows at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, on March, 10 2008. (And I complained about getting certain SPNs stuck in my clothes.) See how this swatch was done with merely 5 people managing the needles. And what about the yarn? It is truly ex-bulky. It looks like they're knitting in a warehouse, but with a wingspan of almost 24 feet or 7 m, you'd need all that space. Or h...

Flagel Knitting Files

Search This Blog