Want to knit a sweater, scarf, or blanket?
The age-old question: How many balls of wool do I need for my project? Whether you’re crocheting or knitting a sweater, a scarf, or a (baby) blanket, the question is always: How much do I need? For a sweater, it’s best to look for an icon that almost every supplier puts on their balls of wool—namely, an icon of a sweater with a number inside it. The number shown inside the sweater is the number of balls of wool you’ll need to knit a sweater with that yarn. This number typically refers to a sweater in size 38–40, but always double-check, as it can vary by supplier! Since it can vary depending on the yarn, it’s a good idea to first select the perfect yarn for your project. Have you found it? Then you can start calculating how many balls you’ll need.
For a scarf, it all depends, of course, on how big or long you want it to be. We were just talking about how many balls of wool you need for a sweater, and how that’s usually listed on the wool label. For an average scarf, you can figure on about half of what you’d need for a sweater. Also, the thinner the wool, the less you’ll need.
When making a (baby) blanket, it’s a good idea to first figure out roughly how large the blanket’s surface area should be. Using a handy calculation trick, you can determine the number of balls of yarn you’ll need for your project based on the surface area. It’s explained in detail in the video below, but here’s a brief summary:
On average, a sweater has a surface area of 150 x 50, or 7,500 square centimeters. You divide this surface area by the number of Balls of yarn the supplier specifies you’ll need for a sweater. So you get 7,500 divided by that number of Balls. Suppose that number is 15; then you do 7,500 divided by 15 = 500. So you can cover 500 square centimeters with one ball of wool. If you want to make a blanket measuring 70 x 100 cm, that gives you a total area of 7,000 cm, which means you’ll need 14 balls of wool to make your blanket!
What else should you keep in mind?
The first question will always be: Are you going to knit or crochet? It’s important to know this in advance. For a crochet project, you generally need 30% more yarn than for a knitting project. This is because crochet stitches are more compact than knitted stitches, so you need more yarn.
It’s also important to know what kind of stitch or technique you’ll be using. If you’re going for a cable stitch, brioche stitch, or garter stitch, you’ll generally use more yarn than if you’re using stockinette stitch. The same applies to crocheting: the more voluminous the stitch (think cables and bobbles), the more yarn you’ll use. Techniques such as Tunisian crochet, tapestry crochet, and mochila crochet also require more yarn than basic crochet stitches.
It’s also always possible that, when knitting or crocheting, your stitches will be looser or tighter than average. After all, everyone has their own way of crafting! That’s why it’s always a good idea to make a gauge swatch with the yarn you plan to use.
One last tip: Always check the information on the yarn label! It tells you how many balls you’ll need for a sweater. A sweater has an average surface area of 150 x 50. You can then use this surface area to calculate the dimensions of your desired project.
Want to read more helpful Tips and tricks on our blog?
Be sure to check out our blog post where we explain how to choose an alternative yarn if the yarn called for in your pattern is no longer available, or the blog post where we walk you through, step by step, how to adjust a pattern to your measurements.
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