Calculator
Yarn Stash Planner
You bought yarn without a project in mind. Tell us how much you have, and we'll list the scarves, cowls, hats, mittens, and blankets that fit within your yardage budget.
Calculator
How this works
Yardage is mostly driven by yarn weight — thicker yarns cover more fabric per yard. So for any combination of yarn weight and craft (knit or crochet), there's a rough rate of yards per square inch of fabric. Multiply your total yardage by that rate backwards, and you get the maximum fabric area you can make. Then we check that area against standard dimensions for each project type and list the ones that fit.
The buffer percentage gets subtracted up front. 10% is a sensible default for plain stockinette or single crochet — bump it up to 15–20% for cables, brioche, stranded colourwork, or generously-fringed scarves. Anything that uses extra yarn per visible stitch needs more cushion.
Why no gauge input?
Yards-per-square-inch is dominated by yarn weight, not your gauge. Two knitters at slightly different gauges using the same worsted yarn use roughly the same yardage per square inch of fabric — their stitches/inch differ, but the yards/stitch difference cancels out. The published rates here are within about 15% of real-world results, well within the buffer's range. If you knit very loosely or very tightly, bump the buffer up a few points to compensate.
A note on accuracy
The yardage rates are pragmatic community estimates, not lab measurements. Stitch patterns affect the rate: lace uses less yarn per area (more holes), cables use more (stitches stacked), brioche uses noticeably more (each stitch is essentially knit twice). Treat the results as planning guidance, not a guarantee. For a specific pattern, compare against the pattern's stated yardage for a given finished size — the yardage substitution calculator handles that exact comparison.
Tips
- Check the ball band: yards is usually printed alongside grams and metres. If yours only lists metres, multiply by 1.094 to convert to yards.
- If you mix dye lots or hold multiple yarns together, use the yarn-held-together calculator first to find the effective weight, then come back here with that weight selected.
- Stash buys are usually 1–6 skeins. If you got a sweater quantity (8+ skeins), the blanket options open up — try the calculator with the same yarn but a larger ball count to see your headroom.
- The largest option that fits isn't always the best one. Leaving 20–25% of your budget uncommitted gives you space for ribbing, edging, or a second small project.