Yardage by weight and size
These are typical totals for a plain, long-sleeved, hip-length pullover, measured at the finished chest. Cables and heavy texture add 10–20%; a cropped or short-sleeved sweater takes noticeably less; a long cardigan with a shawl collar takes more.
| Finished chest | Fingering | DK | Worsted | Chunky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32–36" | 1,300–1,500 yd | 1,000–1,200 yd | 850–1,000 yd | 600–750 yd |
| 38–42" | 1,500–1,800 yd | 1,200–1,450 yd | 1,000–1,250 yd | 750–900 yd |
| 44–48" | 1,800–2,100 yd | 1,450–1,700 yd | 1,250–1,500 yd | 900–1,100 yd |
| 50–56" | 2,100–2,500 yd | 1,700–2,000 yd | 1,500–1,800 yd | 1,100–1,300 yd |
A worsted-weight skein holds about 200 yards, so a 40" worsted sweater is five to six skeins; a DK skein about 260 yards, so the same sweater in DK is five skeins; a fingering skein 400–450 yards, so four.
From yardage to skeins
Take the pattern's total yardage for your size and divide it by the yards in one skein of the yarn you have chosen — that number is on every product page here. Round up. Then add one skein.
The extra skein is not optional. It covers a gauge that comes out slightly tighter than the pattern's, a body or sleeves you decide to lengthen, a swatch you do not want to rip back, and the simple fact that yardage on a ball band is a minimum. A spare skein from the same dye lot can be returned unused within 30 days; running out and finding the dye lot gone cannot be fixed.
Every yarn page on this site has a calculator that does the division for you, pre-filled with that yarn's yardage.
Grams are not the answer
Patterns from Europe often give the yarn quantity in grams. That only works if you use the exact yarn the designer did: a 100 g skein of chunky wool holds 100 yards and a 100 g skein of fingering 400, and a substitute at the same weight can still differ by 20% in yards per gram. Always convert to yards — grams × the substitute's yards per gram — before you count skeins.
Dye lots
A sweater is the project where a dye lot mismatch shows most, because it is one large expanse of one colour. Every skein in an order from us comes from the same lot. If you are buying in two stages, say so and we will hold the lot; if you have to mix lots, alternate skeins every two rows from the point where the new lot starts and the difference disappears into the fabric.