Cannot find the answer to this question in any of my resource books. Surely a denser yarn would have less yardage than a softer yarn of the same weight. How can I determine how much yarn I need when the instructions call for yardage and the yarn label only has the weight.
Sandra, a returning knitter after 35 years absence
Hi Daystar. You are right in thinking that a thicker yarn will have less yardage than a thinner yarn, even though they are of the same weight. One 50 gram (1.75 oz) ball of yarn might have 100 yards, while another might have 400 yards.
In the pattern instructions, does it give you a gauge? Like how many stitches to how many inches on what size needles? This will give you a clue about what weight (gauge, thickness) the yarn is. Even better, patterns usually tell you what yarn they used. Does yours not say that? Then you can find info on that yarn which will tell you how many grams or ounces it weighs and how many yards or meters are in it, and that way you can know the ounce to yard ratio.
hope this helps.
www.yarndex.com is a good place to try to search for yarns–you can often get the yardage of a particular brand. Or go to the yarn’s website if there is one.