Sewing & crafts
Yarn quantity substitution
Match a pattern’s total yarn length to a replacement skein size.
A clear answer. Here’s how.
Pattern length = original ball count × labelled length per ball. Adds your allowance and rounds up to whole replacement skeins. Reports supplied length, spare length and purchased mass. Matching length does not establish matching gauge, fabric, fibre behaviour or suitability; use a finished swatch.
See a worked example
Worked example
A fixed demonstration, separate from the values you enter above.
- Original number of balls or skeins
- 6
- Length per original ball (metres)
- 150
- Length per replacement skein (metres)
- 210
- Mass per replacement skein (g)
- 100
- Additional length allowance (%)
- 10
Example result
- Original pattern length
- 900 m
- Length including allowance
- 990 m
- Whole replacement skeins
- 5
- Purchased length
- 1,050 m
- Spare length beyond allowance
- 60 m
- Purchased mass
- 500 g