A blanket is the biggest yarn commitment in home knitting — a 120 × 150 cm lap blanket takes 1,200–2,000 m of bulky, or 3,000–5,000 m of worsted.
Blankets are simple rectangles, but the scale amplifies every estimation error. Border treatments are the most common trap: an i-cord border, a lace edging, or a crochet slip-stitch trim on a 120 × 150 cm blanket adds 15–20% of the total yardage, often equal to a full extra skein. Crochet blankets consistently use 15–20% more yarn than knitted blankets at the same gauge — the extra wraps in each stitch mount up over thousands of rows. Modular or mitered square blankets tend to use slightly more yarn than flat knitting because each seam requires joining yarn. Always buy a buffer skein; with blankets, dye lots vary noticeably.
Calculated with 8 yarn weights, size M, 15% reserve. Pattern: Knitting → Stockinette · Crochet → Double crochet.
| Yarn weight | Meters per 100 g | Balls needed | Total meters | Approx grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace | 600–1200+ m / 100g | 3 | 2208 m | ~276 g |
| Fingering | 350–550 m / 100g | 6 | 2492 m | ~580 g |
| Sport | 250–350 m / 100g | 8 | 2236 m | ~745 g |
| DK | 200–300 m / 100g | 10 | 2346 m | ~938 g |
| Worsted / Aran | 150–220 m / 100g | 11 | 1991 m | ~1076 g |
| Bulky | 80–140 m / 100g | 15 | 1579 m | ~1435 g |
| Super Bulky | 40–80 m / 100g | 19 | 1093 m | ~1822 g |
| Jumbo | < 40 m / 100g | 23 | 662 m | ~2208 g |
| Yarn weight | Meters per 100 g | Balls needed | Total meters | Approx grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace | 600–1200+ m / 100g | 4 | 2650 m | ~331 g |
| Fingering | 350–550 m / 100g | 7 | 2991 m | ~696 g |
| Sport | 250–350 m / 100g | 9 | 2683 m | ~894 g |
| DK | 200–300 m / 100g | 12 | 2815 m | ~1126 g |
| Worsted / Aran | 150–220 m / 100g | 13 | 2390 m | ~1292 g |
| Bulky | 80–140 m / 100g | 18 | 1894 m | ~1722 g |
| Super Bulky | 40–80 m / 100g | 22 | 1312 m | ~2186 g |
| Jumbo | < 40 m / 100g | 27 | 795 m | ~2650 g |
The yardage multiplier (×) shows how much more yarn each stitch uses relative to stockinette / double crochet baseline. Sorted by yarn efficiency.
Open mesh saves yarn
Baseline—minimum yardage
Bulkier, +20%
Crossings eat +35%
Two-yarn floats
Minimum draw
Open motifs
Pieced motifs
Airier, lighter
Between sc and dc
Tightest fabric
Fabric area scales from XS to 2XL. Use this to understand why larger sizes need significantly more yarn.
| Size | Area multiplier | Fabric area (m²) |
|---|---|---|
| XS | ×0.78(-22%) | 1.87 m² |
| S | ×0.88(-12%) | 2.11 m² |
| M | ×1.00(baseline) | 2.40 m² |
| L | ×1.14(+14%) | 2.74 m² |
| XL | ×1.28(+28%) | 3.07 m² |
| 2XL | ×1.42(+42%) | 3.41 m² |
They're empirical multipliers measured against stockinette (1.0). Cables and stranded colourwork eat more yarn because of the extra bulk; lace and filet use less. The numbers are averages — if your tension is unusual, drop in a real swatch in advanced mode and we'll override them.
Simple mode falls back to typical gauges for the yarn weight you picked. For wearables we still recommend a 10×10 cm swatch — once you have one, switch to advanced mode and the maths gets sharper.
The base calc is area-based. Tricky shapes (raglan, A-line, hooded) are absorbed by the 10–20% buffer; for full-body cabled sweaters or steeked cardigans we suggest pushing it to 25%.
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