A pair of adult mittens takes 150–250 m of worsted yarn in plain stockinette — Fair Isle mittens need 60–80% more to account for the floated second colour.
Each mitten is effectively a tube closed at the top with a thumb gusset — the gusset is small but worked at a tighter gauge because it's typically twisted-stitch or seed stitch for elasticity. Estimating for a pair is simply double one mitten, with a small buffer because the second mitten invariably burns slightly more yarn as your tension relaxes. Stranded colourwork mittens are wildly popular and wildly yarn-hungry: two-colour floats mean both yarns travel across every stitch, so you're effectively using twice the yardage over the patterned section. Crochet mittens use about 20–25% more yarn than knitted ones.
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 | 1 | 92 m | ~12 g |
| Fingering | 350–550 m / 100g | 1 | 104 m | ~24 g |
| Sport | 250–350 m / 100g | 1 | 93 m | ~31 g |
| DK | 200–300 m / 100g | 1 | 98 m | ~39 g |
| Worsted / Aran | 150–220 m / 100g | 1 | 83 m | ~45 g |
| Bulky | 80–140 m / 100g | 1 | 66 m | ~60 g |
| Super Bulky | 40–80 m / 100g | 1 | 46 m | ~76 g |
| Jumbo | < 40 m / 100g | 1 | 28 m | ~92 g |
| Yarn weight | Meters per 100 g | Balls needed | Total meters | Approx grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace | 600–1200+ m / 100g | 1 | 110 m | ~14 g |
| Fingering | 350–550 m / 100g | 1 | 125 m | ~29 g |
| Sport | 250–350 m / 100g | 1 | 112 m | ~37 g |
| DK | 200–300 m / 100g | 1 | 117 m | ~47 g |
| Worsted / Aran | 150–220 m / 100g | 1 | 100 m | ~54 g |
| Bulky | 80–140 m / 100g | 1 | 79 m | ~72 g |
| Super Bulky | 40–80 m / 100g | 1 | 55 m | ~91 g |
| Jumbo | < 40 m / 100g | 2 | 33 m | ~110 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%) | 0.08 m² |
| S | ×0.88(-12%) | 0.09 m² |
| M | ×1.00(baseline) | 0.10 m² |
| L | ×1.14(+14%) | 0.11 m² |
| XL | ×1.28(+28%) | 0.13 m² |
| 2XL | ×1.42(+42%) | 0.14 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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