Skein Calculator
Divide the total yardage by the yards per skein and round up — that is the entire calculation, and it is the one that matters at the yarn-shop counter. This skein calculator does exactly that, in yards or grams, instantly: 1,400 yards ÷ 220-yard skeins is 6.36, so you buy 7.
From a pattern or the yarn calculator
The ball band — e.g. 220 yd / 100 g
Buy
6.36 skeins exactly — round up. Dye lots are not your friend.
▸How this was worked out
skeins = 1,400 yd ÷ 220 yd/skein = 6.36
6.36 → buy 7. If the pattern lists yardage and your substitute skein lists grams (or vice versa), convert via the ball band's yd/g ratio first.
Shopping list
- Yarnone dye lot7 × 220 yd
CraftCalc · Skein count
1,400 yd needed ÷ 220 yd per skein
Buy 7 skeins (1,540 yd total)
craftcalc.io — free maker calculators with the arithmetic shown
How many skeins do I need?
Skeins = total yardage ÷ yards per skein, rounded up. The pattern (or the yarn calculator) gives you the total; the ball band gives you the put-up — 220 yards, 328 yards, 100 grams. Divide, and always take the next whole number: 6.05 skeins is 7 skeins, because the 0.05 is the difference between finishing the border and hunting a matching dye lot three months later.
If the pattern speaks yards and your yarn speaks grams (or the reverse), convert through the ball band first: a 100 g / 220 yd ball means 1 gram ≈ 2.2 yards, so a 650-gram garment needs about 1,430 yards. Mixing units without converting is the classic way to buy three skeins when you needed five.
Worked example: 1,400 yards in 220-yard skeins
A pattern calls for 1,400 yards of worsted. Your yarn comes in 220-yard skeins: 1,400 ÷ 220 = 6.36 — buy 7. The same pattern with a 328-yard (300 m) put-up: 1,400 ÷ 328 = 4.27 — buy 5. In grams: a finished sweater weighs 650 g and the skeins are 100 g — 6.5, so 7 skeins. Weighing a finished garment of similar size is the most honest yardage estimate there is.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just buy the exact amount?
Dye lots. Yarn is dyed in batches; the same color number varies slightly between them, and shops mix lots on the shelf. The extra skein is cheaper than a visible color band across the back of a sweater — and most shops refund unworked skeins with the lot label intact.
How do I convert yards to grams?
Use the ball band's ratio: if a 100 g skein has 220 yards, then yards ÷ 2.2 = grams (or grams × 2.2 = yards). Never assume — a 'worsted' yarn can run 180–260 yards per 100 g depending on fibre, and wool, cotton and acrylic differ even at the same weight label.
What if the pattern gives yardage for a different size?
Scale by area for blankets (yardage tracks square inches) or use the pattern's per-size table when it has one. For garments, the pattern's yardage-by-size chart beats any formula — bodies are not rectangles.
Does a 'skein' always mean the same amount?
No — skein, ball, hank and cake are shapes, not quantities. A 'skein' can be 50 g or 250 yards or 7 oz depending on the brand. Always read the put-up on the label; this calculator takes whatever number the band gives you.
Formulas and standard tables are sourced in the methodology. Results are estimates — measure twice, cut once.