Yarn Chicken

How many times have you wondered if you have wondered if you have enough yarn to finish a row or to bind off? It is very frustrating!

I have developed a rule of thumb for each that works for me. Both involve measuring your yarn from the end of your ball or skein and placing a loose knot (shown n the right) to mark the length. Or you can use a slip knot (shown on the left), but make sure the tail end adjusts the loop. 

Measure the length of a row in inches (or centimeters). The knitting shouldn't be bunched up or stretched beyond what it will be when blocked. If you know the dimension, say you are making a sweater that is 40 inches (100cm) in circumference, use that measurement.

To Knit One Row: triple that length and add a tail. For the 40 inch sweater use 40 x 3 +6 = 120+6 = 126 inches (100 x 3 +15 = 315cm)

For Binding Off: take six times the length. Using the same example, 40 x 6 + 6 = 246 inches (100 x 6 +15 = 615).

The easy way to measure is to pull out one length, say the 40 inches (100cm) and then double up that length and then triple it by measuring the new lengths against the original. Continue until you have measured what you need. Don't forget the tail! The loose knot below marks the triple length plus tail.

If you want to knit one more row and bind off, add the two together, 40 x (3+6) +6 = 40 x 9 + 6 = 366 inches [100 x (3 + 6) + 15] = 100 x 9 + 15 = 915cm. You do not need to measure the tail more than once. 

You have it measured out, now what? Keep knitting until you get close to the knot. If you have enough length to work another row before the knot, keep going. If not, you are on your last row; or your last row before the bind off.

This rule of thumb works for most yarns. For thicker yarns (bulky and bigger), I measure generously. 

Note: this assumes you are doing stockinette, garter, or knit & purl texture patterns. Things like cables will take more yarn. You can develop a rule of thumb for other things like denser stitches and crochet with some experimentation. Work a row, take it out and measure it. Do this a handful of times and take notes. Expect usage to vary depending on the stitch you are working. A double crochet will use a different amount than a single crochet or a half double. If you do discover more rules of thumb, please share them with us.