Last week, I showed you how to calculate how much yarn you’ll need for a project.

But calculating the yardage is only half of the story. Getting an accurate measurement of your stitches is a crucial, as this is the measurement that you’ll be using for all of your calculations!

Today, I’ll share with you some tips for measuring your yarn.

Crochet your sample

As we talked about last week, you’ll want to measure your yarn for your particular yarn, hook and stitch pattern.

What’s most important is that you crochet several stitches that are not interrupted (for example, by a turning chain). In this example, I’m measuring single crochet, and working in the round is a great way to get an undisturbed run of stitches.

Start and stop at the right place

To measure, you’ll want to unravel some of your stitches and measure the length. It’s important to measure in complete stitches.

I like to hold my thumb immediately next to my work (as pictured), preserving the loop that you removed the hook from:

Then, count the number of stitches as you unravel. You will want to end your measurement directly next to your work, with the loop still intact.

How to measure

Now that you know where to start and stop your measurement, it’s important to talk about how to hold the yarn while measuring.

You want to pull the yarn straight, but not stretch the yarn. Most yarn is slightly elastic, and it’s possible to pull it so much that you will get an inaccurate measurement.

See how the bottom measurement contains a full extra inch? That’s a lot of stretching!

Now calculate!

Now that you’ve measured properly, you can do your calculations accurately!

There’s more… you can weigh it, too!

Do you have a bunch of yarn that you need to measure? And a ruler seems too tiring?

Well, then, you’ll want to read my post on how to calculate yarn length from weight!

Best,
Stacey