Knit Talk - Ep 10 - Estimating Yardage for Project Modifications

[@justlease37]

I LOVE that you've added in the visual listing the numbers you are referring to while you speak. So good! This method is genius. I usually default to just automatically buying an extra skein whenever I'm purchasing yarn, which is expensive and leads to lots of random single leftover skeins. The only drawback to the method I can see is that I can't swatch until the yarn order arrives, and I always make sure to get enough so it's all the same dye lot! I guess this method would be most effective if you're going to use a yarn you've already swatched! So it seems that a takeaway can be to use a familiar yarn when you're planning to mod a pattern and then you won't waste money buying extra!

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

Thanks so much, Lisa! I'm trying to make everything as user-friendly as I can! As far as the estimating goes - I realize that its somewhat of a 'in a perfect world' situation. The ideal would be that you purchase a single skein to swatch, and then based on that and the desired mods, you would order the total yardage you need separately. But I realize that's very rarely how it goes. :) Thanks again for watching!

[@lenar.4735]

Thank you! That's very helpful! I make my own yarn, so I need to do lots of planning and counting while preparing fibers and spinning yarn for a garment. I love making garments from scratch and making unique blends of fiber and I absolutely dislike the yarn chicken game, when you have very little of precious yarn left and still lots left to knit. I usually just estimate the total weight of a garment (e.g. a sweater made of "this" type of fiber weights around 400-450 grams), so I make around 500 grams of yarn and it's usually enough. Your method is super precise and can be helpful in calculating totals 1) for a specific model in another yarn, 2) for projects made with leftover yarns where you use ratios, and 3) for anything handspun. Thank you again! Please let us (subscribers) know if you are collecting donations for a new podcast microphone. I would love to help!

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

You're welcome! And I totally love your method too. If I'm shopping for yarn (since I don't make my own) I do the same thing: approximate how much I'll need. And I have to admit, I LOL'd at your comment re: the mic. I began recording on my iPhone but recently switched to a DSLR camera for better picture quality. Unfortunately the mic I had was for phones not cameras and I knew the sound wasn't as good. I did some research and found the adapter I needed. So videos after May 21 will all be with the new mic. I hope it'll make it better but if it's not improved let me know! I'm definitely trying to make this the best quality it can be. Your offer of support means so much!

[@danadunham1660]

Helpful, clear, excellent!!

[@everystitchaprayer6268]

You are amazing. Thank you so much!

[@lorihaslacher9029]

Great explanation, thanks!

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

Thanks so much for watching, Lori! And you're welcome!

[@Buttonsginger]

Thank you!

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

You're welcome!

[@SuddenUpdraft]

Wow! I got lost. I’m not very precise. I buy an extra skein or two and incorporate the extra into warp or weft on my rigid heddle loom, depending on how much there is. It’s a great way to use up those small lengths. I’ll try to give your way a try.

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

Thanks so much for watching - I know the math can get to be a lot. If you give the method a try and have any questions don't hesitate to ask! I'm here to help!

[@SuddenUpdraft]

@@TheUnapologeticKnitter can I ask a separate question? Debbie Bliss doesn’t provide schematics. I’m knitting a drop shoulder sleeve that’s supposed to end with 96 stitches and be 13” long. It’s clear I’ll reach 13” before 96 stitches. I can start to increase every 3 rows instead of 4 but it will still be fewer than 96 stitches. Is it ok just to have it be however many it ends up with, or should I make the sleeve longer?

[@TheUnapologeticKnitter]

@@SuddenUpdraft You betcha! So a lot of factors would play into that. The 96 stitches as the target will be what sets the upper circumference of your sleeve. Since I don't know what your gauge is I can't tell you what the finished size would be based on whatever stitch count you manage to achieve but I would say that if you're newer to modifications, you may wish to make sure that you achieve the target stitch count to avoid problems in seaming / joining. I don't know what pattern you're working from or how it's constructed but my guess is that there will be joining of some kind. Since reaching the target stitch count is likely optimal, it may mean that your sleeves end up being a little longer. The good news is that sleeves can always be rolled up / folded if need be. OR, if, you can figure out how many rows it would take you to get to the 96 stitches, you can either adjust your rate of shaping (as you've noted) or start by casting on more stitches so you have to work fewer increases to reach the target of 96 stitches so you achieve it within the 13" length. I'm sorry I don't have a more "do this" kind of answer but there are a lot of unknowns that it's hard to advise on. Let me know if you have any other questions.