How to calculate the amount of yarn for a knitted cashmere sweater
Let's say you've browsed the Hircus Filati page with many offers of fine yarns and decided to make yourself a beautiful Cashmere sweater. You've found the yarn you like, the price is right, and you even have a design in mind. You're about to order and you wonder: how much Cashmere will I need? Buying yarn in balls is simpler: many manufacturers include important information on the labels. They indicate the meterage of a ball (for example, 50g = 120m), the needle size to use, and the number of stitches and rows in a 10cm x 10cm swatch. Some even add the number of balls needed for a sweater depending on the size and style (long or short sleeves).
It's not easy to calculate the amount of yarn for a knitting project, but the explanations and tips below will surely be useful.
The Cashmere and Fine Yarns sold on the Hircus Filati website come with the information you'll need to calculate the amount of yarn you'll require: the count and, consequently, the meterage (already approximately calculated).
To better understand what this means, I recommend reading this post, where Federico Scatizzi explains it very simply. I assure you that this is very useful information that will allow you to calculate the meterage of any yarn and, consequently, the quantity.
In this article, I'll give you a concrete example of how to calculate the approximate amount of Cashmere needed to make a knitted garment. I'll try to delve deeper into the topic in one of my next posts.
Let's start with a pattern. I chose the V-neck sweater created by Heidi Kirrmaier and published on Ravelry. It's simple and unisex. Simplicity pairs very well with Cashmere.
You can download the free pattern (in English) for various sizes by
clicking here.
Let's look at the information the author provides.
Stockinette stitch gauge: 16 stitches and 23 rows = 10cm x 10cm swatch
Needle size to use: 4.5 – 5.0
Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL (chest circumference from 80 to 140 cm)
Total Meterage: 872 m – 1427 m
This information, i.e., how many meters are needed to make the sweater, is very important, more important than the yarn's weight.
To calculate the amount of Cashmere needed for this pattern, I chose the smallest size, XS (chest circumference 80 cm). According to the author's instructions, 8 balls of 109m each (total 872m of yarn) are sufficient for sizes S and M.
Now it's time to choose the
yarn I'll use for the sweater. I'll take, as an example, Eco Cashmere in skeins of 250g = approximately 575m (to be worked, of course, with needle sizes 4.5/5, as indicated in the project).
Let's calculate: (872 x 250) : 575 = 380. So I'll need about 380g of the yarn I chose.
One skein won't be enough, I'll need to buy two: 500g = 1150m.
I can use what's left over to make a neck warmer or a scarf :-). Getting two cashmere garments at such a low price will truly be a bargain :-).
Or... I'll buy even more and instead of making one sweater, I'll make two: one for me and one for my "him" or my "her".
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/WoolinHand/simple-summer-tweed-top-down-v-neck
If you choose a pattern published in a magazine, you won't find the total meterage information for the garment to be made. You'll have to calculate it yourself, taking into account the necessary quantity of the yarn X proposed for that pattern.
For example: you need 600g, which is 12 balls of 50g = 70m (12 balls x 70m = 840m). So, to make the pattern, you'll need approximately 840m of yarn.
I hope I've been clear enough... happy knitting.
Alicja Kwartnik for
Hircus Filati
