Weigh It

You want to use up all your yarn? You need a scale. And, you need to weigh it in grams. Why grams? Read more in “Using a Scale with Your Yarn”.

This weight is the starting weight.

Work a Row

Now that you weighed it and you know the starting weight, work a row.

Weigh It Again

After you worked the row, weigh it again. This is the ending weight.

How Much does a Row Weigh?

Starting Weight (grams) – Ending Weight (grams) = Weight of a Single Row (grams)

This One Row isn’t Indicative of Future Rows

I outlined the easiest way, but if your pattern changes from row to row, by all means work more rows too. Just follow the same process each time – weighing it before and then after.

If you’re working an object that gets increasingly larger (say, a shawl) then I would be sure to do the weighing as close as possible to when you really need it.

Or, you could weigh one row and then weigh another row. And then, take that difference. This will accurately tell you what those increases actually weigh. In most cases, the extra gram that you add (that I suggest below) will be more than enough to cover those increases.

I Know what a Row Weighs – Now What?

This part is easy. Just use the weight of a single row and be sure that your leftover has at least that much remaining. I always go for a bit extra too – usually a gram – so I’m not cutting it too close and playing chicken.

About the Instructor: Jody Richards

Jody is the founder and lead editor of Knotions. She loves poring over stitch dictionaries and trying out new stitches. And while she likes all things crafting (well ok, except that one thing), yarn crafts are her true love (and she has the stash to prove it).

She’s a serial starter-of-projects and has a serious problem with finishing things without a deadline.

And don’t get her talking about hand-dyed yarns.  You’ve been warned.