Yardage / Meterage
Yardage (or meterage) is the length of yarn in a skein or per 100 grams. This measurement is crucial when calculating yarn amount for substitutions.
Category: YarnExplanation
Yardage (or meterage) tells you how many meters or yards of yarn you get in a skein or per 100 grams. This is the most important factor when substituting yarn in a pattern. Two yarns may weigh the same but have completely different lengths. A thin yarn has a longer yardage than a thick yarn at the same weight. When substituting yarn, you must calculate how many skeins you need based on total length, not number of grams.
Also known as: Meterage, Length per skein
The number that makes yarns comparable
Yardage is the length of yarn per unit of weight, usually per 50 g or 100 g ball. It is the only specification that makes two yarns directly comparable: two yarns both labelled DK can differ by 40 percent in yardage, which means very different value for money.
High yardage per 100 g means fine yarn, low means heavy. Around 440 yards per 100 g is fingering, 220 yards is roughly DK, and 90 yards is bulky.
Using it for substitution
Work out the total length the pattern needs: number of skeins times the yardage per skein. Divide by the yardage of your new yarn to find how many skeins to buy. Always add one skein of margin.
Common mistakes
- Comparing yarns by weight category alone rather than by yardage.
- Counting skeins instead of yards when the skeins differ in weight.
Norwegian Term Reference
Reading Norwegian patterns? See the matching term on Strikketips.no:
Keywords
- meterage
- yardage
- yarn length
- running length
Frequently asked questions
What does 50 g / 137 yds mean?
Each skein weighs 50 grams and holds 137 yards. Scaled to 100 grams that is 274 yards.
Why did I run out even though I bought the stated number of skeins?
Either the yardage was lower than the original yarn’s, or you knit looser than the pattern and use more yarn per inch.