Estimate the yardage for a rectangle

From The Knitting Fiend. Your source for free knitting patterns, tips and mindless knitting chatter on the web. 

This calculator estimates the amount of yarn you will need if you knit a rectangle using either  stockinette and broken rib.  Knit rectangles include afghans, scarves and dishcloths, many simple hats and table runners.  The calculator can also be used to determine the yardages of parallelogram like the clapotis.

To find other calculators, click calculator page.


Enter stitch gauge:
 stitches per inch.
Enter row gauge:
 rows per inch.
Enter the width of the rectangle. 

 inches wide.
Enter the length of the rectangle. 

 inches long.

Results: 
The directions are given to let you compare the rows and stitches I used to estimate yardage to the number or rows and stitches in your pattern.
Cast on stitches. Knit rows (until item measures inches length.)

I estimate you will need   yards if you knit in stockinette and yards if you knit in broken rib. 
If your yarns is marked in meters, you will need approximately   meters for stockinette and meters for broken rib. 


Stockinette always curls on the edges, if you knit a stockinette rectangle to make an afghan or a scarf, you will need to add a non-curling edge treatment. Adding two rows of crochet to the edges, or picking up stitches and knitting a few rows of garter stitch would eliminate the curling.   Be aware that this program only predicts you the amount of yarn you need for the number or rows and stitches entered here. I don't add any "safety factor";  you will need extra yarn for the trim.

You will likely want to knit these in some other stitch; some stitches require more than indicated here; some less.  If in doubt, I advise buying extra yarn.

Note: How to estimate for the Clapotis. Enter 4.75 stitches/inch, 6.25 rows/ inch.  Enter 22.5" across and 51 inches long.  This will reproduce the 107 stitches and 318 full rows.   My calculator suggests you need 823 yards.  The designer suggests you need 615 yards.  People are constantly posting their aggravation at running out of yarn; for evidence read these : 1 (from the knitlist), , 2 (knitlist) , 3 (a blog) , 4 (search on clapotis ran out of yarn) and finally 5 (posted to the knitlist by someone who knit the "Clappy" with four, not three skeins of the Lorna's Laces yarn and had a few yards left over.  )

 Need I say more?

Have fun knitting!
Lucia