At least half of the questions we get from other loop yarn knitters and customers involve math! So along the way we've compiled all sorts of data, and created charts and tables to simplify things both for ourselves as well as our customers.
Some of the most common questions people as are:
- How many loops/skeins do I need to make a blanket of a specific size?
- How many loops are in a skein?
- Can I substitute a different loop yarn? How will it affect the pattern? How many skeins will I need?
- Can I make the pattern bigger? How many more skeins will I need?
We've added several new charts to the website, including:
Loop Sizes / Loops per Skein - details the differences in loop sizes by brand and gives you an estimated number of loops per skein
Loop Yarn Skein Sizes - details the skein weights and lengths by brand
Loop Yarn Conversion Chart - helps you substitute brands and tells you how it will affect your pattern
Loop Yarn Swatch Sizes - gives four different swatch sizes (10 x 10, 60 x 60, 90 x 90 and 110 x 110 stitch swatches) for seven different brands of loop yarn
Not sure how to use this information to answer your questions? We have a solution for that too!
We've compiled these four charts together with a guide and worksheets in printable copies in our Loop Yarn Worksheets download. The guide walks you through how to use the charts and make the calculations you need to answer the questions above, and we've included worksheets you can use and re-use whenever you need.
Ready to create your own patterns? There are lots of websites and apps out there to help you chart your own designs. A couple of customer favourites are:
Alize Puffy More Pattern Maker - this website by Alize Yarns lets you upload images which it converts to pixel graphs for colourwork designs.
Stitch Fiddle - this website helps you chart patterns and create row-by-row instructions.
Prefer to work on paper? No problem! We've created Printable Graph Paper that you can download and use to sketch out patterns by hand.
Our download includes three different gauges of graph paper (90 x 110, 60 x 80, 40 x 50 square grids) as well as two different sizes of knit stitch colouring pages (fun for creating colourwork and Fair Isle designs).
On the back of each graph page we've included space to write pattern details such as the pattern name, yarn brand, yarn weight/type, rows/columns, and width/height, as well as a stitch guide to keep track of the symbols or colours you use to mark your graph.
Are there more tools or charts that you wish were available to help you with your loop yarn knitting? Let us know!