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Nearly empty ball of yarn in a glass jar, illustrating the anxiety of yarn chicken

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Pushing the limits of the yarn you have on hand is often called "yarn chicken"

machine knitting yarn tip yarn


Yarn Chicken?

We've all done it ... we're not sure if we have enough yarn and get down to the last few yards. Yarn Chicken causes more grey hair than dropped stitches.

Tip 1

Weigh and measure your swatch BEFORE you start knitting. Use the Knit it Now Yarn Estimator to determine if you have enough for your project.


Tip 2

If you only have 1-2 rows left to knit:
A row of stockinette takes about 3 times the width of the knitting.
Measure what you have left against the knitting on the machine.

Have you ever played "yarn chicken"? Reply below and share your experience.
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3 COMMENTS
Cherry R
 Aug 20, 2024
I stop and tie a slip knot at the mid point of the remaining yarn when I think there might be two rows-worth left. If I knit another row before reaching the knot I'll untie it and know I can do another one. If not, its time to change yarn already!

Hope R
 Aug 20, 2024
LOL, the knitters gamble - Can I get to the end of the row? I hate stopping too soon especially when I'm using an expensive yarn. Thanks for the "3 times the width" rule.

The Yarn estimator is awesome! Thanks

Helene V
 Aug 20, 2024
Yes, I am a regular player of Yarn Chicken. I've used the "3 times the width" pointer for years in hand-knitting so brought that over to machine knitting when I started that. I find it especially useful when coming to the end of a cone to ensure that I have enough to make it to an edge of the work for the change to the new cone.

Your yarn estimator sounds like a real godsend! Weighing the swatch before commencing to reel off remaining yarn by knitting is a truly essential tip <3. Thanks for all that you do to keep us all happily knitting, Sue!

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