How much yarn
How much yarn for a temperature blanket
A year is 365 rows. How much yarn that takes, and how long the blanket ends up, comes down to two choices: the stitch and the width. In worsted weight, a 50" single crochet blanket is about 81" long and takes about 3,200 yards, or 9 skeins of 364 yards before you split it into colors.
| Stitch | Width | Length | Per row | Year, +10% | 364 yd skeins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single crochet | 36" | 81" | 5.8 yd | 2,313 yd | 7 |
| Single crochet | 42" | 81" | 6.7 yd | 2,699 yd | 8 |
| Single crochet | 50" | 81" | 8.0 yd | 3,212 yd | 9 |
| Single crochet | 60" | 81" | 9.6 yd | 3,855 yd | 11 |
| Half double crochet | 36" | 122" | 6.7 yd | 2,699 yd | 8 |
| Half double crochet | 42" | 122" | 7.8 yd | 3,148 yd | 9 |
| Half double crochet | 50" | 122" | 9.3 yd | 3,748 yd | 11 |
| Half double crochet | 60" | 122" | 11.2 yd | 4,497 yd | 13 |
| Double crochet | 36" | 166" | 8.7 yd | 3,483 yd | 10 |
| Double crochet | 42" | 166" | 10.1 yd | 4,063 yd | 12 |
| Double crochet | 50" | 166" | 12.0 yd | 4,837 yd | 14 |
| Double crochet | 60" | 166" | 14.5 yd | 5,804 yd | 16 |
| Garter stitch (one ridge a day) | 36" | 91" | 6.8 yd | 2,711 yd | 8 |
| Garter stitch (one ridge a day) | 42" | 91" | 7.9 yd | 3,162 yd | 9 |
| Garter stitch (one ridge a day) | 50" | 91" | 9.4 yd | 3,765 yd | 11 |
| Garter stitch (one ridge a day) | 60" | 91" | 11.3 yd | 4,517 yd | 13 |
Why the colors add skeins
The table is the whole blanket in one yarn. A temperature blanket uses eight to ten colors, and every color is bought in whole skeins, so the real count is higher: most colors end with part of a skein left. Across our cities, a 50" single crochet year comes to a median of 5 more skeins than the table (from 1 to 7), depending on how many bands the city's year touches. Each city page counts it color by color, with the packs to buy.
Why double crochet runs so long
A row of double crochet is about twice as tall as a row of single crochet, and a year has the same 365 rows either way. At 50" wide that is a blanket about 166" long, nearly 14 feet. If you want double crochet, many makers work two days per row or narrow the blanket; for a bed-length blanket at one row a day, single crochet or garter stitch is the stitch to choose.
How the numbers are made
- Worsted weight (4), at a typical gauge: single crochet 4.5 rows per inch, half double 3, double 2.2; garter stitch one ridge (two rows) a day at 4 ridges per inch.
- Yarn per square inch of fabric: single crochet about 0.72 yards, half double 0.56, double 0.53, garter 0.75. A 37.5" x 81" single crochet blanket published at about 2,080 yards works out to 0.69, which agrees.
- 10% extra for joins, tails and your own gauge. A border is extra again.
Your city, color by color
Pick your city to see last year's blanket with the yarn for each color, or the 2027 forecast to buy for January.