Running out of yarn two rows from the end is the most common way a project dies. Buying triple is the most common way money is wasted. This is how to land between the two.
Count metres, never balls
A pattern that says "4 balls" is only true for the yarn it was written for. Our balls range from 100m to 600m, so "4 balls" could mean 400m or 2,400m. Do this instead:
- Find the metres the pattern needs. If it gives balls, multiply by the metres of the yarn it names.
- Divide by the metres in the ball you are buying.
- Round up, then add one.
That last step is not padding. Dye lots shift between batches, and a ball bought three months later can be visibly different in the same piece. The spare ball is insurance against a mismatch you cannot fix.
What our balls give you
- Perfect Aran Ombre — 300g, approx. 600m. One ball goes a long way; often a whole cushion or a baby blanket panel.
- DK Ombre Multicolour — 100g, approx. 300m.
- Dream Ombre DK — 150g, approx. 280m.
- Pom Poms Soft Yarn — 200g, approx. 100m. The shortest length on our shelf, because the strand is the thickest.
Pom Poms is where people misjudge most. A 200g ball sounds generous and gives you 100m. A blanket in this yarn is a several-ball project, not a one-ball project.
Size changes it more than you expect
A garment's yarn use grows with its area, not its length. Going up two sizes does not add a little — it can add a fifth or more. Our own kits show the shape of it: on The Amigurumi Unicorn, size M needs 2 balls and size L needs 3. Half again, for one size step.
So the honest answer to "how much for a jumper" is: it depends on the size, and the pattern is the only thing that knows.
Let the kit do the arithmetic
Every pattern on this site has a kit builder. Choose your size and it lists the exact yarns and the number of balls for that size, priced. It reads the pattern's own requirement, so there is no conversion to get wrong, and it will not let you add a kit we cannot currently supply in full.
If you are working from a pattern bought elsewhere, use the metres method above — and lean on the substitution guide, because a yarn swap changes the quantity as well as the look.
Rules of thumb, clearly labelled as such
These are starting points for planning, not substitutes for a pattern:
- Scarf, DK, adult — around 400–600m.
- Baby blanket, DK — around 900–1,200m.
- Adult jumper, DK — around 1,200–2,000m depending on size and sleeve length.
- Amigurumi toy, cotton DK — usually well under 200m, but worked at a tight tension so it uses more per centimetre than you would guess.
- Chunky throw, super bulky — think in kilograms, not balls.
Swatch first if the project is large. Ten minutes with a 10cm square tells you more than any table on this page.
