All of the findings are provided in the swatch captions, looking at the same details for each swatch: overall weight, overall dimensions, and in plain terms—how much yarn is needed to cover how much area. In a nutshell—which way of making fabric with yarn is the most efficient in terms of yarn used?
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You are viewing: Which Crochet Stitch Uses The Least Yarn
Bonus Experiment: Same Size Swatches, Different Amounts of Yarn
Our digital editor Andrea also did an experiment where she created two swatches, one in stockinette stitch and one in half double crochet, in the same yarn (Herlig DK from Ancient Arts Yarn) and equivalently-sized hooks and needles. Then she weighed the yarn from each swatch. You can see the results below:
The Results
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Our primary question was: Does crochet use more yarn than knitting? The answer is most definitely yes, at least based on our examples. Stockinette can cover 3.03 square inches per gram, while single crochet covers only 1.89 square inches per gram. This means that stockinette uses about 60% as much yarn as single crochet to cover the same area. Double crochet is the most efficient of our crochet examples at 2.39 square inches per gram of yarn. Stockinette uses about 79% as much yarn as double crochet to cover the same area.
Within the knit examples, stockinette uses about 2/3 the amount of yarn as garter stitch to cover the same area. This makes sense based on row gauge. Looking at the crochet stitch types, as the stitches get taller, less yarn is used to cover the same area. Again, this makes logical sense since single crochet looks and feels denser than half double or double crochet.
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One piece of information was a surprise to me, and that’s the difference in width from single to half double to double crochet. Even though all three swatches are 20 stitches wide, the nature of the stitches causes each taller stitch to be a bit wider overall. I guess we can call this an accidental discovery!
The Takeaways
This is really the tip of the iceberg, as there are going to be other major differences if we look at extremely open stitch patterns such as mesh, and extremely dense stitch patterns such as cables, mosaic, etc. Logic tells me that an open double crochet mesh will use less yarn than stockinette stitch, but of course that’s just a theory for now. I’m satisfied with the findings and am delighted to have some data to back up this theory that I’ve always considered to be fact. Now I know, and now you know!
Did any of these numbers surprise you? Have you had certain beliefs or assumptions about yarn usage that were either proven or disproven by this little experiment? Let us know in the comments!
Originally from Iowa, Amy Gunderson lives in sunny Reno, NV. She’s been the creative director for Universal Yarn, yarn director for Jimmy Beans Wool, and all-around yarn enthusiast for over a decade. Her knit and crochet designs have appeared in most major magazines including Interweave Knits. When she’s not dreaming up a crazy sweater idea, you can find her violining, knitting at the dog park or smashing balls on the tennis court. Follower her on Instagram as @amyyounggunderson or on Ravelry as @amygunderson.
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Category: WHICH
