Crochet guide
Stitches that use the least yarn
Open stitches and tall stitches use the least yarn for the area they cover. Short, closed stitches use more, and raised stitches such as bobbles and puffs use the most. Single crochet (double crochet in the United Kingdom) takes more yarn than double crochet (treble crochet in the United Kingdom) for a piece of the same size.
On this page 6 parts
From sparing to hungry
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets where it differs. The order below is for the same area of fabric in the same yarn.
| Yarn use | Kind of stitch | Why | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Least | Open stitches, made partly of chains and spaces | A chain takes less yarn than a double crochet, and the spaces take none | Mesh stitch, filet crochet, V-stitch, lace and openwork stitches |
| Less | Tall, plain stitches | Each row is taller, so fewer rows cover the same length | Double crochet (UK treble crochet), treble crochet (UK double treble crochet), half double crochet (UK half treble crochet) |
| More | Short, closed stitches | The rows are short, so more of them are needed | Single crochet (UK double crochet) |
| Most | Raised and layered stitches | Several stitches are worked into one place, or the fabric is built up thick | Bobble stitch, puff stitch, cluster stitch, waffle stitch |
Single crochet or double crochet?
Single crochet takes more yarn than double crochet for a piece of the same size. A double crochet stitch is taller, so a piece needs fewer rows of it, and fewer rows mean less yarn.
How much more depends on your yarn, your hook and your hands, so this page gives no figure. To put a number on it for your own piece, work a small swatch in each stitch, weigh them and compare. The yarn calculator turns a weighed swatch into an estimate for a whole piece.
Why open stitches go furthest
An open stitch pattern swaps some of its stitches for chains and leaves spaces between them. A chain uses less yarn than a double crochet and fills less space, and a hole uses none. That is why lace takes less yarn than a closed, dense fabric of the same size.
The price is the fabric itself: it has holes, and holes let warmth out. For a blanket that should be warm, a closed stitch may be worth the extra yarn.
Why raised stitches take the most
A bobble is several double crochets worked into one stitch and closed together, and a puff is the same idea in half double crochet. Each one takes the yarn of several stitches but fills the room of one. Clusters work the same way.
Thick stitch patterns are hungry for a second reason: the fabric is built up in layers, and every layer is yarn. Waffle stitch is one example.
What else changes how far the yarn goes
- The hook. A larger hook makes larger, more open stitches. How far that stretches a ball is something only a swatch settles. See what a bigger or smaller hook does.
- Buy a little extra. Any figure worked out from a swatch is an estimate, so round up.