Free knitting calculators
A sweater on your needles, a scarf in your project bag, or a blanket that keeps growing: start with the numbers you need, without losing the pleasure of making.
Work out your gauge, choose a cast-on count and plan your yarn. Each tool below has a specific job, so you do not have to work through a complicated planner.
Every calculator is free. No account or membership. We reserve space for advertising to help cover running costs. Voluntary support is welcome, never required.
Your needles.
Your next project.Photo: Marina Ermakova / Unsplash
What would you like to work out?
Gauge
Use the stitches and rows in your swatch to calculate counts for your project width and height.
Open Gauge Calculator →Pattern resizing
Adjust a starting stitch count to your own gauge and a chosen repeat. Check the resulting width, not just the number.
Open Pattern Resize Calculator →Cast-on stitches
Find a stitch count for a finished width, with a repeat multiple and extra edge stitches where needed.
Open Stitch Count Calculator →Yarn for a project
Estimate yarn length for a rectangular knitted area using a representative swatch and an optional extra allowance.
Open Knitting Yarn Calculator →Balls and skeins
Already know the yarn length? Turn that total into the number of whole balls or skeins to buy.
Open Yarn Skein Calculator →Increase spacing
Distribute a set number of single increases as evenly as possible across a row or round.
Open Increase Spacing Calculator →Decrease spacing
Distribute standard two-stitch-to-one decreases evenly and see the resulting stitch count.
Open Decrease Spacing Calculator →Start with your own swatch
Your knitting is the starting point. Use the yarn, needles and stitch pattern intended for your project, then compare your swatch with the pattern’s gauge instructions.
First, measure
Have your stitch count, row count and measured swatch size to hand. Keep the measurement system consistent when entering values.
Then, choose your finished size
For a simple panel, enter its desired width. For a garment, check the designer’s finished measurements and fit instructions before changing a count.
Finally, plan materials
Use a yarn estimate when you have a suitable swatch. A flat-panel estimate is not a complete sweater calculation: sleeves, shaping, bands and finishing need their own allowance.
Knitting calculator questions
Which calculator should I open first?
Start with Gauge if you have a measured swatch. Use Pattern Resize when your gauge differs from a pattern and you need a revised starting count. Use Yarn Skein when you already know the required yarn length.
Can I use centimetres or inches?
The dimension-based knitting tools offer metric and imperial inputs. The yarn tools also support metres and yards. Check the unit shown beside each field.
Does changing the stitch count resize the whole pattern?
No. The resizing tool handles a count and its expected width. It does not automatically rewrite shaping, construction or instructions for the rest of a garment.
Further reading: Craft Yarn Council: hooks, needles and checking gauge.