How to Measure Scrap Yarn With a Kitchen Scale

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Almost every crocheter I know saves and uses their scrap yarn. And every single one of them has played “yarn chicken” to find out whether they have enough yarn.

But did you know there’s a simple way to know for sure you’ll have enough yarn BEFORE you start using a scrap ball? And you might even have the tools you need lying around your kitchen right now!

Watch the Video Tutorial Here

First, you’ll need a swatch of crochet to compare to. In my photo, I’m crocheting a color block dishcloth, and I have 6 rows of single crochet in 2 colors, and a ball of yarn for the next section.

a swatch of yarn, a scrap yarn ball, a crochet hook and a kitchen scale

I know I want to have double the amount of rows in the next color. That means I’ll need just about double the amount of yarn.

First, I weigh my crochet work using a kitchen scale. This is the one I bought from Amazon, it’s really affordable and so durable that it has lasted me for more than 4 years of crochet and baking adventures so far!

It’s easiest to use grams, as that’s the smallest unit on my kitchen scale, so it will be the most accurate. My swatch measures 9g.

Then I can compare the scrap ball of yarn. My scrap ball weighs 20g. Lucky for me, I should even have a bit left over after I’m done!

More Ways to Use Your Kitchen Scale for Crochet

You can also use your kitchen scale to calculate how much yardage you’ve used in a crochet project. Simply compare the weight on the label to the weight of your crochet piece.

For example, my cotton yarn has 70.9g and 120yds per ball. Divide the yardage by the weight, and you get 1.69 yards per gram. Since my white yarn ball weighs 20 grams, I can multiply by that ratio to see how many yards are in my scrap ball. 1.69 yards per gram times 20 grams makes 33.8 yards.

When I’m crocheting multiples of the same item, I will sometimes weigh my yarn to see if I have enough to make more. Just divide the weight of your remaining ball by the weight of the finished piece (if it’s the same yarn!) and you’ll know how many more you can make. That’s how I figured out how many of these cute flower shaped makeup rounds and circle makeup rounds I could make from one ball of yarn.