Hi everyone! Is there an easy way to estimate how much yardage a pattern needs based on looking at the pattern? I’m wondering because I’m finding that lots of patterns I have gone in to start in Ribblr, especially amigurumi and plushies, don’t list yardage needed to make the project just say a chunky yarn or a super bulky yarn but lost no yardage. I find this makes it super hard to want to make a project because I don’t want to use a yarn out of my stash that has been in there a while just to find out it’s not enough and I don’t have a way to get something else close to match. How do you estimate yardage for a pattern you haven’t done or is there just not a way to do that? Thank you all so much in advance and have a lovely day! 
I have found that the yardage on the patterns are typically unreliable. I have quite a few patterns that are more of a formula that adapts to your yarn and gauge and have no way of knowing how much yarn you will use.
I have seen baby booties call for the same yardage as large adult slippers and after looking it up, it was because that was how many yards were in a ball/skein of the yarn they were using. 
I try to say if you will need more than a standard skein of Supersaver or I love this yarn, otherwise I don’t list it either because again, O can only say if you will need more or less than one skein depending on the size and yarn you are using.
When I’m getting ready to do a pattern, I estimate based on previous projects. I tend to buy the same yarns or type of yarns over and over and Most items of the same size will have the same requirements (like a sweater for me or one for hubby)
But if it is a new pattern and a mystery ball from my stash… I will hold it in my hand and hold another item similar in my hand all balled up and see if they feel like they are about the same size. I am not joking, that is exactly what I do if I’m not sure.
Barring that, there are calculators online for garments and you can always look at a different pattern in your collection that is similar and see what it calls for or what you wrote in your note…always keep notes…
I know this doesn’t really help someone that has not done it long enough to just say “eh, it looks about right” but I hope there were a few good ideas you could use in there.
Thank you so much! That is really helpful!
I’m with you there, it’s becoming a pet peeve of mine as I try to work through my yarn “vault”. When I email designers as to how many yards/meters- sometimes I get an answer, sometimes I don’t.
It’s getting to where I don’t even buy the pattern unless the designer can tell me yardage.
Amigurumi is especially tough because you have the ability to change the yarn gauge as much as you want, which will drastically alter the yardage needed.
As someone who has made amigurumi patterns, I usually list the yarn used and say how many skeins it takes, which will give an approximate yardage. (For example, a big bundle of Bernat Blanket yarn, which is 220 yards.) However, going down to a thinner yarn will use less yarn, and going thicker will use more.
For example, I made a dragon plush with a bunch of thicknesses of yarn. I was able to get one out of 250yd of gauge 3 yarn, but when I went to a 6 super bulky, I had to use 5 skeins of 87yd each.
There’s going to be less flexibility with garments and other items, but if you use a different yarn than what was suggested, you may find that you end up needing more or less, as there can be some variation even within yarn gauges.
Yet, if the yardage and weight is given for what you DID use to make the amigurumi in the pattern, the rest can be figured out by ratio method.
Yes, having at least a basic estimate with something tangible is better than saying “I dunno, I just found something in my stash and I made this”. (This is why I always keep the yarn label around my used yarn, because I’m bound to forget what brand, gauge, etc. it was!)
Maybe some people don’t share the yardage if they feel like it’s small enough that you can make it with most skeins such as a whale or a bee, and I get why that may be. But it would still be nice to know!
Yes that is so true! I just wish they had something listed at all because so many don’t list anything at all for their patterns so I’m left wondering if like you said maybe it’s just a small enough amount they assume you can get it from any ball or if maybe they have a stash with all labels pulled from all their yarn so they don’t even know what type of yarn any of their stash is? I’d be totally okay if it just says a ball of this brand yarn because at least then I can go look and see how much is in that brand and guess if I’ll come close with what I have. Or maybe I’m just old school and used to patterns that list all the yardage and people just don’t do that anymore?
Well, I was chatting with an established and well know amigurumi artist and she said a well written pattern has yardage on it among other things.
It has always been that way
I have patterns going back nearly 100 years and none of them list an accurate yardage. Only how many balls of that specific yarn you will need which is not helpful if you don’t know how many yards are in that ball. Some don’t even list that, only what yarn was used. You were just supposed to know how much yarn you needed to make that article of clothing.
Sounds like the old days alright, “you’re supposed to know”.
Yeah,
To make it worse, until the 50’s, most patterns in magazines were printed by a yarn company, and the needles were also sold by them.
So the patterns will list how many ounces you need of that yarn (rounded up by the ball/skein) and what proprietary needle to use and would give the instructions for one size.
No gauge, no measurements, no yardage, you just had to go buy it and figure it out.
And just like old recipes, they assumed you knew what you were doing and left out a lot of steps.
The modern patterns and the standardized way they are written now just wasn’t a thing till about 15-20 years ago
Oh see I must just be used to the books published in the last 20 years or so then because all the knitting and crocheting pattern books I have list yarn type and yardage for every pattern and so it’s weird to me that so many of the patterns here don’t. I usually assume estimates are probably over, just like most sewing patterns the yardage needed is almost always 1/2 yard more than you actually need if you cut your fabric as economical as possible 
I just made a dress that said it needed 3 yards for my size and I got my dress and a shirt in my size both cut out of the 3 yards 
I’m just not as confident of a knitter or a crocheter to guess yardage like I can for sewing. I think you’re right though once I’m better at both it will be easier to just guess how much yarn is needed for a project that doesn’t list it! Thank you!!