For Everyday Bag owners
The Carried Knitting & Crochet Toolkit™
Six tools, built for the bag you already carry. Every number in them is checked against the Craft Yarn Council standards — the same ones your patterns are written to.
The sizing check alone saves a $15 pattern and three weeks of knitting.
What you’re unlocking
- Size
- What your stitches will really measure
- Fit
- Whether that sweater size fits you
- Yarn
- Whether what’s left finishes the job
- Hats
- What to cast on, for any head size
- Counter
- Three projects, three counters
- Charts
- Every number, made to print and fold
Once you’re in
- Bookmark this page. Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app.
- Your numbers are saved. Gauge, measurements, row counts — still here next time.
- No signal needed. Works on the bus and in the waiting room.
Yours to keep. No account, nothing to install, no subscription.
The Carried Knitting & Crochet Toolkit
What do you need to work out?
What size will this actually come out?
Any project — blanket, scarf, bag, a sweater piece.
The pattern said 180 stitches. You worked forty rows before you held it up and realised the blanket was going to come out a foot too wide.
Your gauge is almost never the pattern's gauge. Measure a blocked swatch once and every answer below fills itself in.
1Your gauge, from a blocked swatch
Block it first, then measure across the middle — never over the edges.
Also measure rows, to check length
2What will this pattern give you?
3Or tell it the size you want
My pattern has a stitch repeat
The "8" in "multiple of 8 + 2".
The "+2". Leave blank if there isn't one.
Will this sweater fit me?
Sweaters, cardigans and tops.
You hit gauge. You checked twice. You blocked the swatch. The sweater still came out too tight, and you frogged the whole yoke.
Gauge was never the problem. Ease was — the gap between your body and the finished garment. The fit names here are the Craft Yarn Council's, so they match the words already in your pattern.
1What are you making?
This changes the answer. Crochet doesn't spring back the way knitting does.
Front bands eat room. A cardigan needs more.
2Your measurements
The fullest part, over what you'd wear underneath. Keep the tape level and don't pull it tight.
High under the arms, above the bust. Ten seconds, and it decides whether the shoulders fit — the one thing you can't fix later.
3The size you're eyeing
From the size chart. Sometimes called "finished measurement" — never the body measurement.
Also check the sleeve
Do I have enough yarn to finish?
Any project. You'll want a kitchen scale.
One ball left, a dozen rows to go, and the dye lot is long gone. You've been avoiding finding out for three days.
Yarn is sold by weight and worked by length. Weigh what's left and this answers it exactly.
1How much is actually left
Off the ball band.
Also off the ball band.
Weigh the lot, all balls together.
2Will it finish the job
Weigh the yarn, work one row, weigh again. The difference goes here.
Leave blank to just see how many rows you have.
I'm buying a different yarn instead
For your size. Add up all colours if it's striped.
What size should I make this hat?
Beanies, knit or crochet.
You made the hat in an evening. It sat on top of her head like a bowl and rode up every time she moved.
A hat has to be smaller than the head to stay on. How much smaller depends on knit or crochet. Head sizes are the Craft Yarn Council's.
1Who it's for
Around, just above the ears.
Give me a stitch count too
Ribbed brims want 2, 4 or 6.
Where was I?
One counter for each project in the bag.
Eight-row repeat. You memorised it. You lost count anyway, and you frogged it twice before you gave in and got a clicker.
Tap the big button every row. Set the repeat and it tracks where you are inside it. Tap a name to rename it.
Saved on this device only. Clearing your browser data clears your counts.
The numbers you keep looking up
Straight from the Craft Yarn Council standards. Print it, fold it, drop it in the front pocket.
Yarn weights
| Weight | No. | Knit sts / 4in | Needle | Crochet sc / 4in | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace · 10-count thread | 0 | 33–40 | 1.5–2.25 mm | 32–42 dc | 1.4–2.25 mm |
| Super fine · sock, fingering | 1 | 27–32 | 2.25–3.25 mm | 21–32 | 2.25–3.5 mm |
| Fine · sport, baby | 2 | 23–26 | 3.25–3.75 mm | 16–20 | 3.5–4.5 mm |
| Light · DK | 3 | 21–24 | 3.75–4.5 mm | 12–17 | 4.5–5.5 mm |
| Medium · worsted, aran | 4 | 16–20 | 4.5–5.5 mm | 11–14 | 5.5–6.5 mm |
| Bulky · chunky, rug | 5 | 12–15 | 5.5–8 mm | 8–11 | 6.5–9 mm |
| Super bulky · roving | 6 | 7–11 | 8–12.75 mm | 7–9 | 9–15 mm |
| Jumbo | 7 | 6 or fewer | 12.75 mm + | 6 or fewer | 15 mm + |
Craft Yarn Council, Standard Yarn Weight System. Knit gauge is stockinette; crochet gauge is single crochet except lace, which is double crochet. Lace gauge is a loose guide — open work follows the pattern, not the chart.
Crochet hooks, mm to US
| mm | US | mm | US | mm | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.25 | B-1 | 5 | H-8 | 10 | N/P-15 |
| 2.5 | — | 5.25 | I | 11.5 | P-16 |
| 2.75 | C-2 | 5.5 | I-9 | 15 | P/Q |
| 3.125 | D | 5.75 | J | 15.75 | Q |
| 3.25 | D-3 | 6 | J-10 | 16 | Q |
| 3.5 | E-4 | 6.5 | K-10½ | 19 | S |
| 3.75 | F-5 | 8 | L-11 | 25 | T/U/X |
| 4 | G-6 | 9 | M/N-13 | 30 | T/X |
| 4.25 | G | — | — | — | — |
| 4.5 | 7 | — | — | — | — |
Craft Yarn Council. Steel hooks run the other way — the bigger the number, the smaller the hook.
Knitting needles, mm to US
| mm | US | mm | US | mm | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 000 | 3.75 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| 1.75 | 00 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 |
| 2 | 0 | 4.25 | 6 | 10 | 15 |
| 2.25 | 1 | 4.5 | 7 | 12.5 | 17 |
| 2.75 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12.75 | 17 |
| 3 | — | 5.25 | 9 | 15 | 19 |
| 3.125 | 3 | 5.5 | 9 | 19 | 35 |
| 3.25 | 3 | 5.75 | 10 | 25 | 50 |
| 3.5 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 70 |
| — | — | 6.5 | 10½ | — | — |
Craft Yarn Council. 7mm has no US number.
Bust and chest fit, how much ease
| Fit | Ease, inches | Ease, cm | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very close fitting | −2 to −4 | −5 to −10 | Tight. Needs stretchy fabric. |
| Close fitting | 0 | 0 | Skims. Your actual measurement. |
| Classic fit | +2 to +4 | +5 to +10 | The everyday sweater. |
| Loose fit | +4 to +6 | +10 to +15 | Room for a layer under. |
| Oversized | +6 and up | +15 and up | Big on purpose. |
Craft Yarn Council, Bust/Chest Fit and Ease Chart. Ease = finished garment measurement minus your body measurement. Crochet fabric recovers less than knit, so keep negative ease shallower in crochet — roughly 5 to 10 per cent rather than the 10 to 20 per cent knitting takes. That last figure is designer guidance, not a published standard.
Head circumference, for hats
| Who | Inches | cm |
|---|---|---|
| Preemie | 9–12 | 23–30.5 |
| Baby | 14–16 | 35.5–40.5 |
| Toddler | 16–18 | 40.5–46 |
| Child | 18–20 | 45.5–51 |
| Tween | 20–22 | 51–56 |
| Woman | 21–23 | 53–58.5 |
| Man | 22–24 | 56–61 |
Craft Yarn Council, Head Circumference Chart.
Blankets, common finished sizes
| Blanket | Inches | cm |
|---|---|---|
| Lovey · security | 12×12 – 18×18 | 30×30 – 46×46 |
| Preemie | 18×24 | 46×61 |
| Receiving · stroller | 30×30 – 30×36 | 76×76 – 76×91 |
| Crib | 30×40 – 36×52 | 76×102 – 91×132 |
| Toddler | 42×52 | 107×132 |
| Lapghan | 36×48 | 91×122 |
| Throw | 50×60 – 52×68 | 127×152 – 132×173 |
| Twin | 66×90 | 168×229 |
| Queen | 90×96 | 229×244 |
| King | 108×96 | 274×244 |
Common conventions, not a published standard — the Craft Yarn Council doesn't set blanket sizes. Measure the actual bed or the actual child where you can.
