How much yarn do I need?

Enter the size of your woven cloth.

Finished width (inches)

How wide you want the cloth, like 11.

Finished length (inches)

How long, not counting fringe, like 60.

Ends per inch

How many warp threads sit in each inch. Ashford suggests 7.5 for DK wool woven loosely. Not sure? Leave it.

Based on Ashford's first scarf: 11 in wide, with 9 in of fringe at each end. A finished length of about 55 in fits its 79 in warp.

Warp threads run the length of the cloth, and each one is an end. Weft is the thread you weave across them.

Fringe, skeins and other extras (optional)

You can skip all of this. Some boxes already have a starting number, and the rest can stay blank.

Ends per inch (sett)

Reed sizes for rigid heddle and table looms. Tap one to use it.

Sett is how many ends sit in each inch of cloth. On a rigid heddle loom, the warp runs through a slotted piece called the reed. A 7.5 reed holds 7.5 ends in every inch. A thicker yarn needs fewer ends per inch and a finer yarn needs more. Ashford suggests 7.5 for DK wool woven loosely and 10 for a firmer cloth.

To check a yarn, wrap it around a ruler for one inch without crowding, count the wraps and divide by 2. Kromski uses that number for the reed size.

Weft picks per inch (optional)

A pick is one pass of the weft. Leave this blank and it matches your ends per inch, which gives an even, balanced cloth. Enter a smaller number for a looser cloth or a larger one for a firmer cloth.

More than one piece

Number of pieces

Weaving two scarves or four towels on one warp? Enter how many. Each piece gets its own length. Fringe between pieces is added only if you fill in the Fringe box.

Extra length to allow for

Loom waste (inches, both ends)

The warp you cannot weave, because it is tied on at the front and back of the loom. Kromski's warping guide allows about 18 in on its Harp Forte, and its projects range from 12 to 20 in. Your loom's booklet may say more.

Fringe (inches at each end) (optional)

Fringe is cut from the warp left at each end, so loom waste can be your fringe. Ashford's first scarf leaves 9 in at each end, Kromski's Presto scarf 4 in. Add fringe here only if you want more than the loom waste gives.

Take-up (percent)

Warp and weft travel over and under each other, so they use more yarn than a straight line. Kromski adds about 10% and says it can be less, depending on the yarn.

Shrinkage (percent) (optional)

Some cloth shrinks when you wash it. Kromski adds another 10% for an all-cotton project that will be machine washed, and nothing for one washed by hand in cool water. Leave this blank to add nothing.

Skeins (optional)

The label on a skein or ball tells you how many yards it holds. Enter that for each yarn and you get a skein count, rounded up.

Warp yarn (yards per skein)

Weft yarn (yards per skein)

Leave blank if the weft is the same yarn as the warp.

Close-up of pink, red, yellow and blue warp threads on a wooden loom — Photo: Mick Haupt, Unsplash

How the math works: a first scarf

Here is Ashford's first scarf. It is 11 in wide on a reed of 7.5 ends per inch, with 9 in of fringe at each end. Ashford sets up 84 ends, and the first step below reaches that number. A finished length of about 55 in fits Ashford's 79 in warp, so the math uses that.

Warp ends
11 in wide × 7.5 ends per inch = 82.5, up to 83, then up to 84, the next even number
84 ends
The reed is the slotted piece the warp runs through, and each inch of it holds a set number of threads. A slot and a hole make a pair of ends, so the count goes up to an even number.
Take-up
10% of 55 in = 5.5 in
5.5 in
Threads travel over and under each other, so the cloth ends up shorter than the warp it came from. This much extra makes up for it.
Loom waste and fringe
loom waste 18 in already covers fringe of 2 × 9 in = 18 in
18 in
Loom waste is the warp you cannot weave, because it is tied on at both ends of the loom. It can become your fringe, so the larger of the two is used.
Length of each warp thread
55 + 5.5 + 18 = 78.5 in, up to 79 in
79 in
This is how long to measure every warp thread. Round up to a whole inch.
Warp yarn
84 ends × 79 in = 6,636 in ÷ 36 = 184.33 yd, up to 185 yd
185 yd
Every end is the same length, so multiply by the number of ends, then divide by 36 to turn inches into yards.
Weft picks per inch
same as ends per inch, 7.5
7.5 per inch
A pick is one trip of the weft across the cloth. One pick for every end in an inch gives an even, balanced cloth.
Weft yarn
11 in × 7.5 picks × 55 in woven = 4,537.5 in, plus 10% = 4,991.25 in; ÷ 36 = 138.65 yd, up to 139 yd
139 yd
Each pick crosses the full width. Multiply width, picks per inch and woven length, add the take-up, and divide by 36.
Total yarn
185 + 139 = 324 yd
324 yd
Warp and weft together.

So the scarf needs 84 ends, each 79 in long. That is 185 yd of warp yarn and 139 yd of weft yarn, or 324 yd in all.

These are estimates, so buy a little extra. It's better to have a bit of yarn left than to run short.

Where to go next

With your yarn chosen, how to warp a rigid heddle loom takes you through measuring and winding the warp. New to weaving? How to start weaving covers the whole first scarf.

How much yarn do I need?

Your yarn

How the math works: a first scarf

Where to go next

Further reading

Your project

Your yarn

How the math works: a first scarf

Where to go next

Further reading