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Does Knitting or Crochet Take More Yarn?

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Yarn use in knitting versus crochetMost of us know that crochet tends to be — or at least feel — a little faster than knitting, because the stitches can be a lot taller than a standard row of knitting. But does crochet also use more yarn than knitting?

It seems like it should, but I’ve never seen anyone actually test the theory.

This post is old but I just came across it on Facebook the other day, where Not So Granny tested how much yarn different stitches use.

You should click over for the full results but the short answer is that different stitches worked in different techniques don’t make a huge amount of difference in a swatch, but over a whole sweater you might need an extra ball or two. To me the most interesting thing is the difference between Garter Stitch and Stockinette.

So the upshot here is, if you’re stash busting, you probably won’t go through more yarn that much faster if you crochet versus knitting. Just pick projects you’re excited about so you will actually use the yarn and finish the projects (yes, I’m talking to myself here, too).

[Photo: Not So Granny.]

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Comments

  1. I love the knit look but I’m too impatient with knitting so I stick with crochet because I’m much faster at it and way more experienced and proficient. If I were doing clothing I would take the time to learn more and knit for sure.

Have you read?

Knit a Mosaic Shawl Inspired by Mythology

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway). 

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her. 

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed. 

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting? 

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks. 

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along. 

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options. 

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]