Celtic Knots Yardage
One of the things that people seem to really love about my “Year of…” series is the monthly surprise of seeing the new design!
One of the problems with a monthly surprise is that it is hard to plan your yarn usage.
For 2023’s year of Celtic knots, I’m going to tell you the yardage amounts ahead of time (as in, right now – Dec 2022). I won’t spoil the design surprise (although I have sent a few people a slightly blurry image of all 12 months – they didn’t want a surprise).
If you’re new around here and are looking for more information on this year’s monthly series of squares please head to the landing page.
End of 2023
Now that we’ve reached the end of this journey you can use each individual month’s page to get more details about each square (see the Landing Page) but I’ve updated this page to include all three colorwork techniques as well because I think it’s handy to be able to reference the yaradage all in one place.
There’s no more surprise – so I’m happy to show off my finished blanket using my interlocking crochet squares!
The landing page does go over some important details like: how to get the monthly release, colorwork options, square size, etc. And it has a pre-sale link (expired) and a few teaser photos.
Tell me more!
So, you already know there will be a new square every month in 2023. They are all the same size on the chart but depending on which technique you are using you might want to know a bit more about the yardage before we get started.
If you choose the interlocking crochet technique then you will have an easier time with the math. All 12 squares, regardless of the design shown, have the same yardage because two layers of mesh is two layers of mesh.
If you choose the center-out overlay mosaic crochet option then the yardage gets more difficult. Due to the nature of a sc and a dc using different amount of yarn you will have small differences in how much of each yarn is used.
As of the end of November, there’s also a bottom-up overlay mosaic crochet option which has a slightly different gauge than the center-out squares.
I always round up from my actual usage because it’s better to have a little bit more yarn than you need instead of running out. You should do a gauge swatch if you want it to be completely accurate to how your tension affects your yarn usage.
Total Yardage
I have used yardage, not meterage, so if you prefer to use meters when measuring you might want to use an online calculator.
I have also not mentioned grams because it depends on what fibre of yarn you’re using (cotton, wool, and acrylic all have different weights per yardage). Ravelry lists a lot of details about nearly every yarn out there, so that’s a good place to start if you need more information about your chosen yarn.
I hope knowing the yardage for each square will help you plan your shopping or your stash diving! I am so excited for this series!
Interlocking Crochet
As of December 27, 2022, the yardage amounts for the interlocking crochet squares have been updated.
All 12 squares are on a chart size of 81 x 81. They begin with 40 windows in the foundation row. Using a worsted weight yarn, and matching my gauge of 16 (dc, ch) stitches x 8 rows in one color = 4″, your finished squares will be about 20″ / 51cm.
You will need about 250 yards of the Main Color and 240 yards of the Accent Color. An additional 75 yards is optional per square if you’re planning to add the simple border. Yardage needed to join the squares together has not been included in that number.
The Main Color (MC) is the one used first and also becomes the knot. The Accent Color (AC) can also be thought of as the background color.
If you want all 12 squares to be the same colors, and you plan on adding the simple border, you’ll need about 3900 yards of the MC and 2880 yards of the AC. I’d expect to use another 300 yards of the MC to join using a flat braid join. See my joining tutorial: https://youtu.be/UXoh8ungXRs
Center-Out Overlay Mosaic Crochet
Yardage for each of the squares changes slightly when you use the overlay mosaic crochet technique because some squares have a larger area of background than others. A design that uses less double crochets will use less yarn.
The mosaic version of each square is on a chart size of 77 x 77. If you meet gauge the center-out overlay mosaic crochet squares will be 19″ / 48cm. I count single crochets for the mosaic gauge and get 16 stitches x 16 rows = 4″.
Like the interlocking technique, the Main Color (MC) refers to the knots and the Contrasting Color (CC) can also be thought of as the background color.
These center-out Celtic knot squares start with the CC and end with a final round of the MC.
No envelope border is needed with the center-out technique (although some prefer to add one anyway).
I estimate you’ll need another 300 yards of the MC to join the squares together using a flat braid join. See my joining tutorial: https://youtu.be/UXoh8ungXRs
If you plan on using the same MC throughout the series and to join your squares you’ll need a total of about 3315 yards. If you’ll be using the same color for all the backgrounds you’ll need 3990 yards of your CC.
Bottom-Up Overlay Mosaic Crochet
The bottom-up mosaic crochet version of each square is also on a chart size of 77 x 77. Working from the center-out has a different gauge than working from the bottom-up.
If you work from the bottom-up, gauge is 14 stitches x 15 rows = 4″ and your finished square (not including the fringe from the cut ends) will be 22” x 21” / 56cm x 52cm.
Like the interlocking technique, the Main Color (MC) refers to the knots and the Contrasting Color (CC) can also be thought of as the background color.
The bottom-up squares start with the MC and end with the MC.
You can add an envelope border to hide your cut ends; that will take about 250 yards per square. Some prefer to weave in the ends while others prefer to use Tunisian mosaic crochet and skip dealing with the ends altogether!
I estimate you’ll need another 300 yards of the MC to join the squares together using a flat braid join. See my joining tutorial: https://youtu.be/UXoh8ungXRs
Monthly Center-Out Mosaic Crochet Yardage
January: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
February: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
March: MC 260 yards, CC 340 yards
April: MC 250 yards, CC 350 yards
May: MC 280 yards, CC 320 yards
June: MC 235 yards, CC 325 yards
July: MC 260 yards, CC 325 yards
August: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
September: MC 260 yards, CC 340 yards
October: MC 240 yards, CC 330 yards
November: MC 230 yards, CC 340 yards
December: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
Monthly Bottom-Up Mosaic Crochet Yardage
Plus 250 yards per square for optional envelope border.
January: MC 250 yards, CC 320 yards
February: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
March: MC 260 yards, CC 330 yards
April: MC 250 yards, CC 350 yards
May: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
June: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
July: MC 260 yards, CC 320 yards
August: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
September: MC 260 yards, CC 340 yards
October: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
November: MC 240 yards, CC 340 yards
December: MC 250 yards, CC 330 yards
Thanks! This helps a lot!