Answers
Some questions don't need a full guide, just a straight answer with the reasoning shown — how many yards for a specific blanket, what a specific millimetre size is in US needle terms. This section is built for exactly that: one specific question, answered directly, with a link to the relevant calculator or reference for anything beyond the immediate number.
How this section differs from the rest of the site
Everywhere else on this site is organized by topic (a yarn weight, a technique, a stitch pattern); this section is organized by the literal question someone searches for, even when the honest answer points back to one of those topic pages. It's curated, not auto-generated from a keyword list — each entry here is a real, specific query worth its own direct answer.
Yarn amount questions
How much for a blanket, a sweater, a scarf, a cowl, mittens, socks, a granny square, a dishcloth, or a shawl — each with a real computed figure, not a rule of thumb. Plus the process questions: how many balls do I need, how much extra should I buy, and how do I know if I have enough left.
Needle and hook size questions
Exact conversions for 4mm, 5mm, 3.25mm, and a 5mm crochet hook, plus the general process for converting UK to US and metric to US. For a specific yarn weight: needle size and hook size for worsted, and the deliberately undersized hook for amigurumi.
Gauge and swatching questions
What a gauge swatch actually is, why yours might not match a pattern's, and what to do when it's too loose or too tight. Converting a pattern to your own gauge, adjusting for a bigger gauge specifically, and weighing a swatch for yardage instead of stitch counting it.
Yarn weight and terminology questions
Stitches per inch for worsted and DK, and the real differences between DK and worsted, fingering and sport, and worsted and aran. Stitch-count notation like multiple of 4 plus 2, and honestly answered assumptions like why crochet supposedly uses more yarn than knitting.
Cast-on and shaping math questions
Real worked cast-on numbers for a scarf, a cardigan, a baby hat, and a cowl, plus the general processes: rows for a given length, decreases for a raglan, cast-on for a multiple of 6, yarn for a different size, and evenly spacing decreases or increases across a row.
Hat-specific and general reference questions
Measuring a head for a hat, how many decrease rounds a crown needs, and the standard adult circumference default when you can't measure directly. Beyond hats: reading a yarn label, grams-to-yards conversion and the reverse, substituting a different yarn weight or a discontinued yarn specifically, what a multiple-plus-1 stitch count means, negative ease, UK versus US crochet terms, garter stitch's row gauge, stitches in a 4-inch swatch, skeins for a baby blanket, and yardage for a full pair of socks.
What kind of questions this section answers
Yardage for a specific project size, cast-on and stitch-count math for a specific circumference or gauge, needle and hook size conversions phrased as a direct question, and clarifications on terms and conventions. If a question needs real judgment rather than a computable answer, it belongs in a guide instead — this section sticks to what can be shown with the actual math.
When an answer isn't specific enough for your project
Every answer here uses a stated example — a specific gauge, a specific circumference — because a genuinely universal number rarely exists in this craft. Use the linked calculator with your own numbers rather than treating any single answer as a rule that applies regardless of your actual gauge.
FAQ
Why does an answer page show a worked example instead of a general formula? Because a worked example is checkable — you can compare your own numbers against a real calculation and see where yours diverges, which is harder to do against an abstract formula alone.
What if my exact question isn't answered yet? This section is curated from genuinely common searches; the relevant calculator or guide usually gets you to the same number directly even without a dedicated answer page for your exact phrasing.
Can I suggest a question for this section? There's no submission form currently, but the questions chosen here are drawn from genuinely common searches — if a question feels like it should exist, it's a reasonable bet that it eventually will.