If you have always wanted to know exactly how much more yarn does crochet use versus knitting, or crochet versus Afghan/Tunisian, then please see my very surprising results. I have always been told that knitting uses way less yarn than crochet but I have never really asked the question “exactly how much less does it use”? Then I heard or read somewhere that using the Afghan/Tunisian hook really uses up your yarn. So I finally decided that I would just find out the answer myself. Here is what I used to determine my findings: 1/2 ounce (21 yards and 10 inches) of Red Heart worsted weight yarn, color Red. Knitting needles size 8, Afghan hook size 8, Crochet hook size H and I did use the Susan Bates needle gauge/stitch ruler to make sure all the needles were the same size. Below are the pictures of the results, all three would not fit on my scanner.
Stitches Used: Crochet Single Crochet Afghan/Tunisian Basic Afghan Stitch Knit Garter stitch Gauge: Crochet 28 rows = 8.25 inches 10 sts = 3.375 inches 27.84375 total square inches Afghan 27 rows = 10.50 inches 11 sts = 3.375 inches 35.4375 total square inches Knit 70 rows = 9.875 inches 11 sts = 3.000 inches 29.625 total square inches I don’t know about you but I certainly am totally shocked at the results, I was just so sure that Afghan/Tunisian used up a lot of yarn but as you can see by the results you get a lot more mileage out of your yarn by using it. Crochet does not use up that much more yarn than knitting and seems to me that by using crochet you do a lot less work (28 rows versus 70 rows). The knitted piece is a lot stretchier than the crochet or the Afghan piece. My summary is Knitting it will get you 16.25% farther than crocheting it. Afghan/Tunisian will get you 22.5% farther than crochet and 6.25% further than knitting. In my eyes the percentage is minimal but it will vary depending on what type of yarn or stitch you use. I hope that you will try to do this little experiment yourself and if you do, please share the results with me.
© CrochetQueen Do not copy or distribute in any form without consent