How much yarn for a lap blanket?
Lap blanket yarn calculator: yardage for a 36 × 48 in lap afghan in every yarn weight, knit or crochet, with skein counts and a quick swatch-based estimate.
Make a swatch of at least 6 × 6 in in your stitch, wash and block it, then measure and weigh it.
Pattern yarn — from the materials list.
Your new yarn — from its label.
You need about
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Lap blanket yarn requirements
A lap blanket — also called a lapghan or wheelchair blanket — is about 36 × 48 inches (91 × 122 cm): it covers the knees and feet of someone sitting down without dragging on the floor or catching in wheels. It is a popular charity project and a good first blanket because it is roughly half the area of a throw.
Expect around 1,300 yards of worsted weight for a lap blanket knitted in stockinette, about 1,650 yards in double crochet and over 2,000 yards in single crochet, which is the densest common crochet stitch. Bulky yarn brings the yardage down to roughly 950–1,250 yards and makes the blanket warm enough for a cold porch.
For a wheelchair blanket keep the fabric smooth and avoid long fringe that can catch in the wheels. If you are donating, check the charity's preferred size and fiber first — many hospitals ask for machine-washable acrylic in a specific size.
Yardage chart for a 36 × 48 in lap blanket
| Yarn weight | Knit stockinette | Knit garter | Crochet single | Crochet half double | Crochet double | Crochet granny |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace (0) Lace | 2,6002,400 m | 3,1502,900 m | 4,2003,850 m | 3,8003,450 m | 3,3503,050 m | 2,9002,650 m |
| Super Fine (1) Fingering | 2,1001,940 m | 2,5502,300 m | 3,4003,100 m | 3,0502,800 m | 2,7002,450 m | 2,3502,150 m |
| Fine (2) Sport | 1,7601,610 m | 2,1001,930 m | 2,8002,550 m | 2,5502,350 m | 2,2502,050 m | 1,9301,770 m |
| Light (3) DK | 1,6201,480 m | 1,9401,770 m | 2,6002,350 m | 2,3502,150 m | 2,0501,880 m | 1,7801,620 m |
| Medium (4) Worsted | 1,2901,180 m | 1,5501,420 m | 2,0501,890 m | 1,8701,710 m | 1,6401,500 m | 1,4201,300 m |
| Bulky (5) Chunky | 970890 m | 1,1601,060 m | 1,5501,420 m | 1,4101,280 m | 1,2301,130 m | 1,070970 m |
| Super Bulky (6) Super chunky | 650590 m | 780710 m | 1,030950 m | 940860 m | 820750 m | 710650 m |
| Jumbo (7) Jumbo | 320300 m | 390350 m | 520470 m | 470430 m | 410380 m | 360320 m |
Small figures are meters.
How many skeins?
| Yarn weight | Typical ball | Skeins knit | Skeins crochet | Grams crochet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lace (0) Lace | 440 yd / 50 g | 6 | 8 | 380 g |
| Super Fine (1) Fingering | 420 yd / 100 g | 6 | 7 | 640 g |
| Fine (2) Sport | 330 yd / 100 g | 6 | 7 | 680 g |
| Light (3) DK | 250 yd / 100 g | 7 | 9 | 820 g |
| Medium (4) Worsted | 200 yd / 100 g | 7 | 9 | 820 g |
| Bulky (5) Chunky | 130 yd / 100 g | 8 | 10 | 950 g |
| Super Bulky (6) Super chunky | 70 yd / 100 g | 10 | 12 | 1,170 g |
| Jumbo (7) Jumbo | 30 yd / 100 g | 11 | 14 | 1,370 g |
About these numbers: estimates assume typical gauge for each yarn weight. Your tension, hook or needle size and stitch pattern can move them by ±15% or more — weigh a swatch in the swatch calculator for a figure based on your own work.
Tips
- Standard size: 36 × 48 in (91 × 122 cm)
- About half the yarn of a 50 × 60 throw
- Skip fringe on wheelchair blankets
- Machine-washable yarn for hospitals and care homes
How to work out how much yarn you need
- Choose the project. Pick knit or crochet, the project and its size — or a custom width and length.
- Set the yarn. Choose the yarn weight (CYC 0–7) and stitch, then type the length and grams from your skein label.
- Add a safety margin. Keep 10% extra, or more for tight tension, borders and fringe.
- Check with a swatch. For the most accurate number, weigh a blocked swatch in the From a swatch tab and scale it to your project.
FAQ
How many skeins for a lap blanket?
For a 36 × 48 in lap blanket in worsted weight double crochet, about 1,640 yards with 10% extra — 9 skeins of 200 yards. Knitted in stockinette it needs about 1,290 yards.
What size is a lap blanket?
A lap blanket — also called a lapghan or wheelchair blanket — is about 36 × 48 inches (91 × 122 cm): it covers the knees and feet of someone sitting down without dragging on the floor or catching in wheels.
Does crochet use more yarn than knitting?
Yes. Measured comparisons show single crochet uses about 60% more yarn than stockinette for the same area, and double crochet about 27% more. Taller crochet stitches are more economical than short ones.
How accurate is a yarn calculator?
Estimates from typical gauge are usually within ±15%, because tension, hook or needle size and stitch pattern vary. The swatch mode — weighing or measuring a real swatch — is accurate to a few percent.