Thread granny square thread amount

[Thursa McCoy]

So I am crocheting a granny square bedspread but I have no clue how much thread I need. I am using #10 thread and 1.6mm needle. I have 2000 yards, is that enough to make a full size bedspread?

[magiccrochetfan]

Welcome to the Ville!

 

I doubt if that is enough, but I don't really know. I would make a few of the squares, see how much area they cover, then you can figure how many squares you need. You can weigh them on a kitchen scale, then figure how many ounces of thread you need for the number of squares. Then you'll know how much to buy. Add in an estimate for amount needed to do the joining as well.

[Granny Square]

Possibly/probably not enough.  A few years ago I bought one of those football size (almost) balls of #10 thread, and recently used it all up and replaced it; I'm pretty sure if you if you placed all the doilies and snowflakes I made from that ball all together they'd not add up to a bedspread's area.  That ball was 2730 yards.

 

Another way to determine the yards you need if you don't have a scale to measure ounces/grams is to:

1) make a granny square--I'm assuming you are making squares and sewing together (or joining as you go), because a full bedspread is a rectangle (although, you  could make a granny rectangle I suppose)

2) measure the length of 1 side of your square, and unravel the square (stick a safety pin, tie a loose knot with a loop or otherwise mark where the square's thread ended to mark it, then unravel the square- you don't have to cut it, you can use it again)

3) measure the unravelled yardage (wrap it around a yardstick).  

4) figure out how many squares you need to make a full size bedspread (according to Google, full bedspread is 96" x 110" or 10,560 square inches) 

 

Example, to demonstrating the math.  96 x 110 is really close to 96 x 108, which is 8 ft x 9 ft.  Let's say you are using 12" squares, so 8 x 9 = 72 squares are needed.  Let's pretend each square takes 30 yards (yardage is really ?, you'll have to measure this).  30 yards x 72 squares = 2160 yards using my made-up yardage per square (and square foot) number.  If you were using a different size square you'd have to modify the equation accordingly.

 

Note, you don't need to make a whole 12" square and unravel it, you could make a smaller square and extrapolate the number of squares/yards you need -- but  I'd make that test square 6" (the smaller the yardage swatch, the less accurate the yardage estimate will be).

[Granny Square]

A side note - if you are thinking of making 1 big granny rectangle, 2 suggestions:

 

1) your starting center line will be (assuming the 8'x9' above) will be 1'.  The starting line of a rectangle or oval from the center is always the difference between the ending length and width.

2) turn each row--granny squares tend to skew (get sort of swirly, and stop becoming square) when they get really big.  Turning also makes them reversible instead of having a nice front and not as nice back side.

[Thursa McCoy]

Thank you all so much. I m still on the first one and intended it to be about a foot. 30 rounds in and it is just about there. Love thread but it takes so much longer. I would love to talk to ll of you more, because there are many questions I have.

[magiccrochetfan]

Do feel free to talk/ask about whatever you want to....we love to talk about crochet!