Stripe Sequence Calculator — Calculate yarn per colour for striped patterns.

Add up the rows worked in each colour across one full stripe repeat, then divide each colour's row count by the total rows. For example, a 4-row / 2-row stripe repeat is 67% of one colour and 33% of the other. Multiply each percentage by your total yarn to split it by colour.

For plain horizontal stripes a small allowance of about 5-10% is enough — there are no floats on the back (only one colour is worked per row), so the only overhead is carrying yarn up the side on narrow stripes and weaving in ends at each colour change. Stranded colourwork (Fair Isle), by contrast, needs 15-25% extra because the floats carried behind every row consume noticeably more yarn. Set the Extra field to suit your technique.

For stripes up to about 4 rows tall you can carry the unused colour loosely up the side of the work, twisting it with the working yarn every couple of rows to trap it — this wastes very little yarn. For stripes deeper than roughly 4-6 rows it is usually neater to cut the yarn and weave the ends in; allow a little extra (the Colour Change Wastage field) for those tails.