How to use the floss calculator
- Pick your fabric. Evenweave and linen stitched over two are listed at half their thread count, so 28 over two counts as 14 stitches per inch.
- Enter the number of strands you stitch with. Most charts state this.
- Type each color's name or number and its count of full cross stitches. Use "Add a color" for up to 12 colors.
- If the chart has outlines, add up their length and enter it under backstitch, with the color it uses.
- Read off the skeins for each color and the total. Change the skein length if you use a brand with a different put-up.
How the floss estimate works
A cross stitch is two diagonal stitches across one square of fabric. Each diagonal is √2 times the width of the square. Underneath, the needle makes two short moves along the edges of the square. Together, one cross takes about 4.83 square widths of thread for each strand. On 14 count a square is 1/14 inch, so that comes to 0.345 inch per strand, or 0.69 inch with 2 strands.
A skein is six strands twisted together, so an 8 m skein holds 48 m of single strand. Dividing that by the thread per stitch gives 2,740 stitches on 14 count with 2 strands, which is far more than stitchers report. The gap is waste: tails at each start and finish, the bit left in the needle, and thread carried behind the work. The waste allowance covers it.
Formulas
- Strand per stitch = (2 × √2 + 2) ÷ count, in inches.
- Thread for a color = stitches × strand per stitch × strands × (1 + waste %).
- Backstitch thread = line length × 3 × strands × (1 + waste %).
- Single strand in a skein = 6 × skein length.
- Skeins = thread for the color ÷ single strand in a skein, rounded up.
Worked example
A chart on 14 count Aida has four colors: 2,400 stitches of black, 900 of red, 1,500 of green and 350 of white, all in 2 strands. Each stitch takes 0.345 × 2 = 0.69 inch of strand, or 1.07 inch with 55% waste. A skein holds 1,890 inches of single strand, so it covers about 1,768 stitches.
Black needs 2,400 ÷ 1,768 = 1.36 skeins, so buy 2. Red, green and white each need less than one skein. That's 5 skeins in all.
Stitches per skein by count and strands
Full cross stitches from one 8 m skein, with the default 55% waste allowance.
| Fabric count | 1 strand | 2 strands | 3 strands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 count | 2,778 | 1,389 | 926 |
| 14 count | 3,535 | 1,768 | 1,178 |
| 16 count | 4,040 | 2,020 | 1,347 |
| 18 count | 4,545 | 2,273 | 1,515 |
| 22 count | 5,555 | 2,778 | 1,852 |
Why published skein counts disagree
Floss guides quote very different numbers for one skein on 14 count with 2 strands. The gap comes from how much thread each stitcher loses to tails, travel on the back and unpicking. This table turns each published figure into the waste allowance it implies in this calculator's formula:
| Source | Stitches per skein | Implied waste |
|---|---|---|
| Lord Libidan, tested average | 1,750 | 57% |
| CrossStitchStyleArte, high end | 1,200 | 128% |
| CrossStitchStyleArte, low end | 1,050 | 161% |
| This calculator, default | 1,768 | 55% |
The default sits close to Lord Libidan's tested figure. If you want the cautious end of the range, set the waste allowance to about 161% and the calculator matches CrossStitchStyleArte's lower count. CrossStitchStyleArte and this calculator use the same last step: divide each color's stitches by stitches per skein and round up.
Check it with one needleful
Crewel Ghoul's floss guide suggests a hands-on test. An 8.7 yard skein cuts into about 17 lengths of 18 inches; this calculator's math gives 17.5. Stitch one length, count the stitches it made, then multiply by 17 and by 6 ÷ your strands.
By the thread path alone, an 18 inch length of 2 strands covers about 52 stitches on 14 count. With the 55% allowance it is about 34. Put that into Crewel Ghoul's formula and you get 17 × 34 × 3 = 1,734 stitches per skein, close to the calculator's 1,768. Your own count from a real needleful beats any table, so try it on your first color.
Skeins for one color at a glance
Whole skeins to buy for a single color with 2 strands and the default allowance.
| Stitches in the color | 11 count | 14 count | 18 count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1,000 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2,500 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 5,000 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 10,000 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Sources add a safety margin on top. CrossStitchStyleArte suggests 10% for dense areas, 15% for typical projects and 20 to 25% for beginners or scattered designs. Crewel Ghoul adds a quarter to half a skein. The calculator's allowance already covers normal waste, so only add more if a color is spread in small patches across the chart.
Tips for buying floss
- Buy every skein of a color at the same time, since dye lots can differ.
- Working lengths of around 18 inches are often suggested. Longer pieces wear thin as they pass through the fabric again and again.
- When you stitch with 2 strands, a loop start (one long strand folded in half) saves the tail at the beginning of each length.
- If a color is right on the edge of a whole skein, buy the extra one. It costs less than a second trip.
