Circular Yoke Calculator
Even decrease rounds to shape a bottom-up circular yoke from body to neck.
Round 1: 144 → 124 sts (−20)
[K6, K2tog] × 4, [K5, K2tog] × 16
Round 2: 124 → 104 sts (−20)
[K5, K2tog] × 4, [K4, K2tog] × 16
Round 3: 104 → 84 sts (−20)
[K4, K2tog] × 4, [K3, K2tog] × 16
These are the decrease rounds only — knit plain rounds in between to reach your yoke depth.
How to use
- Enter the stitch count at the bottom of the yoke (your body stitches at the underarm) and the neck stitch count you want to finish on.
- Enter how many decrease rounds to spread the shaping over — three is a common starting point.
- Read each decrease round: the stitch count before and after, and the even repeat to work, like [K3, K2tog] × 16.
- Work plain rounds between the decrease rounds to reach your yoke depth, spacing the decrease rounds roughly evenly up the yoke.
Good to know
- Each decrease round is spaced evenly across the whole round using the same math as the Increase / Decrease Evenly calculator, so the yoke pulls in smoothly.
- Traditional circular yokes often decrease in two or three rounds; more rounds give a gentler, rounder curve, fewer give a sharper shoulder line.
- If a round tries to remove too many stitches at once the calculator will ask for more rounds — a single round can never decrease more than half its stitches.
FAQ
- How is a circular yoke different from a raglan?
- A raglan shapes along four seam lines with increases; a circular yoke decreases evenly all the way around with no seam lines, giving a smooth round yoke often used for colourwork. Use the Raglan calculator for the seamed version.
- How many decrease rounds should I use?
- Two or three is typical. More rounds spread the decreases out for a rounder, deeper yoke; fewer make a shallower, more angular one. Try three and adjust to taste.
- Where do the plain rounds go?
- Between the decrease rounds. Work the yoke to your desired depth and space the decrease rounds roughly evenly up it — this calculator gives you the decrease rounds themselves, not the plain rounds in between.
- Does this work for crochet?
- Yes. Read each "round" as your crochet round and "K2tog" as a decrease (sc2tog) — the even-spacing math for closing a yoke is identical.