How we decide what's true.
The standards behind every calculator, chart, and article on Crochet Calc. We publish this because trust is earned, not claimed.
Effective: 11 May 2026 · Last updated: 11 May 2026
Every formula is shown, not hidden. Every correction is dated. Affiliate links are disclosed at the top of the article. AI is used for drafting, never as the final voice. Numbers are handled according to what kind of number they are — set out in section 3 below — because a published standard, a figure this site derives, and a marketplace fee that changes without notice cannot all be evidenced the same way.
1. What we publish
Crochet Calc publishes two kinds of work: calculators (interactive client-side tools that apply a documented formula to user-entered measurements) and articles (long-form reference content covering technique, formulas, terminology, and history). We do not publish patterns, opinion pieces, product reviews disguised as editorial, or sponsored content.
2. Sourcing standards
Every factual claim that could be disputed must trace back to one of the following source types, in order of preference:
- Published standards — in practice this means the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight, hook and gauge tables, which are the only craft standards this site reproduces. The Crochet Guild of America is a membership body and publishes no rate or measurement standard, so nothing here is attributed to it. Where no standard exists — labour rates, yarn buffers, blanket dimensions — the page says so rather than implying one.
- Textbooks and reference works by named, credentialed authors — Clara Parkes (The Knitter's Book of Yarn), Edie Eckman, June Hemmons Hiatt (The Principles of Knitting), Dora Ohrenstein.
- Peer-reviewed academic sources for fibre-science claims (tensile strength, hand-feel, twist angle).
- Manufacturer technical specifications for product-specific facts (a yarn's stated yards-per-100 g, a hook's stated material).
- Primary commercial sources for marketplace facts (Etsy's published fee schedule, Ravelry's pattern database).
- Practitioner experience for tacit-knowledge claims (which fibres pill, how blocking changes drape) — clearly labelled as practitioner observation, not laboratory result.
Forum posts, social media, and unattributed blog content are not used as primary sources.
3. Calculator development
Each calculator passes through five gates before publication:
- Formula derivation from a documented source (see section 2). The source is named in the calculator's matching article.
- Plain-language documentation of the equation in the article body. If the equation can't be written out clearly, the calculator is not ready.
- Published worked example — each calculator page shows one complete calculation with the inputs used, so any reader can reproduce the result by hand and check it against the stated formula.
- Edge-case review — what happens at zero, at extreme values, at unusual input combinations? The UI should refuse or clearly warn on nonsensical input.
- Open method — the formula and its assumptions are published beside the tool, so an error in the method can be identified by a reader and reported for correction.
A calculator is revised when a referenced standard changes — for example if the Craft Yarn Council revises its Standard Yarn Weight chart — and when a reported error is confirmed. Confirmed corrections are dated on the affected page.
4. Article development
Articles follow the same sourcing rules and undergo the same review process:
- Outline covering the user question, the relevant entities (techniques, tools, standards), and the planned source list.
- Draft written from the outline, with every numeric or specific claim accompanied by its source.
- Source check — numeric and standards-based claims are checked against the source named in the article's source list, and that list is published with the article.
- Voice and clarity edit — pass for tone, accessibility of language, and consistency with house style.
- Terminology check — stitch names, abbreviations and units are checked for consistency with the glossary and with the US/UK convention the article declares.
- Publication with the author byline, last-reviewed date, and source list visible at the bottom.
5. Use of AI tools
We use large-language-model tools as drafting and editing aids — for outline generation, sentence-level revision, and consistency checks across articles. We do not publish LLM-generated content as-is.
Every article is read end-to-end by a human editor before publication, and the final voice is human. Where a suggested claim cannot be traced to a named source, it is removed rather than published with a hedge.
We do not publish invented experts, fabricated quotes or imagined case studies, and we do not describe testing that has not taken place. Where a figure is an estimate rather than a measurement, it is labelled as an estimate.
6. Author attribution
Articles carry a byline showing the author's name, role, and date of last review. Author names link to their bio page. Anonymous publication is reserved for sensitive subjects (none on a crochet site, in practice).
Related: what our calculators and guides do not claim, and who builds them.
7. Corrections policy
We correct errors promptly and visibly. When we change a published article:
- Typos or formatting fixes — silent correction.
- Factual corrections — the original wording is struck through where practical, the correction shown, and a dated note added at the bottom of the article: "Edit, [date]: [what was wrong, what we changed it to, and why]."
- Significant rewrites — flagged at the top of the article and noted in the changelog at the bottom.
- Calculator corrections — the formula history is shown in the matching article's source notes.
To report an error, write to corrections@crochetcalc.com. Include the URL, the current wording, and your correction with a source.
8. Affiliate and advertising disclosure
Some product links on the site — particularly to yarn, hooks, and reference books — are affiliated. When you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships are disclosed at the top of any article containing such links.
We only link to products we use, have tested, or have strong reason to recommend. We do not accept payment to include products. We do not change editorial coverage in response to affiliate-programme incentives. If a competing non-affiliated product is genuinely better, we say so.
Some pages display advertising via Google AdSense. Ads are clearly labelled, separated from editorial content, and do not influence what we cover or how. Calculator pages are kept ad-free.
9. Sponsorship and partnership policy
We do not publish sponsored articles. If a yarn brand offers payment for editorial coverage, we decline. We may accept product samples for review, in which case the sample is disclosed in the article and our coverage remains independent — including the right to publish a negative review.
10. Conflict of interest
Where the editor or a contributor has a financial or personal connection to a product being discussed, the connection is disclosed at the top of the article. Examples: a hook brand the editor has designed for, a yarn shop owned by a family member.
11. Reader feedback and community
Reader feedback shapes our coverage. Calculator requests with multiple independent requests move up the queue. Common confusions raised in reader email become FAQ updates. We name no readers publicly without explicit permission.
12. Independence statement
Crochet Calc is independently owned and operated. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Craft Yarn Council, the Crochet Guild of America, Ravelry, Etsy, or any yarn brand. We cite them; they do not cite us. Any future affiliation will be disclosed here and noted on affected pages.
13. Updating this policy
This policy is reviewed annually and revised when our practices change. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes are announced on the homepage for at least 14 days.
Questions about how we work? Get in touch.