Is all DK wool the same ? I knit baby blankets for my local hospital but have noticed recently the wool I normally buy has changed. It’s thinner and not as soft as it used to be ?
As a yarn weight DK covers yarns that knit from about 21-24sts/4 inches according to the Craft Yarn Council. Individual yarn companies sometimes expand that range so it’s a good idea to check gauge for each yarn.
Yarn companies do sometimes change the composition of yarns, even old standbys. What yarn are you using for baby blankets?
1 Like
I’m using DK. but depending on the colour. some are softer ?
No, sadly, not all yarns are labelled the same! There is quite a wide range of thicknesses in the DK area, and it is most confusing! That is why I don’t go by those labels. I am not sure what DK means anyway!
I am a spinner, so we talk about our yarns as being so many “wraps per inch”, which means that we can wrap it around something so many times in an inch. That gives us a more accurate measurement as to how thick that yarn is. Yarn companies can’t do that, so they use some arbitrary label, which really doesn’t mean much!
Another way to tell the thickness is to look for the yards per pound, or meters per kilogram. That give you a measurement of length in a set mass of yarn. A larger amount of yards means the yarn is thinner than others. But most companies don’t often give you that information!!
There is a tool you can get called a McMorran Balance (https://www.allfiberarts.com/2011/aa022800.htm) which measures accurately how much length you have in a set amount of yarn. Very handy!! [Put it on your Christmas Wish list!]
1 Like
I’m making a 2 colour baby blanket. Both colours from same company. But the white is thinner??
Thank you for your help though
Sometimes that happens especially with white. It may have to do with the bleaching process in order to produce the white. Usually it’s not enough difference to affect the overall blanket.
That is not unusual. I often find the dyed yarns to be thinner, but
sometimes the white, not being dyed, but bleached, may be thinner. It
goes through a different spinning process and may not be exactly the
same – even in the same brand!
Try to find a yarn that is an appropriate size? Or can you get away
with it? I don’t know what else to suggest.Sorry.
Sometimes it varies according to the company. Lion Brand and Caron Simply Soft are both labeled as a #4 worsted weight. But Caron SS is thinner. It’s more like a sport weight. This makes a big difference in sizing. The SS garment will be smaller unless you go up a needle size or adjust the pattern with more cast on stitches and tweaking. Use the gauge on the side of the label as a guide. And remember that this gauge is usually that if a master knitter with a certificate. Not necessarily yours. Some knit loose, some tighter.