Does 2 strands WW = Bulky?

kellyjo32 2006-10-25 08:03:40 UTC #1

I'm trying to substitute yarn for a mittens patterns and the yarn I want to use is Bulky, but the pattern calls for 2 worsted weights, held together....will that be about the same as one strand of bulky?

knitqueen 2006-10-25 08:08:03 UTC #2

It could be, but the only way to find out for sure is to make a swatch to see if the gauge compares.

kellyjo32 2006-10-25 08:10:21 UTC #3

oh knitqueen you are killing me!!
i hate swatching!!!! :!!!: i despise it! i think i've only done it once, and got bored with it and only did a few rows....now a full blown swatch! but I suppose I'll have to do it this time....just this once!!! :pout:

janelanespaintbrush 2006-10-25 08:14:21 UTC #4

Multiply the gauge of any yarn by .7 to estimate what the gauge will be when it's doubled. E.g., if gauge is 10 stiches per inch, if you double it, it will be about 7 stitches per inch.

suzeeq 2006-10-25 08:22:05 UTC #5

Ehhhh, sometimes it's easier to swatch than to figure out the math. <g> And I like working with numbers!

sue

brendajos 2006-10-25 08:24:37 UTC #6

:teehee:

janelanespaintbrush 2006-10-25 08:29:37 UTC #7

Well, it's probably prudent to swatch whether you do the math or not. It'll give you good starting point, though.

Kellyjo, if you do decide to double the yarn, you can multiply the original yardage requirements by 1.4 to get the new yardage. E.g., if original pattern required 100 yards, you'd need 140 yards of the yarn you plan to double. This is assuming you are maintaining the same gauge, of course.

Oh yeah, don't use these formulas for novelty yarns because they probably won't work. Forgot to mention that the first time...

Another little tidbit... as a general rule:

Two strands fingering equals one strand sport.
Two strands sport equals one strand worsted.
Two strands worsted equals one strand bulky.

kellyjo32 2006-10-25 08:43:08 UTC #8

[quote=Two strands worsted equals one strand bulky.[/quote]

That's what I was looking (and hoping!!) for!!!

I know I'll get burned by not swatching someday...

knitqueen 2006-10-25 08:49:38 UTC #9

I am a firm believer that even if you are using the exact yarn called for in the pattern you should still swatch. I often have to move my needle size at least 1 or 2 bigger to get the proper gauge.

janelanespaintbrush 2006-10-25 08:57:59 UTC #10

Well, if you're doing a scarf, it probably wouldn't matter much, but for something that needs to fit, it will very likely save you a lot of time and grief to do a swatch first. If nothing else, measure your gauge as soon as possible after you start knitting your project.

kellyjo32 2006-10-25 09:32:32 UTC #11

I've done a couple of sweaters and that's what I did in the past...measured once I got going.
I didn't mean for this to turn into a post about my lack of motivation for swatching!!! I can be very impatient and just want to start something right away, in case you couldn't tell!

Tricia_Pawlowski 2017-02-19 13:20:54 UTC #12

Omg! I'm so glad I clicked on the link for this site over the other one! That is EXACTLY what I needed!

Thank you!

...10 years later n shiz! Lolol

salmonmac 2017-02-19 13:42:16 UTC #13

Welcome! That's one of the wonderful things about the archive of discussions here.

Metylda 2017-02-20 05:17:29 UTC #14

And that's why I like going through the archives--I never know what I'll find. It's better than asking a question that's been asked 30 times!

Aileen311 2017-03-18 23:34:37 UTC #15

What if there's no gauge in the pattern? I have the same question for a hat pattern. It calls for bulky but all I have is RHSS! What to doooo, what to dooooo?!

happy4help 2017-03-19 02:32:15 UTC #16

thanks for the tip about the gauge doubling I'll have to keep that in my knitting notes folder. Anything that helps!
Which pattern are you looking at?

salmonmac 2017-03-19 08:57:36 UTC #17

Welcome to KH!
Does the hat give a circumference? If so, you can divide the number of sts in the body of the hat (after the ribbing) by the circumference and get sts/inch.