While I’m glad that the yarn companies have finally come up with these numbers for yarn thickness…sometimes the variations within the same number drive me CRAZY!!!:waah: :hair:
For instance, Red Heart Super Saver is labelled as #4 but Caron’s Simply Soft is ALSO a #4. To me, SS is more like a #3 and I get confused when looking at yarn online!!!
Has anyone seen Red Heart Soft yarn IN PERSON?? Is it REALLY a #4 or is it more like a #3???
HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPPPP!
knitcindy
I have used RH Soft and my recollection is that it would be a 4. I don’t have any of it labelled right now but if I get to the store where they have it I’ll try to remember to check for sure. I’ve noticed a great difference in thickness with RHSS, it’s all 4 but some is a lot thinner. It bugs me too.
Yarn weight and numbers are just a basic way to describe gauge which varies. Worsted weight (#4) usually varies between 18-20 stitches over 4". DK weight (#3), is usually 22-24 sts over 4". So you can see that the weight overlaps somewhat depending on how it’s spun and plied. That’s why people knit swatches and work from that.
Thanks Jan!!
I guess my biggest “rant” is that in ordering online, I’m never quite sure if a “4” is really a “4” or not!!
knitcindy
What really irritates me is that the same yarn, same brand, just different colors will vary so much in thickness and that messes with the gauge in a project. Then of course there is the yarn that goes from fingering to super bulky within the same skein and it’s supposed to be a 4. I didn’t find the yarn in question at the store yesterday, I don’t remember where I bought it.
just a quick ‘i wonder?’ with this… what about that kind of yarn that goes from thin to thick to thin etc, on purpose - does it come with a recommended gauge (probably the larger size?) or is it really swatch/needle/project dependent?
Now I’m confused - I always thought that DK was the UK equivalent of worsted, but you’re citing them as of 2 different gauges.
Gillian
Here’s a chart of yarn weights which is pretty much followed in the US. It shows the difference in the US usage of ww and dk which I’ve see operate in stores and online
http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html
Still, there may be differences from the UK (as there are with so many words).
I think US worsted and UK Aran are similar in gauge. DK is a bit lighter. I just got the wool for a jumper (sweater) from an English magazine and they used King Cole Aran. I took the magazine to the store with me and the owned helped me pick out the equivalent US wool, which was worsted.
I think Aran and worsted are usually considered interchangeable.
No matter what you call a yarn the gauge on the pattern is what you should be trying to achieve. Because we all knit differently some people may be able to get the same gauge with a different yarn and/or needle size.
I think it would be amazing if every country came into the same measuring system it would make pattern writing so much easier too.
This is an issue that is currently driving me batty. I have never ordered on-line before and am currently looking to order a bunch of wool to make felted slippers. I find that within the same “weight” class that yards/ounce seems to vary greatly. I need a specific weight for the pattern to work.
still being new to it all, and adding to my stash, this hasn’t been an issue… but because it’s been a current discussion on the forum lately, i was thinking about it when i was at joann’s today.
4 different brands of sock yarn, all saying they were a #1 or #2 weight class, and none of them matched… neither of the #1s were the same, and neither of the #2s were the same… if anything, it was like one #1 and one #2 were close, and the second #1 was smaller than the first #1, and the second #2 was bigger than the first… like 3 different sizes, all considered sock-weight yarn…
since i have all of them somewhere in my stash, i’ll just really have to get better about gauge swatching (blech, yuck, phooey!)…
X - With a bit more experience you’ll be able to know which needles and which yarn work best together. There is a lot of variation among the brands and even among yarns of the same size in the same brand. It’s one reason I do no swatch sox.