This is a curiosity to me and I wondered if anyone knew the answer. I bought some vintage patterns and the knit is in a bulky weight. The pattern says to use size 3 needles to get gauge but even with my US size 4 the tension is way off (as I suspected) and the fabric can almost stand on its own it’s so tight!
Ravelry suggests size 9 - 10.5 needles for this yarn so it just got me wondering if the sizing of needles has changed since the pattern was published? It seems like such a difference!
Needle sizing systems have changed over the years. This chart shows that what was a sz 3 needle is 6.5 mm/US 10 1/2 (is there such a size?) which would be appropriate for bulky yarn. As always, use the size you need for gauge. The gauge for the yarn looks about right for today’s bulky. HTH
It’s a British pattern so the sizes refer to British size needles rather than US size needles.
The link from GG shows the difference in how US and UK needles are numbered. 6.5mm is what youre after as a starting point, then larger or smaller from there to obtain gauge.
