Thanks for those links Lisa. BTW, can someone explain to me the difference between the different yarns? It’s so confusing!!! And if I’m at the store to buy the yarn and it doesn’t say what type it is (as the Patons doesn’t), then I wouldn’t know whether it was right for my project or not!!! :shrug:
The 3rd link, for dailyknitter, explains most of what’s found on a label. You could print out the part pertaining to which weight = which gauge and take it with you. Most labels will have the gauge somewhere on the label and that’s what determines if a yarn is DK or worsted or whatever.
sue
Try this http://www.thedietdiary.com/blog/lucia/606 this site has a place to put in numbers and it figures it out for you
and this http://www.angelyarns.com/yarn/charts.php
Here are some conversions
Grams X 0.035 = Ounces
Ounces X 28.57 = Grams
Meters X 1.0936 = yards
Yards X 0.9144 = Meters
This thread has been really helpful and has given me something to come back to and read up on some more following the links. It’s hard to find the exact yarn as called for in patterns and/or you just want to use something else, and being a newbie I am getting a headache at the math and trying to get my head around gauge, needle sizes, etc etc In Australia we dont seem to have the yarn weight categories either which makes it more difficult, I can’t see those anywhere on the labels here.
Can I just add a question…
What if I find a substitute which has same gauge as the pattern but the pattern calls for one size needle and the yarn calls for another. So e.g. the pattern says to use 6mm needles and the yarn substitute says to use 8mm. BUT the tension is exactly the same on both?
the difference in needle size is probably just a tension thing. the person who wrote the pattern wrote down what neele size she used. because people knit at different tensions, you can’t rely on needle size.
before you knit a pattern (especially important for things you are going to wear), you have to sit down and knit a swatch and make sure that your gage matches what the pattern lists.
check out this article.
OK thank you. So it doesn’t matter what size needle you use, as long as your tension matches the pattern. I have been reading on tension and gauge and trying to get my head around it. I’m getting there. :teehee: