Does anyone know if you work 2 strands of fingering/sock yarn will you get something like a DK weight, or will it be sport weight?
sue
In general,
[ul]fingering doubled = sport
sport doubled = worsted
worsted doubled = bulky[/ul]
In specific, multiply by .7 to approximate the gauge of a yarn when doubled. For example, if you’ve got 8 stitches per inch single strand, the gauge when doubled will be 8 X .7 = 5.6 stitches per inch. To figure out how much yarn to buy, multiply grams when single stranded by 1.4. Explanation here. Won’t work with stuff like fun fur, but you probably already figured that out. 
Okay, so if the fingering yarn is gauged 7-8 sts/inch on size 1-3 needles and sport is about 6 sts/1" on #3-4 needles then how do you account for the difference in needle sizes? What if I wanted to go up a few more needle sizes? And yes I do that all the time… I knit DK and worsted on size 10 and 10.5. It’s a loose stitch, but I prefer that to a tightly knit fabric.
The yardage I figure out pretty well…
sue
All the equation does is to tell you what the relative thickness of the yarn will be when it’s doubled. No more, no less.
E.g., let’s say the gauge listed on the ball band is 30 rows over 4 inches, or 7.5 stitches per inch. When double stranded, the gauge will be approximately 7.5 X .7 or 5.25 stitches per inch. You’ll want to treat 5.25 as the “new” ball band gauge, and adjust your needle size and gauge accordingly, based on your experience. So, if you prefer to knit loosely, maybe when a ball band says 5.25 stitches per inch, you like to use size 10 needles, and typically get 5 stitches per inch. That’s what you can expect from the yarn when double-stranded. It would probably be different for me, but the math part is the same, regardless. Of course, I wouldn’t count on the results for more than very general planning purposes.
Did that answer your question? It really is all moot when it comes down to it, because you’re probably going to do a gauge swatch anyway.
Wellll, I can’t do a gauge swatch until I have the yarn which is what I’m trying to decide on. I did knit a clapotis with 3 strands of laceweight and got the same gauge with the same needles as the light worsted yarn I used for others. The stitches and fabric were thinner, but that’s okay.
The project I have in mind is the Danica and while I loved the one someone did in SWS, I can’t get it around here and I’ve heard it’s a bit scratchy anyway. The LYS has Noro, but it’s pretty rough. I like the Handpainted yarn colors, but the merino’s only available in bulky; I bought some cheap bulky to practice learning on, and learned that I don’t want a thick yarn. So am looking at Knitpicks Memories yarn and doubling it. Any suggestions for soft self striping yarn with long color changes?
sue
Oh, I see. Malabrigo maybe? I read somewhere that handpaintedyarn.com is pretty much the same as malabrigo, except that they don’t carry worsted weight so as not to compete with LYS’s. From what I can tell, it looks like the colorways are the same. The gauge is heavier than the Patons, but maybe you could adjust the pattern a bit. Or… maybe get the Patons and do your own dying. I have no idea about KP Memories… I really don’t have much experience with variegated yarns, but I suppose if you double-stranded it, it might be less likely to pool. Maybe you could start a new thread on the subject if you haven’t already.
P.S. I just did a little googling, and I found this sock pattern with two strands of variegated fingering yarn held together to get a worsted weight. They are knitting it at 5.5 stitches per inch, but that’s probably because they’re socks and benefit from a tighter-than-normal gauge. Makes me think doubling the memories would be okay.
Thanks jane. I think I get about 3.5 or 4 sts per inch on the needles I want to use. I’m leaning toward memories; even though I wanted to get some nice yarn, I’m not sure I want to spend as much as Malabrigo is. I don’t want a tweedy effect, but long color changes so it does pool and have each block a different color, rather than stripes. I was able to cheat a bit with the shimmer by `adjusting’ the colors as I went along and it worked. Don’t know if I’ll be able to do that with Memories.
Off to WEBS to check Malabrigo prices…
sue
ETA: Okay, while there, I discovered Rowan Tapestry - similar to SWS. Mmmmm, love the colors, now to decide which one