I am new to knitting. I do not know anything about yarns.
Could anyone please help me find a yarn similar to
cleckheaton country in USA (I live in USA). The book I am following suggests this yarn.
BTW, I am trying to help my daughter to knit a scarf. The recomended needle is 6 and cleckheaton country 8 ply.
I would like to go to Joann or Michaels and buy some yarn that is similar or of the same quality of Cleckeaton country 8 ply yarn.
Thanks in Advance.
While I am a long-time crocheter, I too would like yarn recommendations. I do realize that the smaller the yarn, the smaller the needle, and vice-versa.
However, what is the best kind of yarn for items such as socks? Hats? Slippers? I can figure out what would be good for a blanket or even a scarf but I am just not too sure of myself when it comes to the choices for knitting!
With many of the projects I have seen, I feel like a total yarn and needle newbie all over again. 
TIA
Yarn is subjective. That’s why there is so much of it 
Some people like working with acrylic because it is usually less expensive, can be easily machine washed, doesn’t always need blocking, and comes in a multitude of colors and can be readily obtained from all kinds of sources (including, I have heard, Walmart). Some people are pure fiber snobs and if it isn’t “real” (that is from a sheep or plant) they aren’t interested. It may be that they prefer the feel, texture, the way it knits up, that it is natural, that it doesn’t use petrochemicals, and that it’s warmer (or cooler). Some people like the novelty stuff. If it is bumpy and chunky and knits up FUN they are all there. And then you have the eclectic group that knits with the fiber that they like at the moment, is the right color, the right price and the right weight. Sometimes that can truly limit your selection!
For socks? Well, it depends on the pattern LOL! Seriously, you can find sock patterns that use everything from lace weight to DK weight, maybe even worsted. I prefer “sock weight” which is generally knit on size 0 to size 2 or 3 needles. The larger the yarn the more “pebbly” it feels on my feet.
Hats? Again, depends on the pattern. But I see most hats knit from sport weight up. I just finished making a hat that called for super chunky and I was able to knit it up in about an hour and a half (less time than it took to watch Prisoner of Azkaban). I then turned around and made a cabled hot that took me several days (not continuous mind you) that was done in dk weigh on size 7 needles. And I’ve made baby hats that was done with sport weight on size 4 needles.
The labels on the wool can help you. They don’t always say “Sport Weight” but you can figure out that it is sport weight or worsted or lace by the size needle it calls for and the gauge.
In general the following apply:
Fingering: size 1-3 needles
Sport: Size 3-5 needles
DK: Size 5-7 needles
Worsted: Size 6-9 needles
Bulky: Size 9-11 needles
Super Bulky: Size 11+
But that is all “in general” You might get a patter that tells you to knit your worsted weight yarn with size 11 needles.
Another good way of figuring out if you can substitute yarns is to look at the stitch gauge like 4"x4" =Zrows x Ystitches. You’ll get it after a while!
cleckheaton 8 ply, yeah…it’s good for scarf…good colors,too…so puffy, warm, smooth…very classic…i love them, too…
i’ve just ordered again it from knittingyarnshop.com.au … they have the cheapest price…but i don’t know the shipping cost to usa…if you want to check out, you can go to http://www1.auspost.com.au/
if you live in usa…hmmm…i always try different yarn and for each store, i have my own yarn target…
anyway, in the future i plan to order [B]tahky stacy charles[/B] …i saw it in www.jimmybeanswool.com …
seems it has beautiful colors…but looking at the picture of tahky, i think the wool might have a slight different…i don’t know…i have to proove it…
anyway…[B]elaine[/B] (or something like that…i’ts in theknittinggarden.com in specialty yarns - folder) yarns seems good for scarf, too…it’s cheap, too…
sorry, i shop online so the stores i informed you are all online store…
hope this helps…
No hard and fast rules but, depending on yarn ‘type’ (another poster here offered a good table of broad category types), Cleckheaton and Paton’s can be quite similar. I think you have Patons there?? Patons have an 8 ply called Totem I know…and there are others.
Hi Fusa
The Cleckheaton Country is not really a quality specification, that is just what the pattern-writer chose and used. What you need is not something that is analogous to Cleckheaton in terms of quality etc., but the right weight/thickness.
8-ply wools are about 23 stitches per four inches (that is to give you the size of stitches, obviously a wool that makes 6 stitches over 4 inches creates larger stitches than a wool that fits 36 stitches into the same space of 4 inches, stitch size also depends on needle size and how tightly you knit).
Cleckheaton 8-ply recommends that it be knit at 22 stitches per 4 inches, typical of an 8-ply as I said. To choose a yarn/wool that matches, if you want to follow the pattern closely, you should buy a wool that is about the same. Wool labels should mention this, usually this is a little grid icon, underneath the grid will be something like ‘16 stitches and 22 rows/4in’. That means the manufacturer recommends this be knitted at that tension/stitch size.
So any wool whose label tension says approximately 22 stitches per 4in will fit: say from 20 to 24 stitches/4in. Ask the people at your favourite wool shop to help you find/choose/decide what is right, but it should be something about the same thickness (of course, if you find the perfect colour on sale but it is 19 st/4in, you might be happy with that).
You might also want to make sure the fibre content of the wool is the same or similar: synthetic or largely synthetic yarn doesn’t block, whereas yarn that is mostly natural fibre will. Cleckheaton 8-ply is mostly or all natural fibre (wool) - I forget exactly -, so you might want your choice of wool to match that and also be wool or mostly wool.
But your equivalent would be anything that is approximately 22 stitches/4in, and mostly wool (as opposed to acrylic/nylon/polyamide/other synthetics). In American weights, this would be about a ‘sport weight’ or ‘double knit’ wool/yarn. Just tell the people at your wool shop that you want about 22st/4in tension, and mostly natural fibre, and they will give you some options: you might want some nice soft cashmere for a bit extra money, or plain wool a bit cheaper, or soft merino in between, up to you: but the weight/thicknes of 22st/4in is really the most important thing.
If you want to think about it at home, check out yarndex.com: it is a reference database for all the big brands and types of wool, and will tell you fibre content (e.g. 80% wool, 20% nylon) and weight (e.g. sport weight) as well as tension (22st/4in) as well as show you the colour range.
You can browse Yarndex by weight/thickness: at the web page, click on the box that says ‘yarn weight’, you will get a pop-up box with different choices, click on DK (for double knit) and you will see a selection of similar weight wools. Any of these should be fine for what you want.
:cheering:Thanks for all the wonderful suggessions!!
Do you have a yarn store near you? I mean a smaller, probably independently owned shop. If you do, try going in and taking a look around. Usually, places like that have great customer service, and are happy to help you if you tell them what kinds of things you’re looking for.
Michael’s/JoAnn’s/HobbyLobby etc. are great for certain things, but you’d probably get more knowledgeable people at a smaller shop.
Good luck!!!