Can anyone tell me what worsted weight means? I see it around but don’t quite understand its implications. :???:
Go here for a really good article on the weights of different yarns, and how it applies to what you are knitting or crocheting.
http://www.knittersreview.com/article_yarn.asp?article=/review/product/060831_a.asp
Thank you for the link, it was an interesting story for sure, but it didn’t really answer my question. :hiding:
Maybe this link will help http://www.yarnstandards.com/weight.html.
Ooohhhh, sorry. Thought I was posting one like Nat did. Hers is a good one!
Thank you this helped, but I still don’t understand what it is. 
Let’s see:
Yarns are different. Some are thick and some are thin. The most delicate and thin are used for lace and the thickest are used for bulkier garments, accessories etc. In between there are the fingering weight - thinner yarn used for baby clothes, socks etc; DK weight (double knitting) - traditionally considered twice as thick as the fingering weight - for light graments, tanks, thin sweaters; worsted weight - used for sweaters, cardigans etc.; bulky/chunky - used for more heavy garments. Each weight is determined by the number of stitches for one inch of knitting in st st. The names are just traditional. Worsted for example is a way of spinning the yarn, but it’s used to describe a certain weight of yarn. Also there are many ways to call the same thing - sport, baby, fingering.
In different countries yarn weights are called differently, for example in England they go by the number of plies, so you’ll see a 4-ply, 2-ply etc. yarns.
HTH.
See if this helps: http://knittingcrochet.suite101.com/article.cfm/yarnweight
and maybe this also http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/yarnInfo.cgi?yarnByClass=1
Thicker yarn.
Mason, don’t you know everything is relative in this world:teehee: ?
Think of aran wool and you get the idea
Weight of yarn is basically it’s thickness. Usually you can determine weight by the yardage compared to the weight; more yards per pound means it is a thinner, smaller weight yarn.
Another way to determine weight is in “Wraps Per Inch.” If you take a worsted weight yarn and evenly wrap it around the width of a ruler, it should take, give or take, 10 wraps to take up an inch. For a finer lace weight yarn, it can take around 18 wraps to take up an inch.
I hope that made it somewhat clearer.
Hmm… worsted is just a weight of yarn.
The best way to see for yourself is to go into a store that carries yarn and look at the different weights.
Maybe this will help:
Lace weight is very, very fine, sometimes called “cobweb”, which gives you an idea. It’s hard to define how many stitches per inch you get, because you usually aren’t using a regular stockinette stitch with it, but instead, these open, lacey-type stitches.
Sock or fingering weight gives you about 7 - 8 stitches per inch, and is, as it sounds, used for socks and gloves.
Sport weight is usually about 5 - 6 stitches per inch.
WORSTED WEIGHT is usually about 4 -5 stitches per inch. If you can get to something like Joann’s or Michael’s or Hobby Lobby or AC Moore, look at Vanna White’s yarn, or Red Heart Classic or Lion Brand Wool-Ease. No 2 worsted weight yarns are exactly the same thickness, but those are pretty standard examples of worsted weight.
Aran weight is slightly thicker, and used for Irish fisherman knit sweaters-- the ones with all the cables and bobbles and often in white or cream.
Bulky weight is quite thick, and you get maybe 2 - 3 stitches per inch. Lion Brand Thick ‘n’ Quick is that kind of thing.
And then finally you get into novelty and super-bulky yarns.
Hope this helps!
ok, yarns come very thick, like Super Bulky, to very thin, like Laceweight. there are a few weights that are known almost everywhere. they are Super Bulky (6), Bulky, or Chunky (5), Worsed Weight, or Aran Weight (4), DK Weight (3), Sport Weight (2), and Fingering Weight/Sock Yarn (1). Worsted Weight is just a commenly used term for yarn that is not super thick, but not super thin. in the middle. Worsted Weight has many uses. actually, this was not making sense. listen to KnittingNat.
[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][COLOR="#300090"]Ever wonder why we keep using old terms when we many not even know what they mean?
Worsted:
To me it sounds like it is the “badest” yarn in the bin? :??
It has two uses, first for the method of preparing/spinning the yarn and then (in the USA) for the weight of the yarn.
The weight (or guage) usage can be found at [B][U][COLOR=“Blue”]http://www.yarnstandards.com/weight.html[/COLOR][/U][/B] but what does the word mean? :shrug:
I find Google and on-line dictionarys a big help and I’ll Google anything at the “drop-of-a-hat.”
Phonectially it is either Wus-ted / Wer-sted. It means “[I]a smooth compact yarn from long wool fibers used especially for firm napless fabrics, carpeting, or knitting ; also : a fabric made from worsted yarns[/I].” (Thanks to Merriam-Webster on-line for their clarity.)
[I]ETA[/I]:
Worsted yarn is carded before spinning, this separates the shorter fibers and aligns the longer fibers for a smoother nap and higher sheen.
[I]/ETA[/I]
Now I know; worsted yarn has little or no “eyelash” if I’m using that term correctly. :doh:
Let’s save that for another day or at least another post. 
–Jack[/COLOR][/FONT]
Yeah everything is relative, just trying to communicate the basic idea of what is meant.
As everyone else had said, it’s simply the weight (thickness) of the yarn. I like to think of worsted as the “middle of the road” general purpose yarn weight.
I always thought that just had to do with the weight- not how it was spun. I am really trying not to learn much more about spinning!
Must. Not. Buy. Wheel. or. Learn. Spinning.
It’s a slippery slope to having a yard full of sheep. sigh