I’m about to start knitting an afghan for the first time. My pattern says to use worsted weight yarn (33 oz,940 grams, 2170 yards) and use circular needles size 17 and I have to hold two strands of yarn together. They don’t mention what type of yarn to use like cotton, wool etc… I really like the wool-ease yarn from Lion Brand and it’s worsted weight yarn but I don’t understand when it says 4 ply. The gauge for my pattern is :
In Stockinette Stitch, 9 sts and 12 rows= 4"
With the Lion Brand Wool-Ease the gauge is :
18 stitches x 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) on size 8 (5mm) needles
So if I want to use the Lion Brand does that mean that I have to use only 1 strand instead of two?
I’m a beginner and I’m confuse with all the different types of worsted weight yarns.
4 ply yarn just means 4 strands twisted together to make the yarn. The gauge given on the yarn label is just a FYI for you. I’d recommend knitting a swatch of the pattern stitch with 2 strands on the recommended needles for the pattern to see if you knit 9 sts/4" and 12 rows/4". Check out the videos on the free videos tab to see how to knit a gauge swatch.
You’ll have to do a swatch to see what gauge you get with two strands. The suggested needles and gauge on the yarn are just that…a suggestion and a place to start.
Not all worsted weight yarn (or any other weight) is created equal. Nor are knitters gauges always equal with a specific yarn and needles. That’s why you do a swatch. If you have only one skein at home you can use the inside yarn and the outside to make the swatch.
The ‘4 ply’ refers to the strands in each yarn end, doesn’t have anything to do with weight. So you’d need the WE doubled the same as in the pattern and if you knit it on size 17 needles should get the same gauge of 9 sts per 4".
I don’t think I ever had size 17 needles, but I do have size 15 and an Addi size 19. They’re gathering dust somewhere. They drove me crazy. They’re hard to work with for any length of time because the needles are so big. Even with tripling the yarn, the work seemed thin. My tension was really loose and I couldn’t seem to fix it. You might want to consider a pattern which uses smaller needles.
I always feel like I’m knitting with bats with those fat needles. :lol: They kind of hurt my hands, but many people do love them because whatever you knit goes fast!
I don’t mind the thickness of 17s, but I use 13 and 5s a lot. However the size 17 circs I own have short tips in proportion to their diameter and it’s hard to hold them.
You might want to go on Lion’s site and check the weight of the Wool Ease. I could be wrong, but I thought it was a #5 bulky. Worsted is a #4. Blankets aren’t so critical with gauge, but it might make a difference with the amount of yarn used.
There’s different weights of woolease - worsted and a super bulky, Thick and Quick. And maybe WE Chunky which is a bulky though I could have the 2 heavier ones mixed up…
I’ve decided to go with Caron one pound worsted yarn and I also bought on the internet a pair of Addi Turbo circular needles size 17. I will let you know if this solve my problem.
With the Caron I think you’ll want to use to strands of yarn with the size 17 needles. One strand will be very loose. With this yarn, I typically use a size 8 or 9.
Maybe that’s been my problem with that particular yarn. My work has always looked so bumpy and uneven. I did use a size 5 for mittens, though. I might try going up in size and see what I get.
Am I correct in thinking that you’ve not done any swatching for this, as you’ve ordered yarn and the size needles the pattern suggests? Are you aware that it is quite likely your gauge will not match that stated in the pattern? If that’s the case, you’ll have to decide to make it anyhow with what you have since an afghan a little larger or smaller isn’t really critical (this would probably be my choice) or get more needles in other sizes to try and match the gauge. However your gauge swatch works out and what you decide to do, enjoy. It’s a beautiful afghan.
Size 5 needles? OMG I wouldn’t want to use that size with this yarn, you must work much more loosely than I do. I use the Caron Pounders when I get them on sale at JoAnn, or 40% or 50% off with a coupon. This is what’s on the needles that are waiting for a replacement cord and I’ve just about decided to frog anyhow, I like my Knitters Pride needles so much better and I just know the gauge will be very different. Hmmmmmmm, maybe with the better needles a size 5 on the Caron wouldn’t be so awful. LOL
I’ve gotten so much help, instruction, and encouragement here It’s nice that maybe I’ve helped out someone who is so much help to me.
I will have to arrange to find the book and acquire some size 15 & 17 tips for my Knit Picks Options needles. Maybe I can finish what are on my needles and what is in the immediate queue and get to it this summer in time to be cozy when the weather changes? :think: Maybe by then I can figure out which of these I like the most.
Question for anyone who has knit a blanket or afghan with this kind of giant gauge:
If I actually complete an afghan on size 17 needles using doubled worsted yarn, and
I wanted to add a less rectilinear edging (some crochet or knit edging out of one of
the edging stitch books I already own) would you expect the edging to work better
knit with the same yarn (still with two strands) but with smaller needles than what
is used for the main body of the blanket?
I probably won’t worry about gauge matching the written pattern for an afghan at all, but would want similar density and drape for the edging (maybe [I]slightly [/I]stiffer is ok) so would certainly swatch the edging to match the body of the blanket to that extent. I have an 11.5 mm crochet hook, which should fall between 15 and 17 knitting needle size, but I think even with doubled yarn the spaces between the stitches would be huge but might work with a simple crocheted shell edging. It would depend on the edging stitch and how lacy it wants to be.
I’m probably overthinking it since the afghan I’m working on has different sections worked in the same yarn but on different needle sizes to accomplish similar density and drape of the finished project so it is on my mind now.
I’m a beginner too and have the same book and would love to make one of these. My question is I noticed they want you to use worsted yarn which I assume is a “4”. If I use a “6” instead, would I still need to double the yarn. Is it using two strands of worsted to give it thickness that the 6 weight would take care of? Thanks.
