What is Yarn weight? 

 

 Yarn weight refers to the 'thickness' of your yarn.  To thicken strands of yarn they are twisted together or 'folded' hence the thickness of a yarn can be named the 'ply' 

The chart below helps understand the types of yarn and there relative thickness, watch the video below as Tilde demonstrates different types of yarn and how to measure thickness.

 

How do I know what weight my yarn is? 

It is very common if you have lost the ball band or information label, to know what weight your yarn is. 

However, there are a number of methods to determine the weight of your yarn: 

Wrap your yarn around a ruler, over 1 inch.  You then count how many wraps there are, use the chart below and check the 'wraps per inch' column to determine the weight. 

It could also just be a piece of cardboard where you have measured an inch, the width does not matter as you are looking at laying the yarn strands against each other. 

 

Why does yarn weight  matter? 

 The thickness of the yarn will determine the feel and drape of the fabric you knit up.  It is important when following a pattern to use the correct weight, if you use a thinner yarn it will be smaller than the size you want, thicker it will be bigger and so on.  

If you are adventurous you can experiment with yarns to make different sizes but using the same number of stitches  - you can see in the chart below that there will be more 'wraps per inch' the thinner or finer the yarn is.

 

Yarn Weights Chart

Standard	UK Yarn Type	US Yarn Type	Australian Yarn Ply	Recommended  Needle Size	Tension/Guage per 4"/10cm	WPI / Wraps per Inch
0 - Lace	Lace	Lace	2 Ply	1.5 - 2.5 mm	> 36 stitches	> 36 wpi
1 - Super Fine	3 Ply	Light Fingering	3 Ply	2.0 - 3.25 mm	28-36 stitches	30-36 wpi
2 - Fine	4 Ply	Fingering	4 Ply	2.0 - 3.75 mm	24-28 stitches	18-24 wpi
2 - Fine	4 Ply	Sport	5 Ply	3.25 - 3.75 mm	24-28 stitches	12-18 wpi
3 - Light	DK	DK	8 Ply	3.75 - 4.5 mm	20-24 stitches	10-12 wpi
4 - Medium	Aran	Worsted	10 Ply	4.5-5.5 mm	16-20 stitches	8-10 wpi
5 - Bulky	Chunky	Bulky	12-14 Ply	5.5-8.0 mm	12-16 stitches	6-8 wpi
6 - Super Bulky	Super Chunky	Super Bulky	16 Ply	8 - 15 mm	< 11 stitches	< 6 wpi

 

 

 

 

 

Common Questions for Yarn Weights:

 

What is the best yarn for a beginner?

What is yarn weight 4 in UK? 

How do I know what weight my yarn is? 

What weight is DK yarn UK? 

Is 2 strands of DK equal to worsted? 

Can I use DK instead of worsted? 

Is DK yarn medium weight? 

How do you know if yarn is DK?