Yarn weight is an innovative and clever way to group yarns into categories. The focus of this categorization is the yarn thickness. Some yarns are very thin and need very thin needles to get a high density fabric, while others are very thick and need very thick needles to achieve the same result.
These categories help with a variety of activities. For example: if you are looking for a yarn to knit socks with, you will focus your search on Light Fingering and Fingering yarns. If you want to make a jacket, you will post likely look for thicker yarns, therefore in DK, Worsted or Aran.
The groupings also help with yarn substitutions. If a pattern calls for a Sport weight yarn, then it is really easy to concentrate the yarn search on this type only.
The 12 categories that are the most commonly used, are the ones defined by Ravelry:
- Thread – refers usually to very thin yarn made for crochet with thread count 6, 8, 10, 30, 50 etc.
- Cobweb – refers to the thinnest yarn used for knitting – above 16-18 wpi
- Lace – yarn with 16-18 wpi
- Light Fingering – yarn with 15-16 wpi
- Fingering – yarn with 14 wpi
- Sport – yarn with 12 wpi
- DK – yarn with 11 wpi
- Worsted – yarn with 9 wpi
- Aran – yarn with 8 wpi
- Bulky – yarn with 7 wpi
- Super Bulky – yarn with 5-6 wpi
- Jumbo – yarn with 0-4 wpi
What is WPI?
WPI stands for Wraps Per Inch. This is a number that is measured by wrapping the yarn around a ruler. The amount of wraps in one inch (2.5 cm) is the WPI count.
Why use WPI as the criteria for each group and not the gauge?
Each person knits and crochets with the same yarn and needles at a different gauge. This means that there are a variety of different measurements for the stitch and row count for the same settings; the numbers are a result of individual use and are not universal. Therefore, it is really difficult to define a reliable category by using the gauge measurements.
The WPI measurement operates differently: it does not rely on gauge, but on the qualities of the yarn itself – it’s thickness. This method is also technique-agnostic, which means that it does not take into account if the yarn is knitted, crocheted, embroidered, or woven; it only gives information about the the yarn.
How do I figure out the yarn weight when shopping for yarn online?
Some shops will already provide the yarn weight information either in the individual product listing, or as a product category.
If the information is not provided, you can simply search for the yarn on Ravelry. Chances are that you will find what you are looking for.
Hope this information helps you to organize your stash, facilitate better yarn search and make yarn substitutions easier. 🙂
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