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Comparing yarn weights, knitting needle sizes and number of stitches

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Different yarn weights (country to country) are being discussed on the knit-a-square forum and in knitting help.
 What seems to be most commonly understood, is that worsted and double knit are most likely 4 ply. Therefore doubling it would be closer to the 8 ply we have suggested for the squares. The most important thing to consider is that the squares should be warm.

Descriptions of yarn weights vary widely from country to country and it's all a little confusing.

knitting cartoon What we know to be 8 ply in Australia is, according to one how to knit reference: category 2 fine, sport weight or baby yarn in the USA or double knitting (DK) which is the equivalent of British 8 ply according to another.

Hmmmm? Are Australian and British 8 ply the same or different?

Researching further, the recommended knitting needle size for baby yarn or sport weight is only: 3.25-4mm (Australia), 5-7 (USA), 10 (UK).

This did not fit with our recommended 6mm knitting needles size.

And yet our results create a compact 8 x 8" square using 8 ply yarn.

Seeking further knitting help to clarify this situation, added yet another dimension.

It introduced knit gauge. Our knitting instructions are for 32 stitches. 16 stitches on 6mm (10 USA) (4UK), creates a 4" (or 10 cm square. Therefore 32 stitches is perfect for an 8 x 8" square.

And then it became even more complex. The recommended yarn weights for these knitting needle sizes, according to two references, were Aran weight (or somewhere between worsted and bulky weight, or 10 ply UK). Phew!

After some exhaustive searching I could find no reference anywhere to help with South Africa and only a few for Canada. I am hoping the rest of the world's knitters (with apologies) work from one of these three standards, as confusing as they are.

Jill from wool crafting.com , who has reworked the square vest in a crochet pattern for those of you who prefer to crochet, has used light worsted weight (medium#4). However crochet and knitting stitches may not make exactly the same gauge.

For now, and until we are able to create a definitive chart that simply compares each knitting needle size, yarn and the number of stitches to make up a 4" square, it seems the bulk of the recommendations for the ideal yarn weights were as per our knitting instructions.

Worsted weight (USA), 10 ply (UK).

Don't forget to sign up to our ezine, Square Circle for news of the children and their blankets.

Can you help me create this chart?

As you have will have read here, this is a confusing business! Some of the most expert knitting sites have differing views to each other on the subject.

Would you contribute to gathering information for a Definitive Yarn Weights and Needle Sizes Comparison Chart?

This will help us make sure all the squares sent for blankets are the same size and bulk. But it will also be of great use to the knitters of the world what ever they are knitting.

You may like to upload photographs of knitted squares or the yarn you used too. Thank you.

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What other visitors have said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

please create this chart, I am totally confused  starstarstarstarstar
I have knitted for many years. I live in UK and our Double Knitting wool (acrylic) makes a 5 1/2 inch square on 4mm needles 32 stitches on the needle. Some ...

Converson from US knitting needles to South Africa  starstarstarstarstar
Hi I live in South Africa, but all the knitting patterns i come across is in us. I need the conversions from us to south africa, because a size 13 us needle ...

wool weights   starstarstarstarstar
I would like to suggest that a ready-made square as knitted by the Australian knitters be mailed to me ( I am in Toronto Canada) I will look at a comparable ...

using acrylic yarn for the squares- how long are you going to be doing this?  starstarstarstarstar
I am using acrylic yarn and they are heavier than the wool ease yarn. should i keep using it or would you rather use the other?

also I am wondering ...

yarn weights  starstarstarstarstar
From what I have read, U.K. 8-ply is the same as U.S. worsted weight or double knit (category 4, medium weight). Baby or sport yarn (also called light ...

Yarn Weights and how to possibly standardize  starstarstarstarstar
The yarns that I have access to are sold in skeins in chain craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Micheals here in the US. These yarns have a number yarn weight ...

Any yarn any needle answer stitches to cast on chart  starstarstarstarstar
It doesn't really matter what size your yarn is, what matters is getting a nice dense square that is the right size.

Once you have knitted a swatch,...

Need Help on weights of Yarn  starstarstarstarstar
Does anyone know where to get 8 ply yarn?? Can you give me a name brand and country of origin to start looking for the 8 ply yarn?

I bought Patons ...

Delighted to accept crochet squares  starstarstarstarstar
Hallo all,

I posted a page yesterday, crochet a square to the site: http://www.knit-a-square.com/easy-crochet-pattern.html

We will be very happy ...

Wool yarn  starstarstarstarstar
Lion Brand, of course, has many colors of woolen yarn. Hobby Lobby carries a yarn called I Love This Yarn (hobbylobby.com) and carries I Love This Wool-...

Meters and yards  starstarstarstarstar
You mention leaving three or four yards of yarn after the square is finished. You give the equivalent of four yards as two meters. Two meters is about ...

Knitted squares for blankets  starstarstarstarstar
I have made one square for the blanket (size 10 needles USA)and I used a number 4 yarn and only casted on 29 stitiches and then measured from corner to ...

Number of Stitches, Yarn Weight, Needle Size Squares  starstarstarstarstar
I've tried various needle sizes, number of stitches and yarn weight to knit the 8x8 square and finally settled on the size 10 recommended but requires ...

crocheting  starstarstarstarstar
Are there any opportunities to crochet these squares for such a worthy program. I am a crocheter and would love to contribute some squares. Thank you!...

UK Knitters  starstarstarstarstar
I used double knit - size 4 mm (8) needles.

Cast on 44 stitches - garter stitch for 76 rows.

Cast off.

This made an eight inch square.

Yarn Weights and Knitting Needle Handy Conversion Charts  starstarstarstarstar
Hi there - I think what you are all doing is a great idea. I came across your website on the Lion Brand Yarn website. I live in Perth Western Australia ...

The simplest way to find out yarn weights so far....  starstarstarstar
First, may I tell you I am very excited to find your project. I came to it through my subscription to Lion Brand's website. This is perfect for me, 8"...

6 mm Needles Yarn Weight in the UK   starstarstar
A yarn requiring 6mm (Old UK size 4)needles would probably be Aran weight, or even chunky. I think the confusion might be because the USA worsted weight ...

Various Yarn Weights - US Yarns  starstarstar
I doubled a medium worsted acrylic 4 ply to make a square. I used US 10 needles and cast on 24 stitches to make an 8 inch square. I used one pink and ...

organising for wool donations  starstarstar
Hello:

On the subject of natural vs. acrylic fibers, I think wool blends have the fire-retardant qualities of 100% wool. Any thoughts?

I am planning ...

Matinee swing jacket  Not rated yet
This free pattern shows the yarn used to be lion brand homespun. This is a heavy weight yarn as I live in Florida and would like to make this jacket ...

Cottage weight yarn  Not rated yet
Does anyone know what cottage weight yarn is?

Yarn Weight System  Not rated yet
You may be helped by the Standard Yarn Weight System at
www.craftyarncouncil.com. At least good guidelines on needle sizes in metric and US plus yarn ...

Confused by yarn weight, needle gauge, etc?  Not rated yet
I am not very good at math. That being said, I have found the easiest way to ensure I get an 8" x 8" square is to create a template I can use reuse so ...

wool yarn on sale  Not rated yet
I went to Hobby Lobby here in Texas City, Tx. They had the Lion Wool on sale for $1.99. Wow, I got a bunch and plan to go back for more. There were ...

Reasonable priced wool in US  Not rated yet
KnitPicks.com and Smileysyarn.com have reasonably priced wool and sometimes certain colors are on sale also. Using the Michaels and Joanns and Hobby Lobby ...

Standards and Guidelines Booklet Online!  Not rated yet
I found a great website for American knitters. (Possibly others too!)

http://www.yarnstandards.com/

They have a downloadable PDF file on the Standards ...

Standards and Guidelines Booklet Online!  Not rated yet
I found a great website for American knitters. (Possibly others too!)

http://www.yarnstandards.com/

They have a downloadable PDF file on the Standards ...

Saving on wool  Not rated yet
Every week there are coupons in your local newspaper for JoAnn, Michael's, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby etc. Ask your friends or neighbors to pick up a ball ...

Wool in the US  Not rated yet
Paton's wool can be purchased at JoAnn's and Michael's. If you use the 40% or 50% coupons in the Sunday paper or the mailings from JoAnn's, the wools ...

Where to find wool?????  Not rated yet
I hit the thrift shops on a regular basis and get a lot of wool from there. In fact I got a 3 shopping bags for $3.00 and they were stuffed of wool!!!!!...

yarn weights  Not rated yet
I began knitting in 1962. Over the years, I noticed that the weights of yarn have been consistantly decreasing. Knitting worsted weight (commonly referred ...


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