Happy Friday, T.H.R.I.V.E. Association family! Our last post demystified yarn labels and detailed what each section and symbol meant. We will now go into more detail on what the 8 yarn weight symbols mean, as well as how this knowledge can help with things such as needle/hook choice for any particular yarn.
What is yarn weight? Yarn weight in this case concerns the thickness of the yarn fiber and not the actual weight (heaviness) of it. When working with any particular yarn on a project, its yarn weight directly affects how the weave looks and feels. When paired with different needles/hooks, it can also affect how long a project can take to complete.
The Craft Yarn Council of America created a standard system of symbols and numbers to help identify yarn weights and included recommended needle/hook sizes and expected ranges for gauges. It is important to remember that these are merely suggestions. As such, it is important to create a swatch when working with yarn in a project to properly measure the combination of the expected number of stitches per inch (or cm) and your individual tension plus other variables. That being said, the Craft Yarn Council of America’s numbered system of yarn weights is generally quite useful when knowing what to expect with any particular yarn.
The included chart shows all of the yarn weights and their corresponding categories, recommendations of needle/hook choice, and expected gauge ranges. Here are some small notes concerning the chart:
** The lace weight yarns are usually crafted using larger needles and hooks to create more airy and lacy projects. Because of this, the gauge range expectations are more difficult to determine and you should always follow what gauge your pattern calls for.
*** Please be aware that steel crochet hook numbers are differently sized when compared to regular hook sizing. This means that higher numbers results in smaller hooks, which is the reverse of regular hook sizing.