Useful information

Industrial counts

Knitting machine

• 3.6mm is called "fine gauge" and it knits laceweight up to fingering/4ply
• 4.5-5mm is called "standard gauge", and can knit from light fingering up fine/sport weight/DK yarn
• 6-7mm is called "mid gauge", and can knit fine/sport weight up to medium/worsted/aran yarn
• 8-9mm is called "bulky" or "chunky" gauge and knits light/DK yarn up to bulky weight yarn

Yarn weight simply means how big / thick a particular yarn is. The names given to each general category of weight are non-linear, which makes it a bit confusing at first. So here are common terms in use in the USA, given from lightest / thinnest to heaviest / thickest.

Cobweb – a yarn so thin you’ll practically need a magnifying glass to use it.

Lace – still ultra-thin; great for extra floaty shawls.

Fingering – thin, but definitely useable. A common weight for socks and shawls.

Sport – medium thick yarn, good for lightweight garments or thick winter socks.

DK – stands for Double Knitting weight. On the light side of middle of the road and a popular weight for garments.

Worsted – truly the middle of the yarn thickness road here. Great for snuggly sweaters and projects that don’t take forever.

Aran – heavier than worsted weight, but not yet bulky. I like this weight for thick hats!

Bulky – you guessed it, this is a fat yarn!

Super Bulky – even fatter yarn. This category is a catchall for all kinds of extremely thick yarns and rovings.

TYPES OF YARN

All types of yarn for knitting or crocheting are made from natural or synthetic fibers. When choosing a yarn type for your knitting project, consider the following:

Wool: Wool (made from the fleece of sheep) is the queen of yarns, and it remains a popular choice for knitters. Here are some of your wool yarn options:

• Lamb’s wool: Comes from a young lamb’s first shearing.

• Merino wool: Considered the finest of the fine breeds.

• Pure new wool/virgin wool: Wool that’s made directly from animal fleece and not recycled from existing wool garments.

• Shetland wool: Made from the small and hardy native sheep of Scotland’s Shetland Islands.

• Icelandic wool: A rustic, soft yarn.

• Washable wool: Treated chemically or electronically to destroy the outer fuzzy layer of fibers.

• Silk, cotton, linen, and rayon: The slippery, smooth, and often shiny yarns.

• Synthetic: Including nylon, acrylic, polyamide and polyester. Straddling the border between natural and synthetic are soy, bamboo, corn, and other unusual yarns made by using plant-based materials.

• Novelty: Novelty yarns are easy to recognise because their appearance is so different from traditional yarns:

  • Ribbon: A knitted ribbon in rayon or a rayon blend.

  • Bouclé: This highly bumpy, textured yarn is composed of loops.

  • Chenille: Although tricky to knit with, this yarn has an attractive appearance and velvety texture.

  • Thick-thin: Alternates between very thick and thin sections, which lends a bumpy look to knitted fabric.

  • Railroad ribbon: Has tiny “tracks” of fiber strung between two parallel strands of thread.