What do you mean, yarn groupings?! That's roughly how I reacted the first time I read in an english knitting pattern that the project was to be knitted from a wool called DK. 'Huh, who names their yarn DK?', I thought to myself. A bit of research later I realised that there are not only different needle sizes that I know of, but that they can also be classified into different categories. These groupings are used a lot in English-speaking countries, rather than Germany, where I'm from.
In this blog post of the series #YarnWhisper I want to give you a little bit of information about these yarn groupings so that you are also prepared for your next knitting project.
There are 6 different yarn groupings. Let's start with the finest category. Here you can find several yarns that are combined into one overgroup:
1. Lace / 1 Ply, Fingering / 4 Ply & Sport / 5 Ply Yarn.
'Ply' here means the number of threads from which the yarn was spun.
This grouping contains different yarns which have a total stitch gauge of 26 - 40 sts / 10 cm.
The Lace / 1 Ply group with a recommended needle size of 1.5 - 2.5 mm and a stitch gauge of 32 - 40 sts / 10 cm is the finest. A particularly beautiful effect can be achieved with this yarn if a larger needle size is used than the skein banderole recommends. This way you get a holey texture, which is very nice for airy transitional or summer pieces.
Fingering / 4 ply is yarn that has a needle size of 2.5 - 3.5 mm and a gauge of 27 - 32 sts / 10 cm. This category includes sock wool, for example, but also yarns of other qualities such as merino or cotton can be classified here. In general, this group has a very high diversity and contains many different types.
Sport / 5 ply yarn means yarn with a gauge of 23 - 26 sts / 10 cm and a needle size of 3 - 4 mm. This versatile yarn can also be used for socks, but also for larger garments.
That brings us to the next category:
2. DK / 8 Ply & Light Worsted Yarn.
The abbreviation stands for 'Double Knitting' and there is a very simple explanation for it: DK yarn has a thickness like two strands of Fingering yarn. DK and Light Worsted both have a gauge of 21 - 24 sts / 10 cm and recommended needles of 4 - 4.5 mm.
3. Worsted, Aran, Afghan, 10 Ply Yarn.
With a stitch gauge of 16 - 20 sts / 10 cm, you can see a progress relatively quickly in this category using needles 4.5 - 5.5 mm. So if you have a little less time and patience, you might appreciate that. Aran and Afghan yarns are a little finer than Worsted.
4. Chunky, Bulky, 12 Ply Yarn.
Chunky, Bulky & 12 Ply is a yarn that has a nice thickness and requires a gauge of only 12 - 15 sts / 10 cm. Add to this needles in 5.5 - 8 mm and you can quickly knit a warm, thick scarf.
5. Super Chunky, Super Bulky, Roving, 14 Ply Yarn.
Even thicker! You need 6 - 11 sts of Super Chunky or Bulky yarn alone to get 10 cm. Knit with needles size 8 mm and up. This type of yarn will also keep any frostbite warm. It works especially well with simpler knitting patterns.
And last but not least...
6. Jumbo Yarn.
This yarn refers to a super category of those that are knitted with needles from 15 mm up and only need 6 sts or less for 10 cm. You may also have seen great projects knitted entirely by hand without using needles. This works well for a jumbo blanket, for example.
So to summarise in a nutshell:
Category | Gauge | 10 cm | Needle size |
|---|---|---|
1. Lace / 1 Ply, Fingering / 4 Ply & Sport / 5 Ply |
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2. DK / 8 Ply & Light Worsted | 21 - 24 sts | 4 - 4,5 mm |
3. Worsted, Aran, Afghan, 10 Ply | 16 - 20 sts | 4,5 - 5,5 mm |
4. Chunky, Bulky, 12 Ply | 12 - 15 sts | 5,5 - 8 mm |
5. Super Chunky, Super Bulky, Roving 14 Ply | 6 - 11 sts | 8 mm ++ |
6. Jumbo | 6 sts and less | from 15 mm |
Many of these yarns can be easily interchanged within the groupings, which is quite useful. Nevertheless, the specific stitch gauge and needle recommendation on the band of the skein should still be observed. Also, some yarns can be substituted very well for one of the thicker category when knitting with several skeins at the same time. For example, two strands of fingering weight yarn will give the same thickness as the DK yarn. Or two strands of category 3 can also work as category 5.
I hope I have given you a little insight and a little more understanding about yarn categories.
Have a great week! :)
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