Yarn Yak

Yarn Yak
update c2004 Sandra Petit, http://www.crochetcabana.com

You are getting ready to crochet. What do you need? Well, you need a couple of other things--a needle to sew in your ends, a good, sharp scissors your kids or hubby haven't played with, and...most important a good hook and bunches of yarn. There are even more kinds of yarn than there are hooks. LOL. And I am way behind in cataloging the new yarns. You will only find the basics here. Check out fun fur, homespun, ribbon, and all the new specialty yarns as well.

Your pattern will usually tell you how much and what weight and most times what colors of yarn or thread you need to get. However, you can change the entire look of your garment or blanket or whatever, just by switching yarn. The same pattern afghan in a solid cream will look a lot different in a variegated yarn. Check out my projects for examples. I tend to use patterns I like more than once. :-)

Then there are those times that the pattern is a scrap one and you are not given the amounts of yarn, or it will say something like 40 ozs of varied colors. Oh my. Lion Brand ( http://www.lionbrand.com ) has a wonderful chart indicating how many skeins or balls it usually takes to make certain items. They also have a yarn substitution list for their yarns. Also, Elizabeth's Fiber and Yarn Store (http://fiber2yarn.com/info/conversion_chart.htm) has a chart that might be helpful. Of course, this is to be used as a guide only. You might want to stick to one weight of yarn for one project, like all worsted weight yarn, or all sport yarn and perhaps one type, like acrylic or cotton or wool (or wool blend). Some people do like to mix and match though. Different yarns will wash and dry differently, so you might want to do a test swatch if you're mixing yarns.

If you are using leftover yarns, and the person you are making the item for is allergic to wool you need to know if your leftovers contain wool. Here's a hint from my hints page:

There are at least two ways of telling if your yarn is wool or acrylic.
1) take a tiny snip of yarn, light it with a match. If it smells like burning hair, it's wool. If it smells like plastic, it's acrylic.
2) put a few inches of yarn in a small jar of chlorine bleach. If it's wool it will dissolve. If it is acrylic it won't. If it is a blend, it will look like part of it has dissolved.

You will also need to know which hook to use with which yarn. These days yarn labels usually have a suggested hook, or at the minimum a gauge indication, but here's a general guideline chart, as listed in the Standards and Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting compiled by the Craft Yarn Council of America.

That said, different brands use different guidelines. For example, I have a Lion Brand Chunky USA yarn label here that says the gauge is 10sc + 10 rows for 4" using a P (#15 or 10mm) hook. The guidelines above say K to M for Chunky. Who's right? They both are! On the other hand, I have a Red Heart Grande Super Bulky that says 9 st and 13 rows in a 4" x 4" square using an M hook. Now the Grande yarn is much thicker than the Chunky USA, yet they are suggesting a smaller hook. They also have fewer stitches but more rows. Hmmm. I'd have to try that because I don't think you can get 13 rows in 4" with the Grande. That yarn is THICK. I also have some Caron Sayelle and it says 18 s and 22 r in 4" x 4" square using an I hook. The hook size sounds right for that yarn, although I personally am using a J at the moment.

What if your pattern calls for a yarn that is no longer made? I recently found this neat site that lists vintage yarns. That won't help you to get the yarn but it will tell you something about it so you can compare to other available yarns. Check out Vintage Knits Discontinued Yarns .

Note that some yarn skeins have a center pull, and other do not. If you rewind your yarn into balls, you may forget if it was a center pull or not. Here's a hint I found about working with yarn. According to Knitted Threads web site, "you want to use the yarn 'with' the lay or grain, not 'against' the lay or grain. If you can't tell, then run your fingers down the strand to see which way the fiber lays. In others, if the yarn lays smooth going from the top of the strand downwards, that is with the grain and that is how you want work with the yarn." I always wondered why people said not to use the yarn from the "wrong" end. Now I know. If I'm understanding correctly, if you work against the grain, you are making the yarn less strong because you are "untwisting" it. Interesting.

In a May 2005 blog entry Dee Stanziano gave a nice little discourse about yarn, how it's made, and softness. One thing that caught my eye was this: Quoting Dee, "When we crochet we notice a phenomenon happening -- our yarn twists as we create each new stitch! This means that as we are crocheting we are either twisting the fiber more (makes for a slightly stiffer fabric) or we're untwisting (making for a slightly softer fabric). It all depends upon: 1. If you're a left handed or right handed crocheter, 2. If you pull your fiber from the inside or the outside of the skein, 3. If the yarn is primarily a Z or an S twist." Dee also said, "A yarn's softness has to do with how it's processed/created (including the dying process: natural dyes verses synthetics); how it's twisted (slightly to tightly); it's number of plies (don't forget the ply's themselves have a twist variable too!); and if it's being twisted more, or less depending upon the crocheter." Very knowledgeable and talented lady. I suggest you visit her web site and glean more wisdom from her. :-) Her Aug 24, 2007 post expands on this thought.

ball	Yarn comes in different kinds of packages. One is called a ball. It might be wound with a center pull or it might not. Different manufacturers do it differently. Generally, however, it is in a roundish shape.
brand name	Many manufacturers make more than one type of yarn. The brand name would help you to shop for the specific fiber you want. Red Heart, Bernat, Caron, Wintuk, Sayelle, Patons. These are all brand names. Within some there are "sub" groups. For ex. Red Heart has Super Saver skeins, which are larger than the regular Classic skeins. It says "no dye lot" but there actually is a number there if you look. I always try to buy skeins that have that same number (not the color number, which is different, but the dye lot number.)
cone	This is another way to package yarn. Cotton yarn or string often comes in a cone, which holds more than a regular ball or skein and is wound on a heavy cardboard center. Yarn is pulled from the outside of the cone far as I know.
dye lot	When yarn is dyed, all the yarn that is dyed at one time is given a "lot" number. This number is stamped on the wrapper for all the yarn done at that time. You should always buy enough of the same dye lot to complete your project. If you run out, you should try to match your yarn as closely as possible, but there is sometimes great discrepancy in the shade of different dye lots.
fibers/fibres	material that makes up the strands in a skein. See Fibers below
frosts	Lion Brand calls this "frosts". I call it the shiny thread that runs through yarns such as the Christmas yarns, but since I didn't have a real name for it, I'm using "frosts"
gauge	Gauge is given in a pattern so that your project will come out looking like the one you see in the picture that is with your pattern. To check gauge, you would make a small swatch from the pattern, or if no swatch instructions are given, complete the first few rows of the pattern. Then measure to see if your stitches match the gauge given. For example, it might say 2 dc = 1" or something like that. Be sure you check for correct height as well as width. I mostly work on afghans and, to me, gauge is not that important since I don't care if my afghan is slightly smaller or larger than the pattern indicates. For projects such as clothing, however, it is very important to follow the gauge.
manufacturer	The company that makes the yarn. Coats and Clark makes Red Heart for example. Various manufacturers are listed below and you can easily find more by doing a google search or asking on a message board. Most manufacturer web sites offer free patterns and some have FAQs and tips.
metric	measurement used for hooks and some yarns, not widely used in U.S. but gaining popularity, see chart below
ombre	This is similar to the term variegated, but in an ombre skein the strand changes to different shades of the same color, like shades of blue, or shades of brown, rather than different colors in the same skein.
ply	number of strands woven together. See chart below
skein	Yarn is packaged also in skeins. A skein is similar to a ball, but not as short and fat. Skeins come in different sizes as well. You can find skeins with as little as 1 3/4 oz. and as much as 16 oz. of yarn. The most popular are probably the 3 1/2 oz, and 6 or 8 oz. That changes over time as does how the manufacturer chooses to package their products.
speckled/sprinkles	Looks like little bits of yarn scattered throughout in different colors. It makes a very pretty product, but I wonder about the longevity of those bits. Will they withstand repeated washings? I don't have an answer.
tweed	This has been around for many years and I love tweed! It is two different colors wound together to give a "tweed" look. You can make this look yourself in two strand projects by combining two colors. I find white or cream combine well with just about any other color. I made a couple of afghans with this yarn about 10 years ago, as wedding gifts. The blue tweed was then my favorite. I'm not sure what colors they are offering these days.
variegated	This is similar to the term ombre, but in a variegated skein the strand changes to different colors in sequence, like blue to green to white or whatever, rather than shades of the same color, like shades of blue, or shades of brown. For example, the Christmas yarn in my hand right now is variegated as it has a pattern of different colors -- white, green, white, red. It is repeated throughout the skein. I love variegated yarns but I am wary of them as well. I have used skeins of the same dye lot and when I looked at the completed piece, there was a definite pattern in some of it. It would be okay if the pattern ran throughout but I could pull my hair out when I see one skein making one pattern and the next making a different one. Sometimes this can be fixed by just changing the number of chains on your foundation chain, but by the time you see the pattern, it is too late for that. I have ripped out a whole skein and used it for say, a granny square, and it is fine. My suggestion is to be alert, check each skein to be sure the colors are running in the same direction. In other words, make SURE your skein #2 still has white, green, white, red, and NOT white, red, white, green. Also, try to estimate as close as possible where one skein ends and the next begins for joining. I mean to see where your last stitch ended (what part of the color scheme) and try to match it as near as possible when you join your new skein. Whew! That was a long definition. LOL
weight	Weight gives you an idea of how thick or heavy your yarn is. You can't judge solely on weight as I've had two yarns both saying worsted weight and one was obviously thinner than the other. There are several weights - fingering, sport, worsted, chunky, bulky and more. I have a chart below giving the most commonly used labels with the ply notations. Different countries use different words to convey similar types of yarn. In a different sense, each skein has the net wt. on the wrapper. This is usually in ozs. though sometimes in yards or grams. For ex. Red Heart Super Saver solid colors are 8 oz. skeins, whereas their ombres are 6 ozs.
yards	How many yards in a skein? Interesting question. I think it varies depending on the kind of yarn. However, I did find this information. Can't verify it. I am NOT going to undo a skein to see how many yards it is. LOL a 4 oz skein of worsted weight is approx. 190 yards a 4 oz skein of sports weight is approx. 350 yards a 50-gram skein is approx 154 yards a 1 pound cone is approx 1400 yards Extra note: Patons Canadians knitting worsted weight skein is 3 ozs and it says 170 yards (155 metres). Caron Sayelle says 150 yds but doesn't say ozs that I could find. However, the pattern inside says 64 oz/3200 yds so that means 50 yds/oz which means 150 yds per 3 oz. If you're making many of a particular item in different colors, you could make one, rip it and measure. Then if you have only a small ball of yarn left, you will know if it is enough for that item. I've done this when making squares. For example, square #96 in 101 Update: I found this chart at Annie's Attic. The chart itself (for plastic canvas) says that 35-42 yards = 1 ounce, but below that it says 50 yards in worsted weight yarn = 1 ounce. Maggie's Crochet sells this brochure called the Crocheter's Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements that tells you how much yardage is needed for various projects. It's an excellent booklet, but it is in yards not ounces.

metrics - For those of us who are metric deficient. Here's some metric info. I don't know how much good this will do you since ounces and yards are different types of measurement.

If you know the ounces, multiply by 28.35 to get the grams.
If you know the grams, multiply by .0353 to get the ounces

If you know the yards, multiply by .914 to get the meters
If you know the meters, multiply by 1.093 to get the yards
If you know the meters, multiply by 3.281 to get the feet
If you know the meters, multiply by 39.37 to get the inches

If you know the millimeters, multiply by .04 to get the inches
If you know the centimeters, multiply by .394 to get the inches
If you know the inches, multiply by 2.54 to get the centimeters

In the U.S. yarn manufacturers sell yarn by ply, and weight. A common yarn is 4-ply, worsted weight. This generally means that the yarn has 4 strands woven together to make one larger strand and is worsted weight (which generally indicates thickness). Here are a few basic types of weight: fingering or baby, sport, worsted, chunky and bulky. I go into this more deeply below. Generally speaking, fingering yarn might be used for baby items or dainty things, whereas a bulky yarn might be used for rugs and such. I make most child and adult afghans with 4 ply, worsted weight yarn, baby afghans with sport or fingering though I have made some with worsted as well. This is very general. Note that you can also combine strands to make equal weights. For example, 2 strands of a fingering yarn equal one strand of a sport yarn. See chart below.

Please note that in some parts of the world, the term "ply" is not used to mean the number of strands woven together. It is a reference to weight. An 8-ply yarn may have 3 strands woven together, for example. See chart below. (In U.S. "ply" means the number of threads woven together). However, keep in mind that all "worsted" weight yarns are NOT created equal. How thick the yarn is depends on what material it is made of and how tightly woven. Since 10 ply (the Australian term) is not a common yarn, 12 ply may easily be substituted without much difference in size of object. Check gauge and change hooks if the yarn is a bit thinner or thicker if the size of your project is important. Since I make a lot of afghans, I never check gauge. If the afghan is a bit larger or smaller, it really doesn't matter.

We usually think of ply as the individual strands that are woven together to make a strand of yarn. This is accurate, but some manufacturers use the term ply to describe the size of yarn. In that case, it may or may not be the number of strands. So when substituting yarn, make sure you know what you are comparing.

We usually think of ply as the individual strands that are woven together to make a strand of yarn. This is accurate, but some manufacturers use the term ply to describe the size of yarn. So when substituting yarn, make sure you know what you are comparing.

Disclaimer: The information below is gathered from various sources. I do not guarantee its reliability. Make sure you are using the material specified in your pattern or an equivalent. Check gauge to be sure. Also, most wrappers will give the gauge so you can judge different yarns in the shop by comparing their wrapper gauge.

Another method of comparing yarn is wpi (wraps per inch). You wrap your yarn around a small tube, yarn strands lying side by side, not overlapping, and set a ruler down next to it. If both yarns measure the same, you can substitute them in your project. Keep in mind also that different materials will "drape" differently. You might not, for example, want to exchange cotton for wool in a sweater. You can also use WPI to identify your yarn. For example, someone donates yarn to you and you don't know if it is sport or worsted. Yarn Forward has a chart that gives the WPI for some yarns. Basically, it looks like it is half the number of wraps in 1 inch as there are stitches in 4" but that's just my evaluation of their chart. There are WPI tools you can buy if you find you need this information often.

In most cases the U.K. and Australian terms are the same, as far as my research could tell. There is a nice chart at
Crochet Australia which you can also reference.

My favorite online store for buying yarn, http://www.herrschners.com/ lists these U.S. weights
2 ply, fingering, DK, Lace Weight, Sport, Worsted, Heavy Worsted, Super Bulky, Bulky Chunky

Disclaimer: I make no guarantees as to the accuracy of this information. It was gathered from the manufacturer web sites but there was some discrepancies. A yarn was sometimes placed in a different category on different pages on the web site, particularly with Lion Brand yarns. I then went by the stitch count if I had no personal experience with the yarn.

Discontinued yarns are not included. In a few yarns, each color of that kind (e.g. Wool-Ease) contained different materials. I noted "various" and a list of the possible materials.

I Just (June '05) found this yarn substitution list at Stitch Guide. It's at the bottom of the page.

I also found this information on yarn substitution at Fiber Images. They suggest not comparing yarns by weight but by yardage and fiber content. This is a good idea but many manufacturers do not put yardage on the label. I have seen it more lately, but it is not all across the board yet. A good rule of thumb is if the yarn has the same stitches per inch, then it should be close in use.

Coats and Clark now has a yarn summary chart which is comprehensive for their own yarns.
Lion Brand chart is here. UK/Australian equivalent is from their chart.

I have not included yarns I know to be discontinued according to the manufacturer web site. Of course, they could be discontinued after I post this. :-)

Yarn can also be made of different materials or fibers. Generally, there are cotton, wool, and acrylic or a combination of these. According to Lion Brand web site acrylic fibers are "soft, will not fade or run, and can be washed and dried".

Cotton yarns, sometimes called string or thread, comes in different thicknesses as well. #10 cotton is considered bedspread weight. Cotton is the material you might consider using for dishcloths, doilies and any number of other things, including bedspreads and tablecloths. There are lots of colors with new colors (including variegated/ombre) coming out all the time. I have made a number of dishcloths using worsted weight cotton yarn and love them! Though we mostly see doilies done in white or cream, you can get a very pretty variation by using an ombre thread.

Fibers come in the man-made or synthetic and the natural fibers. This list is not all-inclusive. I may have missed some.
Acrylic, nylon, polyester, metallic and microfibers are synthetic or man-made.
Angora, cashmere, wool, silk, mohair, camel, alpaca, llama are all animal fibers.
Cotton, linen, ramie, sisal, hemp, jute, raffia are all plant fibers.
For more information on each of these please go to Elann (Fibre Facts)

There are also "specialty" yarns - special in a different way than the above fibers. For more info on specialty yarn, please see Lion Brand. A few examples include Jamie Pompadour (shiny white thread running through it), chenille (very soft, very expensive,a small challenge to work with), and Wool-Ease.

When choosing the fiber for your project, you might consider any allergies the recipient or, if for yourself, anyone in your household, might have, especially with the animal or plant fibers.

Usually the label that your yarn comes in will give you information on the fiber content as well as other useful information, such as the weight, the ply, washing instructions, how much yarn is contained in that skein. It also tells if the yarn is mothproof, colorfast, shrink-proof and the manufacturer. Many have free patterns on the inside of the wrapper, so pay attention if you pull it off (why would you do that?) or throw it away. It's a good idea to include the wrapper - at least the washing instructions - with anything given as a gift.

There are also many different yarn manufacturers, from the lesser expensive to the novelty and seasonal yarns. I usually use the Red Heart yarns for most projects simply because it has been the easiest to find in my area and comes in convenient bulk sizes, and meets my financial criteria. It is also soft after being washed. Now they have opened two Michael's in our general area. I love to go there. My husband would rather stop by and pick up what I need so I am not tempted to buy MORE (which I always am). I have used some Bernat So Soft yarn for a baby afghan. It is 3 ply and I used two strands. (I used this with my preemie double crochet ripple pattern but increased the foundation chain for a full size baby afghan. It really came out nice.) This yarn is really aptly named as this was the softest afghan I have ever made. I almost hated giving it away. It was a pleasure to work with but then, a little more expensive than some others. I have also discovered Patons Canadiana yarn, which I've found nice to work with and reasonably priced. I try to catch yarns I want to try at Herrschners yarn sales. They have some pretty good deals every week, but that week might not feature the yarn you want. Of course, there's always something you want. LOL

It would be impossible to adequately cover all the different kinds of yarn and their manufacturers but below is a chart with links to some of them. Most have pictures so you can see the colors that are available without leaving your desk. There are more link resources on my links page and I'm sure still more if you do a web search.

If you need more information about yarn, Knitter's Review has a wonderful article. It's geared toward knitting, but they use the same yarns we do. :-)

In summary, you can use just about any yarn for any project to give it a different look, although some yarns are more suited to a particular project. If you are following a pattern and you want the item to look like the picture, then you have to use the materials it calls for. I would be careful about changing brand within a project, though it is possible if you use the same weight and ply yarn. However, I would not change weight within the project unless the pattern specifically calls for it to give the project a certain look. Other than that, your ingenuity and imagination are your guide.