Explanations of the wool sizes

Grosseurs de laine - Artigina

Since I added my new bare yarns, people often ask me the difference between the different sizes (wool types) on the site. So I took a few minutes to demystify everything.

Bulky, DK, Fingering, Worsted…

These terms do not come from another planet. These are some of the terms used when talking about wool sizes. I will explain each of the names used and tell you about their main uses.

The wool sizes have been standardized to facilitate the choice of wool in knitting patterns. It is easier to compare two wool knowing what size they have.

Grosseurs de laine - Lace - Artigina

0- Lace

The thread is very fine and it knits with needles from 1.5 mm to 2.25 mm or with steel hooks 1.4 mm to 1.6 mm (2.25 mm with a regular hook). Lace wool is perfect for making shawls or light knits. Usually this yarn is knitted with larger needles to give more relief to our work.

1- Fingering, Sock, Baby (Ultra thin)

The thread is fine and knits with needles from 2.25 mm to 3.25 mm or with hooks 2.25 mm to 3.5 mm. It’s WOOL to make socks. It is perfect to make socks. Fingering wool can also be used for light and warm shawls. Even if it is made of wool, it is light, because the wool breathes, even in the summer.

2- Sport (Thin)

The thread is fine medium and it knits with needles from 3.25 mm to 3.75 mm or with hooks from 3.5 mm to 4.5 mm. Sport wool can be used to make socks and shawls.

3- DK, Light Worsted (Light)

A fine-medium thread very similar to Sport thread size. It is knit with needles from 3.75 mm to 4.5 mm or with hooks from 4.5 mm to 5.5 mm. DK wool is often used to make winter goods since it is both thin and warm.

Grosseurs de laine - Super Bulky - Artigina4- Worsted, Afghan, Aran (Medium)

The thread is medium in size and is knit with 4.5 mm to 5.5 mm needles or with 5.5 mm to 6.5 mm hooks. The Worsted wool is handy for big winter items. You can think of making mittens, scarves that will keep you warm during the cold season.

5- Bulky, Chunky

It is a big thread that knits with needles from 5.5 mm to 8 mm or with hooks from 6.5 mm to 9 mm. Bulky wool allows you to quickly knit a hat or scarf while keeping the warm properties of the wool.

6- Super Bulky (Very thick)

The thread is very large and knits with needles from 8 mm to 12.75 mm or with hooks from 9 mm to 15 mm. Super bulky wool is very trendy now, it knits very quickly given its size.

7- Jumbo (Giant)

This thread is, as its name suggests, giant! It is knit with needles 12.75 mm and over or with hooks 15 mm and over. Jumbo wool is mostly used to make the famous giant blankets that are knitted with giant needles or even with the arms.

Single ply, 4 ply…

What does it mean? We hear a lot about single ply and our grandmothers talked about 4 ply wool. But what is it?

This time, we are not talking about the wool size, but rather a number of strands. PLY means “thread”. The single ply wool is made of one thread. The 4 ply wool is four threads of wool that has been twisted together.

Grosseurs de laine - Single Ply - Artigina

Single ply wool is more fragile than wool that has been twisted with multiple thread. The fact that one strand makes this wool, it makes it more fragile and easier to break. So we do more delicate work with single ply wool. The socks for example will be designed with wool consisting of four ply, which gives it more strength.

Single ply wool is very popular right now. It is available in different sizes from lace to jumbo.

I hope I have answered your questions about the size of the wool. If you have questions, do not hesitate and comment under this article and I promise to answer you as soon as possible.

Reference that was used to build this article:

Yarn Standards : http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/wt_french.html

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