Lace, bulky, fine, fingering, wraps per inch, ply...you could be forgiven for being baffled by yarn weights! And really, the only way to be sure a pattern is going to work up is to make a sample and check the knit gauge (ugggh I know I hear you...you just want to get started on your project!). The table below puts some of the more common descriptions of yarn weight together to guide you in the right direction. This is taken from Ravelry as this is an easy reference for their database of patterns. We have included the categories created by the Craft Yarn Council (US). You may see their symbols on some yarns.
| Ravelry name | Ply | Wraps per inch |
Knit gauge (stitches/10cm) |
Yarnstandards.com
|
| Cobweb | 1 | 0 Lace  |
||
| Lace | 2 | 32-34 stitches | 0 Lace |
|
| Light fingering | 3 | 32 stitches | 1 Super fine  |
|
| Fingering | 4 | 14 wpi | 28 stitches | 1 Super fine |
| Sport | 5 | 12 wpi | 24-26 stitches | 2 Fine  |
| DK | 8 | 11 wpi | 22 stitches | 3 Light  |
| Worsted | 10 | 9 wpi | 20 stitches | 4 Medium  |
| Aran | 10 | 8 wpi | 18 stitches | 4 Medium |
| Bulky | 12 | 7 wpi | 14-15 stitches | 5 Bulky  |
| Super bulky | 5-6 wpi | 8-12 stitches | 6 Super Bulky  |
|
| Jumbo | less than 6 stitches | 7 Jumbo  |