Worsted weight yarn comparison
Worsted Weight Yarn Comparison
Worsted weight acrylic yarn is what I use and recommend for my amigurumi designs. That’s 100% acrylic yarn, marked as worsted weight, medium weight, or number 4. (Outside North America, it may also be called 10 ply or aran weight.)
That makes it sound pretty locked down, and that any yarn you choose that fits those requirements will be exactly the same. Of course, if you’ve ever touched, let alone used, two brands of worsted weight acrylic, you’ll know that’s not the case. Thickness, loft (bounciness), stretchiness, softness, shininess – all these properties vary wildly between different yarns all marked as worsted weight acrylic, and that’s why I usually recommend that you don’t mix yarns within an amigurumi.
I thought it might be interesting to try to quantify some of this, as scientifically as possible. So, time for a yarn experiment!
The Contenders
I took 8 samples of worsted weight acrylic yarns, choosing a different colour for each so we can recognise them later:
- Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice (yellow)
- Caron Simply Soft (purple)
- Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn! (grey)
- Patons Canadiana (beige)
- Red Heart Soft (brown)
- KnitPicks Brava (red)
- Loops & Threads Impeccable (green) – Michaels’ store brand
- Bernat Satin (lime)
Test 1: wraps per inch (WPI)
Yarn thickness is often measured in terms of wraps per inch (WPI). To find the WPI, you wrap the yarn around something (e.g. a ruler) so the wraps are touching but not squashed tightly together, and count how many wraps fit into 1 inch. A higher WPI number means a finer yarn.
Here there are 12 wraps between the 3″ and 4″ markers on the ruler.
My WPI results were consistently higher than the ones I found on Ravelry, e.g. Bernat Satin (pictured above) apparently has a WPI of 9, not the 12 I measured. But as I’m looking for a trend, not the actual numbers, that doesn’t matter – I measured each of my samples using consistent methodology, so the thicker yarns will have a smaller WPI number in my test.
Test 2: crocheted sample
I crochet with very consistent tension, as you can see by how even the stitches look in my amigurumi. So crocheting an amigurumi-style sample was the best way for me to ensure a consistent result for this test, plus it’s more relevant for amigurumi than a flat square swatch would be. I used an E (3.5mm) hook and crocheted a cup shape with each yarn, using the same pattern for each cup, and making sure the sample was large enough to measure the finished single crochet stitch width and height.
As you can see, the samples varied in size considerably:
These two samples were crocheted using the same hook and pattern, but the different yarns make a huge difference to the finished size! The Bernat Satin sample easily fits inside the Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice sample.
I flattened each cup to remove any inaccuracy from the 3D shape (it’s hard to measure an accurate diameter). To get an accurate measurement, I measured over 10 stitches and 6 rows to get my average stitch heights and widths.
An Aside: Watch Out!
Even within the same yarn, I’ve found that there can be slight thickness differences between different colours, but here’s an example of a larger difference: for years I’ve been talking with friends about how Bernat Satin seems thinner than it used to when I first started buying it, so I decided to try the WPI test with a sample of Bernat Satin that I bought in 2007.
After verifying that the change in the yarn was real (old WPI 11, new WPI 12), I checked the ball bands from several skeins of old and new Satin. All Bernat Satin has a weight of 100g, but the older balls were labelled as between 149 and 152m per 100g skein. All the newer balls are labelled as 182m per 100g skein. That’s 30 metres more yarn with the same total weight, which means the yarn really has got thinner (and the gauge information was never modified, although the gauge is definitely different since the change!)
So my little caution is to watch out – even if you’re buying the same brand and type of yarn, it may not have exactly the same thickness.
The Results
| Yarn | Sample Colour | WPI | Stitch width / mm | Stitch height / mm |
| LB Vanna’s Choice | yellow | 11 | 6.2 | 5.5 |
| C Simply Soft | purple | 13 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| HL I Love This Yarn! | grey | 12 | 5.9 | 5.0 |
| P Canadiana | beige | 13 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| RH Soft | brown | 13 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| KP Brava Worsted | red | 13 | 5.6 | 5.0 |
| L&T Impeccable | green | 11 | 6.3 | 5.5 |
| B Satin | lime | 12 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
I arranged all the flattened samples by size here so you can see the difference visually too – 0.3mm per stitch may not sound like much, but you can see that it really makes a difference, even in a small amigurumi piece:
Flattened samples from the top – the height of the samples shows the stitch width variation
Flattened samples from the side – the height of the samples shows the stitch length variation
Now here’s the table again, this time with the yarns arranged in the same order as in the photos above. Italics show the thinnest yarns, and bold shows the thickest.
| Yarn | Sample Colour | WPI | Stitch width / mm | Stitch height / mm |
| B Satin | lime | 12 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| P Canadiana | beige | 13 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| RH Soft | brown | 13 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| C Simply Soft | purple | 13 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| KP Brava Worsted | red | 13 | 5.6 | 5.0 |
| HL I Love This Yarn! | grey | 12 | 5.9 | 5.0 |
| LB Vanna’s Choice | yellow | 11 | 6.2 | 5.5 |
| L&T Impeccable | green | 11 | 6.3 | 5.5 |
But it’s not just weight that plays a part; the yarns’ appearance and feel also vary. Old-fashioned acrylics felt hard and looked matte, whereas many modern ‘soft’ acrylics feel silkier to work with, and have more of a sheen to them. You may prefer a firmer, more rigid yarn for amigurumi, or like the shinier, softer look and feel. For me, I like both, but I’d never want to mix them in one project.
This final table of results is more subjective, but it’s my attempt to classify the yarns by which are similar enough to use within one project, both in terms of softness/shininess and weight. These are just my opinion, and I may have invented the term ‘light worsted’, but I feel it applies for subdividing the ‘worsted’ weight into strata of weights that match each other more closely.
| Yarn | Sample Colour | Shininess | Weight |
| B Satin | lime | sheen | light worsted |
| P Canadiana | beige | sheen | light worsted |
| RH Soft | brown | sheen | light worsted |
| C Simply Soft | purple | sheen | light worsted |
| KP Brava Worsted | rust | slight sheen | worsted |
| HL I Love This Yarn! | grey | slight sheen | worsted |
| LB Vanna’s Choice | yellow | slight sheen | heavy worsted |
| L&T Impeccable | green | no sheen | heavy worsted |
So, I’d use any of the top 4 yarns (Bernat, Patons, Red Heart, Caron) interchangeably – they have a similar weight and sheen to them, and the size difference is no more than that between different shades of the same type of yarn. Of the remaining four, they make 2 pairs in terms of weight, but the KnitPicks and Lion Brand are far softer than the Hobby Lobby and Michaels’ store brands, and have more sheen, so I wouldn’t mix them.
Recommendations
- Although some worsted weight yarns are thicker than others, all make good amigurumi! The only difference is the size of the finished result – they will scale correctly so using the same pattern with a thicker yarn will give you a taller, wider and deeper amigurumi – it will remain in proportion to the original design.
- These results aren’t so important if you’re making simple amigurumi e.g. a brown bird with a yellow beak and feet, but if you’re making multi-coloured amigurumi with colour changes within the pieces, or more complex shaping, I recommend you use my results (and/or do your own test first), to make sure the yarns you’ve selected are comparable in thickness, feel, and appearance before you start.
- Don’t believe the gauge info when you’re comparing yarns for amigurumi! Only half the yarns I tested had crochet-specific gauge info, but according to those that did, you’d expect Vanna’s Choice (one of the heaviest yarns I tested) to be thinner than Red Heart Soft (among the lightest yarns in my test) – that’s clearly incorrect. The other gauge information (for recommended hook/needle sizes and knitting) seemed equally random/incorrect compared with my tests.
I hope you found my little experiment useful! I know it’s answered some questions for me, and now I’ll feel more confident about deciding to mix, or not mix, certain yarns in my future amigurumi projects.
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Jill Mathers said
Hi June
I read your information on the widths of wool. Thank you. It was very informative and helpful. I am pretty much a beginner with technical information to do with wool etc., for crocheting and knitting. I knitted a jacket for a friend’s baby and now I want o crochet her a beanie in the same wool. I looked at your tutorial about how to crochet a magic ring. Thank you for that too. What I am finding very hard to sort out is what 8-ply wool is equal to in worsted. Is it four or less? I don’t know where to find this out. Are you able to help me or point me in the right direction? I am planning to make your Santa hats for Christmas this year for the table.
Many thanks
Jill
June said
Worsted weight is the equivalent of 10-ply yarn, so 8-ply will be a little thinner (the equivalent of DK or #3 light weight). If you’re making something like amigurumi, you can use a smaller hook with your 8-ply yarn, and the finished piece will just be a little smaller (see my article on scaling amigurumi). For something like a sweater, though, you need to match the yarn weight given in the pattern, so your sweater will end up being the right size!
Jennifer said
I found this very helpful; thank you! Do you think Patons Canadiana could be used alongside DK yarn in a project if it’s only a small percentage of the project? I’m having trouble finding a specific DK color that I need, but opening up my search to include light worsted yarns would give me more options.
June said
It could, but it depends on the DK yarn you’re pairing it with! I haven’t done any kind of DK comparison, but a couple that I was accidentally sent for my worsted weight comparison (specifically, Vanna’s Style and Mandala, both Lion Brand yarns) were no thinner than some of my light worsted weight samples. If you’re looking for the lightest possible worsted weight yarn, I consistently find Caron Simply Soft to be the lightest of all (and it has lots of colour options).
Maggie said
Very interesting and *very* useful. Have you ever thought of updating this experiment with more current yarns? I may just have to try that myself, but I don’t have a blog like this to share the information on. Thanks for the work you put in!
June said
Funny you should ask, Maggie – I’m working on a huge update! I just have to think of a way to present the information so it’s not overwhelming – I have so many samples it’s going to be tricky to display the info in a way that’ll be useful…
Christina Essig said
I would be interested in following along. Do you have a fb page?
June said
I do! I’m @PlanetJune everywhere, so you can follow me at www.facebook.com/planetjune ?
Cynthia Heiser said
I found a quite A bit of vintage yarn at Goodwill and I’m going to make a Granny Square blanket or throw. I did discover that all are 4 worsted but vary in thickness. This helps as far as possibly adding some skiens as a pop to color to brighten it up. The colors are more dense and some pinks, yellows, etc would brighten it up. Thanks!!!!
Monica said
I had already discovered much of this for myself, but you state it so clearly. To actually see how different each yarn is and have a table to help differentiate is very helpful. I told my sister when choosing yarn to make her ferrets that “it doesn’t work that way” to mix brands (unless there’s a specific purpose in doing so.) Thanks for clarifying this important topic!
Charlotte Kidwell said
Hi June:
I recently posted a question on your blog asking about which yarns you use in your amigurumi as your pieces are always so neat and crisp looking. I apologize for asking that question as you’ve provided wonderful information regarding yarn here! Sorry I didn’t check for a FAQ first. Thanks for this in depth article!
Lee said
Thank you. This was very helpful.
Ruth said
Ican see yarns being of different thicknesses when made by different companies although the standard for worsted weight #4 should mean all would be exactly the same. BUT now I’m workind with Red Heart super saver and one is noticeably thinner than the other. When it’s the same brand with the same name (as super saver for innstance) they should definitely be the same thickness. So I’m having to use a different size hook with each of these colors to get my pattern to even work. What is their problem I wonder. The yarn itself even looks as though it was made by a different process. I just bought both of them at the same time and at the same store too.
Maritza Delgado said
I was going crazy because my project was coming out very small even thought I thought I was using the right yarn until I saw your post And learned that There are a different worsted weight yarns and this affects the final result of a project. Thank you so much for such valuable information. Now I know how to choose my yarns for future projects.??
Norma Rigg said
Interesting and ad revealing blog about yarn weights, and something which we all should do in our knitting and crocheting lives is to keep notebooks and samples of our yarn experiences. We need to do this because the yarns are different weights, but we all knit to different gauges and some twists are tighter than others. I also did machine embroidery commercially and I’ve found yarn to follow similar specifications to embroidery thread. Darker thread are often thicker and coarser because they are often over-dyed; they cause lots of breaks in production runs. If a manufacturer has decided to discontinue a particular shade, if he has sufficient, he will over-dye it rather than waste it. Whites, on the other hand, tend to be thinner because of the bleaching processes. Some manufacturers bulk them up to compensate. Consequently, if you want a multi-color design to run and look consistent, you need to use the same brand. There is a particular company that has a huge library of designs for non-commercial customers and they use a particular thread company products. I’ve found that if I use a different brand, the result is way too dense and puckers the fabric no matter how much underlying stabilizer I use. On the knitting side, I knit a cable sweater for a son and used Pound of Love instead of Simply Soft. It was like knitting with rug wool, and, although, I loved the color, the result was simply too stiff to be comfortable, even after repeated washes.
Shar said
Thank you Norma. I could not find any info. online why some yarns of same weight and brand varied in thickness due to color. My search is over and your explanation makes good sense.
Diane said
I found your experiment very interesting. Currently, I have decided to add rows to an old project. Both the yarn in the project and the yarn I’m using are worsted weight, but I’m finding the thickness of the new yarn is completely different producing bigger stitches.
Bonnie Banks said
June, thank you for this blog. It confirms and clarifies some of my own observations. I also like your amigurami patterns. They are well written and reliable.
jane said
hi, june – wonderful explanation! i have kind of a tangential question for you – could you suggest a brand of acrylic yarn that’s the equivalent to what red heart (sorry, not “soft” but the “supersaver”) used to be? in the last several years, red heart changed their yarn, so that it’s no longer a workhorse yarn that can go through numerous bleach washings, survive anything that’s thrown at it, and has to be cut because it’s so strong that it can’t be broken by hand. the latest batch that i bought was totally unusable, because it broke just by looking at it, and it wouldn’t even have survived a gentle handwashing. i’ve used red heart for decades, and am stuck as to what i can use for a sturdy acrylic. sorry for being a bit off-topic, but thank you more than i can say for giving this some thought!
June said
I’m afraid I can’t really help, Jane – I’ve always avoided the less-soft acrylics as I don’t like the feel of them, so I’ve never even tried Red Heart Super Saver. Of the yarns I tested above, I’d assume one of the store brands (Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn! or Loops & Threads Impeccable) would be the closest match, as they felt strong and tough so would probably have the sturdiness you’re looking for – in particular, I found Impeccable to be far too sturdy for my liking. Maybe other readers will be able to offer their opinions too?
Terry Ortwine said
Hi Jane & June!
I would have to agree on the Impeccable (Loops & Threads/Michaels) being a sturdy one. I’ve also used craftsmart (Michaels) and Vanna’s Choice (Lionbrand) which are quite similar for projects that require sturdiness. All the different major suppliers seem to have an equivalent. Joanne’s even has it’s own brand, though I haven’t tried it yet, called Big Twist
jane said
hi, terry and june –
thank you both for your responses. i’m going to order one of each of your suggestions and try them out. i actually did contact red heart, but had a rather unfortunate experience with their customer representative – ah, well.
thanks again for your much-needed and gracious help – now i have some hope! btw, june, what a lovely site.
Bonnie Banks said
Hobby Lobby “I Love” yarns are very dependable, soft to work with, and wash up well. I love it!
jane said
hi, bonnie – thank you for the help!
Deborah said
Just stumbled on this. Great idea and explanation of how to compare yarns! Thank you. Bookmarked. 🙂
Melanie said
Wow! What an amazing article!
I was just looking for a comparable yarn to Bernat Satin and I found this! So informative and precise.
I really appreciate all the lengths you’ve gone to, to help sort out the broad and frankly surprising differences in yarns all under the hood of worsted 4.
I will be referring and passing along this article to my crocheting friends!!!
Thank you so much! You’ve made my day.
Susan Briggs said
I crocheted a hippo anigurumi and the pattern said it would be 11.8″, I used Caron one pound because I like it, or Red Heart for amugurumi. Well mine came out almost 20″ Yikes!!! I guess i should have gone down a hook size for it to be smaller. Just wanted to thank you for clarifying the differences and how to test for size from now on!!
Erin said
This is very helpful!
Lorrilee said
Thank you so much for this explanation! I have searched and searched and searched for someone, anyone to explain why my yarn is never the same thickness even though they all say “4” worsted weight. I have searched online for months and NO ONE ever admits that just because it says “4” worsted weight doesn’t mean it’s the same thickness! I was starting to think I was crazy or just plain stupid. Thanks for justifying my observations and confirming I am NOT crazy!
Jess said
Will the proportions still be the same with light worsted yarn and a smaller hook? I live in the UK and DK (light worsted) yarn is a lot easier and cheaper to get hold of than aran (worsted) yarn. The pattern this will be used for is the aardvark, so proportions are quite important in relation to the nose length, etc. Thanks for any info 🙂
June said
Jess, please see my articles on Yarn for Amigurumi and Resizing Amigurumi for tips on finding yarn for amigurumi outside North America and the answer to your question (including examples) 🙂
Margaret Gunning said
Thank you for this valuable information, particularly about the reduction of thickness in some brands. If it’s thinner, it means the manufacturers are using less material and it saves them money. The result looks poor and knits up much smaller and even handles very differently. Meanwhile the ball band information always remains the same. The issue is seldom talked about on knitting sites, and in fact this is the only reference I could find anywhere. I am trying to finish a project, a blanket that my 10-year-old granddaughter specifically asked for for her birthday, that will literally look like two blankets joined together. I ordered the yarn online (Bernat Tiny Tickles, five 9-ounce balls for a total of $63.00) because I couldn’t find anything locally. This is a sort of densely-flocked yarn which has thick tufts that are almost woolly. The thinner (I assume, newer) yarn is a sort of sparse, shiny eyelash stuff, a different yarn altogether. I tried doubling it but the texture was wrong, and now am trying to alternate rows, but it’s a pain and doesn’t look very good. Knitting is becoming so frustrating, and because it is so often connected to things like kids’ blankies (and they are VERY attached to these, even the older kids), it has a high emotional component that a non-knitter can never understand. I am sad that this rewarding phase seems to be coming to an end.
Sam said
Margaret, I found this post after googling “Caron yarn getting thinner”. I’m knitting an oversized cowl for a friend and noticed immediately that the yarn felt much thinner than I was used to. I’ve been knitting with Caron for about 5 yrs and used to knit everything on size 8 needles. For this project (180 stitches over Lord knows how many rows), I had to go down to 7’s and the tension still isn’t ideal. Thank goodness I searched first but I completely understand your frustration.
Have you tried looking on Ravelry? Some people will swap or sell unwanted yarn. Good luck!
Dawn said
Thank you for this information! Something else I’ve noticed…even with the same brand/type of yarn, the lighter colors will often be thinner with less WPI’s than the darker colors. It is driving me crazy! I’m trying to make a hat that used Red Heart With Love and I’m using Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn. Ravelry lists them as having the same WPI’s and my dark brown I Love This Yarn matches the gauge, but the color Linen by I Love This Yarn is super thin and isn’t matching the gauge at all. I’m not sure if I should use two hook sizes up to match the gauge or what. Has anyone else noticed that lighter colored yarns aren’t as thick as the darker colored yarns in the same brand and type?
Bonnie Banks said
I have noticed for a long time that lighter yarns are thinner. I can’t think why unless the dye actually adds weight/thickness.
Pallie Spadafino said
The most important thing to always remerber when thinking about making a garment is to do a gauge swatch. Even if you have used that brand and type of yarn before. Manufacturer’s are not always using fibers from the same source and many things can change how a fiber feels and reacts. Having grown up in an area that produces cotton I know that many things affect the fiber at the end including heat and moisture. Last year the crop here was dry and rough but this year it is a lot softer and feels slightly moist.
Vicki said
Thanks! I want to crochet a free pattern from Caron and perhaps adapt it some, but didn’t know how I could find it here. It is “Scalloped Edge Cami” and very cute but the dimensions will definitely be tricky if the wrong yarn is used. thank you for your guidance in your chart – very useful, especially when creating small items like bags, booties, caps, etc.
June said
Matching the actual yarn weight is even more important with a garment – you may be able to match the specified gauge if you use a smaller hook with your thicker yarn, but that would leave you with a stiff, thick fabric (definitely not what you want for a garment)! And that’s another reason why it’s so important to make a gauge swatch before you dive into a large wearable project: to check that the fabric looks and feels good with the yarn you’ve chosen at the specified gauge.
Ericka said
THANK YOU so much for showing this – you did all the hard work FOR us!!!! I thought Simply soft and RH Soft were similar and thanks to your chart, was correct – great for substituting 🙂 I agree with the different colors even within the same brand….wonder if it’s more dye added making the fiber heavier?
Again, thank you so much – tremendously helps!!!
Hugs,
Ericka
SB said
This is so helpful! Thank you for this! !! I thought I was a crazy person for thinking my simply soft was thinner than my vannas choice.
Penny said
Thank You so much for this info… I find it very informative… I was just trying to compare two yarns of the same weight and this was extremely helpful..
Thanks June!
Penny
Terry Ortwine said
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time to share this spectacular comparison which I know had to have been quite time consuming. I actually created crochet samples a few years back to teach my students about the importance of gauge and some of the things that can affect it. However, I only covered the points you shared here verbally with my students. This is an excellent visual! And then to share it with us all! You are a truly generous soul!!! Thank you!
Pallie Spadafino said
Found your article very interesting and it helped clarify some of the things I had noticed. I did another experiment on my own to check out part of what I thought was only my imagination playing tricks. Boy did I get a shock.
I went to two different stores on the same day and bought the exact same yarn and color. When I compared them, not only were the colors different as they say to watch with lot numbers, but the yarns were not even the same thickness.
So I found out that yarn can differ not only by brand but also can differ on different lots. This was something that will help me to watch more carefully what I am buying in the future if I want the items I am making to be the same size and shape.
Jacqui said
Hi thanks for this info on Acrylic Yarn. The thing I do have trouble with is that many people on the Internet talk about WW yarn being the same as 10ply in Australia?? I have never found any yarn that states it is 10ply? In Australia we have 8ply which I think I equiv to Double Knit. Or we can get 4ply which is like finer baby weight yarn. Then the heavy weight is called Bulky. I can not understand what Worsted weight really is in Australia? Thanks for any help you may give on this matter.
June said
Hi Jacqui, I’ve written a post to clarify the differences in yarn weight terminology; that should help you out! Please click through to my Yarn for Amigurumi post for details 🙂
Charlene Boardman said
Hi June, I am from South Africa, near Potchefstroom, NW. How do our yarns compare? Are our DK the same/similar to USA Worsted weights, or is the Bulky the equivalent? I wish we had a greater selection. What about the Standard Weight Charts 1-6 (Super Fine to Super Bulky) – I feel our yarns need to compare one step to the right on these charts. Am I right?
It is so hard when trying to select a local yarn to a pattern
June said
Charlene, as I said at the top of the post, worsted weight (or #4) yarn is known as ’10-ply’ or ‘aran weight’ outside North America. In South Africa, it’s called aran weight – DK is lighter (#3) and bulky is heavier (#5) – but there aren’t many aran weight yarns available in SA, in my experience.
You can get away with using a DK weight though – again, not all yarns marked DK are the same, and some are quite similar to the ‘light worsted’ end of my scale above. If you find your stitches are gaping open with your yarn, just reduce the hook size until they look neat (as I recommend in all my patterns, no matter which yarn you choose/use).
Charlene Boardman said
Thanks June. I am amazed at how many clothing patterns are in WW. Our Aran yarn is very thick. I have been using our thicker DK, and adjusting the hook/needle size accordingly, but the size is not correct then. Makes it difficult.
June said
I should clarify then, that, as this is an amigurumi-related tutorial, my comments about reducing the hook size were also related to amigurumi – that obviously won’t work for clothing, where the finished size is very important! For garments, meeting the gauge (tension) given in the pattern is crucial, whatever yarn you use. The only alternative, if your gauge is wildly off, is that you may be able to follow the instructions for a smaller or larger size (as appropriate) to give you the desired finished size. (I offer more advice about gauge in my book Idiot’s Guides: Crochet.)
Charlene Boardman said
Thanks again June
Shanon said
I don’t remember how I came across your blog but I love it. I enjoy knitting and crocheting and just wanted to mention that I have come across this same problem in my knitting projects. I always suggest to new knitters and crocheters to make a gauge sample no matter what, even if they are using the same brand and style of yarn as their pattern calls for.
Caryl said
Your research is very helpful – thanks – I wish I could but Caron simply soft in Cape Town as I would like to use it for a babette blanket
Maria said
Very interesting and helpful. I did not understand why the acrylic yarn was different in texture from brand to brand.
diane iorio said
I wish they would change, the yarn ,instruction,s in the back to.light medium and heavy.like they do on coffee cans..thank you for sharing your chart.june I love to crochet.but I HATE ALL THE GUESS WORK.PEACEOUT!!!
Marcia said
Thank you so much for doing this yarn comparison. I am a pattern designer and have been telling my customers this for a long time. I wish they understood it better as they blame me for sizing issues when they’ve used a yarn that is not recommended for their projects and the items turn out too large because of the size yarn they used. I always put on the gauge, but you know how that goes…..they want to get the pattern done and then…oh,oh…it’s not what they thought it would be like. 🙁 Thanks again for the work it took to put this comparison together for everyone. 🙂
ashleigh said
This is fabulous.
Rachel Star Guerrero said
thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!
Lorena said
Thank you, this is very interesting and educational
Carol said
I think you should send your research to each of the manufacturers. Maybe suggest that a change in labeling for everyone. Light worsted, heavy worsted opposed to just worsted. I understand it’s a comparable thing but it seems to me that a measure of some sort can be had to better define yarns.
Anita Smith said
No one in my family can wear wool.
One thing that you did not address is the fuzzy factor after the item is washed. Could you recommend one that will stand up?
June said
I’m afraid not, Anita – as this article is inspired by my amigurumi designs, which never get washed, this isn’t an area I can advise on; I don’t typically use these yarns to make garments. Two suggestions:
Jessica-Jean said
Amigurumi NEVER GET WASHED?????
I guess I’ve missed something. I thought they were stuffed toys – though smaller and more tightly made than many others. I was sure they’d be washable; I guess I don’t understand something basic about them.
June said
Oops, no, you misunderstood me, Jessica-Jean! I meant that my own personal collection of amigurumi never get washed because they sit on shelves as decorations – they are never played with so they never get dirty. Amigurumi in general may be washed!
My reply was to Anita’s question about how these yarns stand up to washing when they are used to make garments, which I couldn’t address from personal experience, as I don’t use these yarns to make garments, and my own amigurumi are never washed 🙂
Jessica-Jean said
Thank you for clearing up my confusion about never washing amigurumi. Any stuffed things I’ve ever made have definitely passed through the washer/dryer from time to time.
Thank youl
Sara Leighton said
This thorough yarn breakdown is much appreciated. As a designer of baby items I am sometimes frustrated by the differences between varied yarns of the same weight. The yarns I prefer (Cascade Cherub for worsted and Berroco Comfort for bulky) are slimmer than other commercial yarns, leading my customers to experiencing trouble with substitution. Gauge is so important and I feel that beginning crochet instructors/intro to crochet texts should put more of an emphasis on it. Thanks again for showing the differences between yarns of the same weight.
Jenn said
Hi, Knit Picks Brava recently changed manufacturers, and is now significantly thinner and somewhat shinier – not all the way to the Simply Soft and its kin, but very noticeable. This changes the “which yarns pair up with what, when” information.
June said
That’s very interesting, Jenn – thanks for that info! I’d be interested to try the new (improved?) Brava if I can figure out a way to get my hands on some 🙂
(By the way, I hope nobody will take my comparison as a definitive list of which yarns are similar – yarns change all the time, and there are even a noticeable differences in thickness, shine, etc between different shades of the same yarn. The yarns I tested were just what I happened to have on hand; they may not match up exactly with the skeins in your stash. The important thing to remember is that all yarn marked ‘worsted weight’ – or any other weight – is definitely not the same, and you should be aware of that going into a project, especially if you plan to mix and match between brands. To be safe, do your own visual comparison first and make a swatch to see if the yarns look comparable to you.)
Nancy G. said
Thanks for the info. I will keep this handy to refer. Also, I think because of the economy, brands are putting less and less ounces to the skein. 4oz=1 skein used to be the norm. Now I’m afraid they are going down to 21/2 ounces!