Yarn bases - how to find if it's the right one for you?
Finding the right yarn for a project can be daunting. What if you can't get the yarn indicated in the pattern? Maybe you are allergic to some fiber and you need a substitute?
In this blog post, I want to help you navigate the information about it all to make a choice that is right for you.
Fiber content
Usually in a product description, the fiber content is listed. It can be animal fiber: merino (sheep wool), alpaca, kid (mohair), angora, silk, cashmere, yak...
It can be vegetal fiber: cotton, tencel, bamboo, linen, hemp, viscose...
It can be man made fiber: acrylic, nylon, polyamide...
Check the product description to make sure you get the right fiber for you.
Yarn thickness
In order to find the best yarn for a specific project, you need to be aware of the yarn kind. Is it a sock yarn (also known as fingering weight, or 4 ply), DK, lace...? You can check the needle sizes recommended and also the gauge to give you an idea.
Here is a useful tab about the yarn bases I use.
Lace yarn / 2ply
|
Yarn name |
Baby alpaca |
Mohair |
|
Fibre blend |
100% baby alpaca |
72% superkid mohair, 28% mulberry silk |
|
Skein weight |
100g |
50g |
|
Length |
800m / 872yds |
420m / 459yds |
|
Recommended needles size |
3 - 4mm (US 2-6) needles |
3 – 4mm (US 2 – 6) needles |
|
Gauge (stockinette stitch) |
32sts x 40 rows over 10cm (4 inches) on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
32sts x 40 rows over 10cm (4 inches) on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
Sock yarn / fingering weight / 4ply
|
Yarn name |
Merino socks |
Stardust |
Sock mini |
Superwash merino |
|
Fibre blend |
85% merino, 15% nylon |
75% merino, 20% nylon, 5% silver lurex |
75% merino, 20% nylon, 5% silver lurex |
75% superwash merino, 25% nylon |
|
Skein weight |
100g |
100g |
20g |
100g |
|
Length |
400m / 436yds |
400m / 436yds |
80m / 87yds |
400m / 436yds |
|
Recommended needle size |
2.5 – 4mm (US 1.5 - 6) |
2.5 – 4mm (US 1.5 - 6) |
2.5 – 4mm (US 1.5 - 6) |
2.5 – 4mm (US 1.5 - 6) |
|
Gauge (stockinette stitch) |
28sts x 36 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
28sts x 36 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
28sts x 36 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
28sts x 36 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 3.25mm (US 3) needles |
Other yarns: DK / 6ply and Aran / 8ply
|
Yarn name |
DK |
Aran |
|
Fibre blend |
100% untreated merino |
100% untreated merino |
|
Skein weight |
100g |
100g |
|
Length |
225m / 245yds |
166m / 180yds |
|
Recommended needles size |
3.5 - 4.5mm (US 4 - 7) needles |
4.5 - 5.5mm (US 7 - 9) needles |
|
Gauge (stockinette stitch) |
22sts x 30 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 4mm (US 6) needles |
18sts x 24 rows over 10cm/4 inches on 5mm (US 8) needles |