Needlework's Pleasure

Handspun/Handpainted Fine Yarns & Spinning/Felting Fibres

Yarn sizes and categories

I am adding this  page to my website because there has been some confusion in the past about how yarns are being categorised for their yardage and thickness, and I also noticed a few differences in the US yarn categories compared with the European ones.  I think that as long as a proper needle size recommendation is provided in a yarn description people will be able to picture quite well how thick/thin a yarn will be.

If I provide a certain needle size for my yarns I always put down the smallest size I feel people should work the yarn with in order to get a dense but not tight knitting result. From there any bigger needle size  for a wide mesh result and lose drape is fine, there really is no limit. But don't forget, the needle sizes provided are merely recommendations. Someone with a rather lose knitting technique may want to go for an even smaller needle than recommended.

The yarn categories below are referring to commercially spun wools, so if you have a handspun yarn and you want to categorise it by its weight/yardage relation feel free to use this list. However, I do not guarantee that the list is 100% accurate worldwide! 

Any further suggestions and information will always be appreciated. Thank you