When I first started crocheting, I found yarn to be extremely intimidating. There are so many options on the market that it can be very overwhelming! In this post, I’ll break down a basic guide when it comes to yarn and instructions on how to read a yarn label.
Note that this post is a general guide and is not all encompassing.
Types of Fibers
All yarns are made from synthetic or naturals materials. The type and quality of fiber will determine the price.
Some popular fibers for crocheting include:
- Wool (such as lamb’s wool or merino wool, which is considered the cream of the crop)
- Synthetic fibers (nylon, acrylic, polyester – acrylic is very common)
- Cotton (less stretchy, great for things like market bags)
- Blends (mixed fibers)
- Variegated yarns (different colors or various shades of the same color)
- T-Shirt yarn (good for making baskets and home decor; bags)
When first starting to crochet, I recommend sticking to acrylic yarns because they are less expensive and you can get a lot of yarn to practice with.
Weight
Next, we will go over the different weights of yarn. The standard weight chart goes from 0 to 7; 0 being the thinnest, and 7 being the thickest. When I first started crocheting and following patterns, yarn size was a bit confusing to me. Many patterns will list the common name which isn’t listed on yarn labels.
I made the following chart to give an easy visual for the yarn weight, its corresponding symbol and name, its common names, ply (how many strands it has), and the recommended hook size.
When it comes to the suggested hook size, this is just a suggestion. Don’t feel obligated to use the hook sizes suggested in this chart (or on labels), use whatever hook size works for you and the yarn you’re using. You can always make swatches with a couple different sizes to see what works best for your project.
Patterns will also give you a hook size recommendation.
How to Read a Yarn Label
A yarn label will tell you everything you need to know about that skein of yarn (“skein” is the proper name for “ball of yarn”). Attached below is a standard yarn label. Let’s break it down.
The first bit of information you’ll get is the brand name and the yarn line. This is pretty straight forward, but for this label, the brand is Lion Brand Yarn and the line is Wool-Ease Thick & Quick.
This label is advertising free patterns and shows you how many skeins you would need to complete a standard project (1 skein for a hat, 2 for a scarf, and 7 for a sweater).
Moving to the right side, you’ll see the net weight of the yarn (6oz) and how many yards/meters the skein has (106 yards/97 meters). If you’re following a pattern that gives the yardage of the project, you’ll be able to easily determine how many skeins of yarn you’ll need.
Next, the label will tell you the material (this one is 80% acrylic, and 20% wool) and care instructions (machine washable and dryable). Most labels will include full laundering instructions via symbols (top right), such as wash temperature, type of cycle, and whether or not it can be ironed. Googling the laundering symbols helps decipher what they all mean (I know I can never remember them!).
Between the weight and laundering symbols, there are three boxes. The first box has the yarn weight (super bulky; see above chart for further info), and the two other boxes include knitting and crocheting gauges. A gauge means the number of stitches per inch and rows per inch that result from a specific yarn with the suggested hook size. So for this yarn, a 4×4 inch square using a 9mm crochet hook would be 6.6 stitches and 8 rows.
The middle chunk of the right side just has brand and social info.
The last part of the yarn label above the bar code is the color and dye lot. The color is typically noted by a word (this one is Butterscotch) but it is also listed as a numerical value (middle number; 189). The six digit number to the right of the color number is the dye lot, or lot #. Dye lot is important if you’re making a project that needs multiple skeins of the same yarn. If the dye lot does not match, there may be slight differences in the color of the yarn. If you’re making a project with multiple skeins, I recommend buying them at the same time to avoid any color differences (I have had this happen and it’s frustrating!).
Not every label is formatted in the same manner but once you’ve got the general gist of reading a label, it’s very easy! When I get yarn, I focus mainly on the weight and color (and dye lot and yardage if I’m making a larger project). I also take notes of the laundering instructions before tossing the label.
For my dog hat projects, my go-to yarn is super bulky yarns. Super bulky yarn works up quickly and allows me to make different projects quickly. My favorite brands for super bulky yarns are Lion Brand Yarns, Bernat, and Loops and Threads.
For baby blankets, I like to work with DK or worsted weight yarns (weight 3 and 4). My favorite brands for worsted weight yarns are Patons (their Canadiana to be specific) and Lion Brand. When gifting such items, I go to local yarn shops for nice wool yarns. You won’t find “the good stuff” at a big box store; small yarn shops are the way to go!
For making amigurumi (the official term for stuffed animals or 3D toys made via crocheting; art form originating from Japan), I like to use cotton yarns (such as Lily Sugar n Cream if I want it to keep form) or soft acrylic yarns (Patons Canadiana, Loops and Threads).
For backpacks, I like to get backpack kits (on Etsy) and use t-shirt yarn or jute twine. Twine is a hand buster but looks really nice! For market bags, I use cotton yarn or cotton blends (cotton doesn’t stretch out like other fiber types do).
For home decor, such as baskets, I typically use t-shirt yarns. T-shirt yarn is a bit harder to come by than regular yarns. I order Bobilon t-shirt yarn off Etsy and it comes from Europe (it’s a bit expensive and takes a while, but the quality is so nice!).