Quick Q. about yarn weight.

[bailsmom]

I found some yarn that is the same ounce and has more yardage so bonus for me!! Just curious if the yarn the pattern calls for would be the same size as the substitute that I found?

Did that make sense??

[brendajos]

is the gauge listed the same?

[bailsmom]

The pattern calls for 16 sts & 24 rows = 4" using size 9 needles.

4"=18 stitches on size 8 needles

Just curious: what difference does it make if the ounces are the same?? I'm still learning that's why I ask.

[brokenblossoms]

The ounce just refers to how much yarn is on the ball/hank/skein/cone.

[bailsmom]

The ounce just refers to how much yarn is on the ball/hank/skein/cone.

Oh, I thought it was how much it weighed.

[brendajos]

The pattern calls for 16 sts & 24 rows = 4" using size 9 needles.

4"=18 stitches on size 8 needles

Just curious: what difference does it make if the ounces are the same?? I'm still learning that's why I ask.

well think about mohair and cotton. You could have an ounce of sugar and cream cotton and have almost no yardage at all...however an ounce of mohair is going to be a LOT more because mohair hardly weighs anything. you are going to want to sub yarns that are at least close in gauge so that you can get to the right gauge for your pattern.

when they are talking about weight they aren't really talking about the actual WEIGHT of the yarn. they are talking about fingering, worsted, bulky, etc.

there are patterns that will tell you how many ounces of a yarn you need instead of yards and i find that to be a complete PITA because it doesn't really tell me how much unless i want to do some seriously high math ya know.

That being said, you can probably get pretty close with the yarn you are looking at since the pattern yarn says 4 stitches per inch on size 9 and the sub yarn is 4.5 per inch on 8s. I would think that going up to that size 9 needle on the sub yarn will probably get you to the right gauge.

[bailsmom]

Originally Posted by bailsmom

The pattern calls for 16 sts & 24 rows = 4" using size 9 needles. 4"=18 stitches on size 8 needles Just curious: what difference does it make if the ounces are the same?? I'm still learning that's why I ask.

well think about mohair and cotton. You could have an ounce of sugar and cream cotton and have almost no yardage at all...however an ounce of mohair is going to be a LOT more because mohair hardly weighs anything. you are going to want to sub yarns that are at least close in gauge so that you can get to the right gauge for your pattern.

when they are talking about weight they aren't really talking about the actual WEIGHT of the yarn. they are talking about fingering, worsted, bulky, etc.

there are patterns that will tell you how many ounces of a yarn you need instead of yards and i find that to be a complete PITA because it doesn't really tell me how much unless i want to do some seriously high math ya know.

That being said, you can probably get pretty close with the yarn you are looking at since the pattern yarn says 4 stitches per inch on size 9 and the sub yarn is 4.5 per inch on 8s. I would think that going up to that size 9 needle on the sub yarn will probably get you to the right gauge.

Oooohhhhh, that makes perfect sense. Thank you!!

[Calamintha]

If two yarns are the same weight and one has more yardage it means that the one with more yardage is a lighter weight yarn.

For instance, Lambs Pride Worsted Weight yarn is 760 yards to the pound but Zephyr Laceweight yarn is 5,040 yards to the pound. A big difference!

If the difference in yardage is slight it probably won't matter too much.

[suzeeq]

Originally Posted by brokenblossoms

The ounce just refers to how much yarn is on the ball/hank/skein/cone.

Oh, I thought it was how much it weighed.

That is how much the whole skein/ball weighs. However, when yarn weight is referred to, it means the thickness of the yarn - fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky, etc... The label gauge determines which category it falls in to; the pattern gauge is a rough idea of what the yarn should knit up to. The yarn the pattern calls for sounds like a worsted and so is the one you want to use; it doesn't have to be exact. You can use that yarn for this pattern - on size 9 needles you'll probably get the 16st/4" the pattern needs. Many times patterns will use needles a size or two larger than the label gets the gauge on.

sue

[bailsmom]

Originally Posted by bailsmom

Originally Posted by brokenblossoms The ounce just refers to how much yarn is on the ball/hank/skein/cone. Oh, I thought it was how much it weighed.

That is how much the whole skein/ball weighs. However, when yarn weight is referred to, it means the thickness of the yarn - fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky, etc... The label gauge determines which category it falls in to; the pattern gauge is a rough idea of what the yarn should knit up to. The yarn the pattern calls for sounds like a worsted and so is the one you want to use; it doesn't have to be exact. You can use that yarn for this pattern - on size 9 needles you'll probably get the 16st/4" the pattern needs. Many times patterns will use needles a size or two larger than the label gets the gauge on.

sue

Dear Lord, when will I understand this yarn language? I've been doing it for over 2 years now. Of course I haven't done anything too difficult. I'm a big chicken . It takes me a while to understand things, of course taking a knitting class would probably benefit me quite a bit, but I'm sooooo shy. I hate walking into knitting stores with other "experienced" knitters are knitting away and just staring at me and making me feel intimidated. I hate that.

Sue, I'm going to pm you the yarn it calls for and the yarn I want to use as a sub. Could you let me know if it'll work??

Thanks a bunch