How to read the label?

[Shridrea]

I'm fairly new to crocheting, and I just went to my first yarn store the other day. I admit it, I went nuts in the clearance bin and brought home way too much yarn. And now I'm looking at my patterns and trying to decide what to do with all this lovely yarn.

 

I've run into a snag though. The patterns give yarn sizes in single digit numbers, but the tag on the yarn has a box with 10x10 on the top, 23R on the side, and 16 S on the bottom. It also shows a pair of knitting needles with 6mm underneath it.

 

How do I translate this?

[FrLopLady]

usually there is a picture of a skein of yarn with a number in the middle of it. 4 is like red heart or caron pounder. Homespun I think is a 5...or maybe it's 6.

[gumby28]

Your example box with 10x10 on the top, 23R on the side, and 16 S on the bottom. It also shows a pair of knitting needles with 6mm underneath it. This means 6mm needles 23rows 16 stitches should measure 10"x10"

[gshall]

What kind of yarn is it? Different brands of yarn that state they are the same size, don't always work up the same. Sometimes when I'm trying to figure out weights, I will check the companies web site to see what it says about it. You can work up the gauge swatch listed in the pattern and see how yours compares, or, pick a pattern in which gauge doesn't matter - just be sure to you the same type yarn throughout. Good luck with whatever you pick! Right now I have a pattern I want to make, but the suggested yarn is $15/skein - way too much for me. It uses 2 baby weight yarns, but states that because they are slighty different weights it helps to keep the pattern flat. So, I am just going to have to experiement with different yarns and see what works. The nice thing about crochet is that it frogs easily (ususally!)

[RoseRed]

The box you described shows you the gauge of the pattern when knitting. There should be more information in the information panel.

 

You could also google the yarn and manufacturer. I know Caron has all of their yarn info on their website.

[Shridrea]

This yarn is not Caron, Red Heart, or any of the stuffs that I can also get at Walmart. Sadly, I threw away the label when I finished the blanket this week, so I can't tell you what brand specifically. It was made in Turkey.

 

The yarn shop I go to in Indianapolis has lots and lots of lovely yarns. Not a single one from companies I've heard of, and half the time I can't pronounce.

 

The only other information on the label were care instructions, which I already know how to read the icons.

 

@gumby28! That is about what I needed to know. While I don't knit (yet?), I can at least do math. I just have to figure out how the needle and hooks compare in size. I'd hope that a millimetre is still a millimetre no matter what tool...

[RoseRed]

Yarn Standards has a pdf with that information. I don't have the link off hand.

[FrLopLady]

If you have a different brand of yarn ravelry has a lot of them listed and gives the different weights

 

As far as using the same brand/kind of yarn on a project care needs to be taken there too! I've tried starting a happy yellow house afghan with allll those little squares. Vanna's choice was the yarn I got to use, all the same weight, but when making an only 2.5" square each yarn is different and gave me different size squares using the same hook but different colors.

[magiccrochetfan]

Your example box with 10x10 on the top, 23R on the side, and 16 S on the bottom. It also shows a pair of knitting needles with 6mm underneath it. This means 6mm needles 23rows 16 stitches should measure 10"x10"

 

Actually the 10x10 is 10 centimeters, which equals 4 inches.

[magiccrochetfan]

Whatever the recommended knitting needle size is, you can usually figure that the best crochet hook size will be at least 1 mm bigger. So if it says 6mm knitting needles, you will probably want to start with a 7mm crochet hook.

 

if your hooks are only marked with letters, you can get a gauge like this http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat2874&PRODID=prd2736

which you can usually find at Walmart.

 

Of course you will still need to swatch to be sure you are getting the sttich gauge you want and be prepared to change hooks.

[Shridrea]

All this is useful to know. I just picked up the next ball and realised it had the same thing going on.

 

@FrLopLady: I noticed a few of the balls of yarn we picked up have different widths of yarn throughout! It shall make my project as interesting as yours. Good luck!

 

I think I get how to read the gauge thing now. The numbers with the S and R tell how many stitches and rows it "should" equal with the given needle (or hook) as indicated. Does anyone happen to know where I can find a list that will tell me how that information translates into the weights that one would normally find in the yarn ball of the more common brands?

 

I ask this because it seems like most, if not all, the patterns written out there give a weight, such as 3, 4 or 5. If I'm going to use a pattern, I'd like to at least start out with a similar weight yarn.

[magiccrochetfan]

the Yarn Standards page has that info http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html

 

the little charts with sttich and row gauge are usually for the knit gauge which is different than the crochet gauge.

[Shridrea]

You are my hero. This looks really familiar. I think I saw it once aeons ago, then never had to use it until now and forgot about it.

 

Thank you so very much!

[magiccrochetfan]

there's lots of good info on that site--it's worth bookmarking:)

Happy crocheting!