Crochet hook sizes wrong?

[Edgerallenpoedameron]

So this is a bit weird but I got a crochet kit Star Wars Crochet. It came with its own hook (which I can't find anymore) - I made the dolls that came with the kit. Anyway so I'm making more of them and got the recommended DK/3 yarn and am using my LIHAO crochet hook kit (inexpensive one from Amazon). I am using the recommended 3.5 MM hook for this amigurumi and it's turning out much BIGGER then the original one from the kit. I don't know what is wrong. I think the needle sizes are wrong somehow. Because the hook looks bigger then the one I remember using originally. But it was suppose to be a 3.5 MM hook as well. Is it possible that my LIHAO set is just cheap and the sizes are wrong? Or maybe I'm missing something else?

 

I found the original hook that came with the kit. It seems that they are about the same size. Guess the recommended yarn is just wrong then? To thick? I got the yarn type directly from the person who made the book.

[Edgerallenpoedameron]

Looks like its the yarn sizes? The one that came with the kit seems to be thinner then the DK yarn that was recommended. Should I have gone with something smaller? Like a 2 or whatever the equivalent is for the other measurements?

 

Here is an image of the yarn sizes https://i.imgur.com/z7sEsap.jpg

Here is an image of a completed Yoda and one in progress that is much bigger https://i.imgur.com/Z07wCH0.jpg

[magiccrochetfan]

The yarn sizes are a range, so it is usual for there to be some variance within each range.  There is also overlap between some ranges.  Look at the stitches per inch for the yarn sizes  https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/weight.html    And each person's gauge may vary from that, too.  

There can even be variations in size of different colors of the exact same yarn.  

It looks to me like you're using the right size hook as your stitches appear tight, like you want for ami.  Based on the photo, I think you would have a hard time using a smaller hook with this yarn .  

[Edgerallenpoedameron]

So do you think that the yarn the originally came in the kit was a smaller weight yarn or number (sorry I'm new at this) then the one the author recommended? Thanks for the chart.

[redrosesdz]

The labels on the yarn most likely put them in the same weight category, dk. What Kathy was saying is that each category is a range of thickness. So even though both are classified as "dk", it doesn't mean they are the same thickness. It means that they both fit in the same range. The kit's yarn could be on the thin side of the range and the yarn you bought is on the thick side of the range.

In your picture, the bottom yarn looks thicker than the top one. However, it's really difficult to determine from a picture, because the optics are 2d and angles, lighting, etc. can make things look different than reality. The only way to tell for sure is to make a square with each one, using the same hook and stitch/row count. Then compare the sizes. 

[Edgerallenpoedameron]

Ok thanks

[Granny Square]

The yarn size 'range' nowadays is determined by the number of wraps per inch - ihttps://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/11/determining-yarn-weights/  this link shows you that DK is a range of 12 to 14 inches.  Maybe the kit yarn was 14 wraps, and your new yarn is 12.  

Also, some brands of hooks aren't spot on the mm measurement (or so I have heard from past threads).  Some crafters own micrometers so they can compare hooks or measure antique ones that aren't marked.  Assuming you are in the US - a 3.5mm hook is an "E", the "D" hook size down is 3.25mm is only a little smaller but might help.  A "C" is a bigger jump at 2.75mm.

[Edgerallenpoedameron]

Thanks again