Yarn guage Labels questions

[catwoman]

HI.I wondering if a person has to go by the yarns label guage to match the patterns gauge?IT’s kinda confusing i don’t want to do that?.what do you guys think .do you do that? Does a person have to go gauge of a pattern and the gauge on the label?

[Granny Square]

No.  The label gauge is just a very general ballpark number, I never look at the label gauge.  Everybody, including designers, have a different personal gauge that they will get for that yarn.  You really need to follow the pattern gauge to get the right fit for THAT pattern. 

If you picked up brand A yarn, but the pattern called out brand B (same weight as the yarn you bought), it wouldn't make any sense at all to follow the yarn label for the 'wrong yarn', right?  Yarn weight is a range, not an absolute (the same suggested gauge for the same weight yarn may vary from brand to brand, or even same brand for different 'flavors'), so that plus every individual tension differences, you should always check your gauge to the pattern you are making.

 

 

 

[Granny Square]

Example, I'm just looking at Red Heart yarns (finding lots of 'flavors' I'd not seen before)...all are worsted/medium/US #4 yarn weight.  Not cherry-picking, these are the gauges for the first 4 listed on the 4/medium weight class on this page http://www.redheart.com/yarn?q=%3Aname-asc%3Aweight%3A4+-+Medium&pageViewMode=grid

Dreamy - 11 SC, 13 Rows = 4”, size 6 mm, US K-10.5 hook

Gleam - 12 sc, 14 rows = 4” size 5.5 mm (US I-9) 

Hopscotch - 12 sc, 15 rows = 4” size 5.5 mm (US I-9) 

Creme de la Creme - 12 sc, 16 rows = 4” size H8/5mm

These may look close, but they're different row gauges and different hook sizes.  For a wearable a fraction of a stitch per inch makes a big difference. 

Just thought of another point...a pattern tension may be given 'in pattern', and could be something lacy, in the round, whatever.  The yarn label is assuming straight SC.

 

[redrosesdz]

^what she said for wearables that need to fit.

Scarves, shawls, ponchos, etc. are more like non-wearables in that they don't have to match the pattern gauge exactly. However matching close to the pattern gauge for non-wearables is needed to get the same approximate size listed for the final product. The bigger the product, the more the final size will be different. 

As GS said, different yarns listed in the same weight class, like medium/worsted/4, can have very different thicknesses. For example, I am making the same afghan for my granddaughter and grandsons in different colors, using 2 different brands, all worsted weight. The first was a thicker yarn. The second one was a thinner yarn. I used the same hook. The second one came out 6" narrower and 12" shorter. I put a bigger border around the 2nd one to get it the same size.

When you do a swatch for the pattern gauge use the yarn you plan to use for the project. Then go up a hook size, if it's too small. Go down a hook size, if it's too big. Keep making the swatch with different hook sizes until you match the pattern's gauge.