Figuring yarn size

[kmadel]

I bought a book over the weekend with patterns that I just LOVE! BUT, I've never heard of any of the yarns they use and there's no notations as to what size they are so I'm not sure how to know what I could substitute. I've tried seraching the web to no avail.

Someone told me that you can use the gauge that they give with the pattern to figure it out, but I have no idea how that works. Can anyone explain how?

Thanks!

Krista

[mudpie]

Check out yarndex.com for comparison.

[goodie2shoes]

ok this might not be correct but I looked up on the internet the yarn they suggested the name of it or manufacture to find out if they called it

worsted weight, fingering, sport weight, fingering etc.

 

go here

 

if you click on say sport wieght yarn another window will come up with

a listing of yarns in that category

 

But since new types come around all the time

 

 

Read this page at knitty.com about real world yarn substitutions

 

 

I did the same thing I bought a beautiful book lovely patterns yet none of the yarns are anything I can buy nor would I pay the price for some of them lovely as they are, that is why I started searching for a way to determine

what I could substitute, the only way I could think of was first determining

what the manufacturer classified it as.

 

another site with useful insights

 

same topic another forum good ideas here also

 

I am in the middle of a sweater that called for some obscure bulky weight yarn

I did a swatch with Caron one pounder stuff I already had and the same size needle and it came out exactly to gauge and it is a Worsted weight but not a light worsted so go figure LOL!!! I just know the work looks good measures to the gauge swatch and it's a heck of a lot cheaper and so far looks just as good.

[kmadel]

Thank you so much! Those are very helpful sites.