confused about yarn weights

[Lisaizme]

What's the difference, if any, between sport weight and DK (double knit) weight?

 

Thanks for any guidance.

[Stitchinpick]

I was taught by the LYS teacher that DK weight (double-knit weight) is a slightly lighter weight than worsted and slightly heavier than sport weight.

 

My personal opinion is that I have seen some DK weights that are heavier or lighter than other DK weights. As always...make a swatch if you are making a specific size.

[Lisaizme]

Thank You. After I posted, I ran across this at Elann.com

 

DK is 21 - 23 stitches/4"

Sport is 24 - 26 stitches/4"

 

They neglect to say what size hook or needle they're using though. LOL

[Granny Square]

Check this out

http://www.yarnstandards.com/weight.html

 

Although, like Stichinpick said, there's a lot of variance in worsted weight yarns..

[Lisaizme]

Thank you GS. I will check it out.

[Real Deal]

I was taught, o-o-o-o-o-h, maybe 20 years ago, that since DK weight was generally not available (or used for that matter) in the US at that time, if you came across a pattern that said to use DK weight, worsted weight was used as a substitute.

 

Now that we have light worsted weights, they are supposed to be the closest match to DK.

 

Yarn weights used to be more clearly separated ~ baby, sport, worsted weight, bulky ~ occasionally fingering weight or super bulky at the opposite ends. Now the yarn companies have been filling in between the sizes and it's anybody's guess how thick some of it is until you swatch it sometimes.

 

Baby sport. Uh-huh. Light worsted. OK. Skimpy. Thick and thin. Curly. Sprongy. Ethnic. That's my favorite. What's that supposed to mean?

[purlwise]

DK is heavier than sport but lighter than worsted, also called light worsted weight.