Learn. How to Choose Yarn Knitting School Lesson 1

In the next few weeks, I'll be rolling out a series that I'm calling "Knitting School". If you've ever thought about learning how to knit, now would be a great time! Over the next few weeks you'll learn all the skills you need to knit this project from start to finish.

Before you even pick up a pair of needles, you'll need yarn. Buying yarn can be a little intimidating if you don't know what you're looking for.

Every skein of yarn will have some standard items on the label. They may be stated a little differently but they should always be there.

Clicking will make the picture bigger but I'll type out what each item says here also. The first thing to look at is the yardage. Yardage is important if you are using a different yarn than the one specified in the pattern. You'll want to make sure that the yarn you choose matches. For example, for the knit cowl project you'll need 1 ball Rowan Big wool, 100% wool, 87 yards per 100g. You'll want to make sure that the yarn you choose has enough yardage.

You also need to match gauge. Gauge refers to how many stitches per inch you should get when you knit a 4" X 4" swatch. For some projects, like scarves, gauge isn't really important. When you're making a sweater, gauge is more critical. For the cowl project, gauge isn't critical but the sample was knit at 2 1/4 stitches per inch.

You'll also want to make sure you buy enough yarn in the same dye lot. It is a good idea to buy enough yarn to finish your project all at once. You never know when a yarn will be discontinued or sell out. Remember to save your receipts. Most stores will accept returns of unused skeins within a set amount of time (usually 30-60 days).

Yarn comes in a few different weights. They are sometimes called different things but here is a good reference:

Lace/Sock/Fingering
gauge 6 1/2-8 stitches per inch

Sport/ DK or Double Knitting
gauge 5-6 stitches per inch

Worsted (the most common weight)
gauge 4-5 stitches per inch

Bulky/Chunky
gauge 2-3 1/2 stitches per inch


Fiber choice should match what is called for in the pattern or at least be tested in a swatch to make sure it will act like you want it to. Making a winter hat out of cotton isn't going to give you the same effect as if it were knit in wool or at least a wool blend.

I'm a little bit of a yarn snob and prefer to knit with all natural fibers. I'm also a bit of a cheapskate so I know that this isn't possible all of the time. There are plenty of acrylic yarns and acrylic blends that are soft and knit up nicely.

Once you have a yarn in mind, look at the label and see what needle size it recommends. If you are just starting to knit, chances are you don't have a stash of needles in various sizes. Needles deserve their own blog post but for now, I'll just give you some homework.

Purchase:

1 ball Rowan Big wool, 100% wool, 87 yards per 100g OR yarn to match yardage and gauge
---Chances are you won't find Rowan Big Wool at your local craft store. A good option would be Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (check online or your newspaper for coupons).

Size 13 (9.0mm) circular needle (16 inch length). This project is worked in the round so you'll need circular needles. If you can't find this particular needle size at your craft store, they are available here. I also found this set on Amazon. I can't vouch for the quality as I have yet to try them, but they are a great deal!