If you’ve been knitting or crocheting very long, you have probably wondered about the different terminologies used to describe yarn, like bulky, sport, DK, and worsted. They all refer to the size of a yarn, which should give you a rough idea of what size of needle or hook to use with it. Unfortunately, one company’s DK might look a lot like another company’s worsted. Worsted weight yarn, itself, came in a confusing array of sizes, which did not knit up to the same gauge by any stretch of the imagination.
During an upswing in the popularity of knitting in the early 1980s, we started getting a lot more European yarns in the U. S. Big, bulky European yarns were called ‘sport weight.’ I was used to sport weight being a size between baby weight and worsted. Help was badly needed!
The Craft Yarn Council of America came to the rescue. The group created a standard for labeling yarns by weight. The wonderful chart here gives the yarn sizes along with recommended needle and hook sizes and gauges. Some yarn companies are already using the number system shown in the chart (Caron International, Lion Brand, Coats). The chart is a good place to start, when you are at a loss for which hook or needle to use.
The CYCA has also prepared standard size charts. I have heard people say, “Well, no one is a standard size.” That’s not entirely true. Lots of people are standard sizes or very close, and that is why we are able to buy ready-made clothing. Even so, if you are designing for publication, you should design to standard sizes. Also, standard sizes give you a reference point to work from. You can always alter to fit individuals.
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We’ve had more rain than usual this spring, and the temperatures have been cool. Our wildflowers responded to the rain with a wonderful display. These Blanket Flowers or Gaillardias are in our front yard. They make me feel good every time I see them. I’ve got to figure out how to crochet these beauties, so I can make a Blanket Flower Blanket.
A note from far in the future (2025). I did figure out how to crochet Blanket Flowers, also known as Firewheel flowers. The pattern is in Crochet Bouquet. There’s also a TextileFusion wallhanging covered with crocheted Blanket Flowers, called Firewheel Meadow.