BEGINNERS KNITTING TIPS: What your yarn ball-band can tell you!

BEGINNERS KNITTING TIPS: What your yarn ball-band can tell you!

The band on your yarn tells you so much information that even the most experienced knitters often ignore.

It can tell you:

  • What it's made of ie. Acrylic, 20% Wool etc
  • How many metres/yards of yarn in the ball
  • How many grams the ball weighs eg. 50g, 100g
  • What thickness the yarn is, eg. 4 Ply, Double Knit, Aran, Chunky
  • Washing instructions eg. how to wash, dry, and iron your creations once knitted
  • The needle size recommended for knitting
  • The hook size recommended for crocheting
  • The shade number 
  • The dye lot - Always check all the balls for you buy for your project are the same dye lot. Different batches can vary in colour slightly which can ruin the look of your work.
  • The tension the yarn knits to - To knit a 10cm x 10cm square, 22 stitches + 30 rows. This varies from yarn to yarn.

Most yarns will knit to any pattern for that weight/thickness but be sure to do a tension square as above before you start to ensure it will knit up to the correct size.

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