What are the Different Types of Knitting Yarn?
Yarn is a continuous strand made up of fibers or filaments, used for making fabric or textiles of various kinds. The distinct types of knitting yarn are categorized by their weight, purpose, ply, source fiber(s), texture, color, and pattern. In addition, knitters choosing yarn will want to match yardage and gauge. Weight, Purpose, Ply. Although knitting yarn weights have been standardized by the Craft Yarn Council of America (CYCOA), there are a number of different systems actually in use in the English-speaking world, making it important to make sure know the system so you can match yarns to directions accurately. The following chart is not complete: it does not, for example, include the Australian and New Zealand terminology of naming yarn weights by “ply” or the British system which substitutes chunky for bulky and aran or triple for worsted. Notice that some of the systems mix weight and purpose in their categories.
