What does worsted mean? What are yarn weights?
If you have ever felt a hand made sweater, then you know that yarn comes in different sizes and colors. But that is only the beginning. Some yarn is soft, some is scratchy, some will warm you at the north pole, and some is light enough for a relatively cool summer day. Some yarn is very fuzzy, some is smooth like a ribbon. Yarn weight is described in in five basic categories: Baby/fingering Sport/baby Worsted weight Chunky Bulky Each of these has a different thickness, and if you were to have equal lengths of them they would all weigh different amounts. Fingering is the finest. The term “ply” refers to the number of smaller strands that are spun together to form the yarn. Yarn is made of different materials, synthetic, natural and even metalic. That is the “fiber content”. Weight, ply, and fiber content are almost always found on the label wrapped around skeins or attached to balls of yarn. Often, yarn is a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers come from plants or
