Knitting & Crochet Yarn

Finding the right yarn for your project

With more than 800 yarns to choose from, the quickest way to find the right one is to start with what your pattern asks for. Weight comes first, because it governs tension and therefore finished size: lace, 4 ply, DK, aran, chunky and super chunky each behave differently on the needle or hook. Then think about fibre, colour and, quite reasonably, budget. The filters let you narrow by all of those at once, so you can go from a vague idea to three realistic options in a couple of clicks rather than scrolling through everything.

What each fibre actually does

• Wool and merino: warm, elastic and springy. Holds ribbing, blocks beautifully and is the safest choice for a fitted garment.
• Cotton: cool, strong and hard-wearing with crisp stitch definition, but no memory, so heavy garments can grow.
• Alpaca: very warm and soft with heavy drape. Lovely in loose shapes, less so in anything that needs to hold structure.
• Acrylic and blends: practical, washable and economical, which makes them the standard for blankets and children's knits.
• Mohair and silk blends: light, hazy and often held together with another yarn to add halo rather than used alone.
• Superwash wool: wool treated to survive a machine wool cycle, and the usual compromise for baby garments.

Matching yarn to pattern

Substituting is straightforward if you are methodical. Compare the tension on the ball band with the tension in the pattern; if they match, you are close. Then check yardage per ball rather than weight, since two 100g balls of DK can differ by fifty metres or more. Finally, think about behaviour: swapping a wool for a cotton at the same weight will give you the right size but a different drape, and swapping a smooth yarn for a fluffy one will blur any cable or lace detail you were hoping to show off. Always swatch before committing to a garment quantity.

How much to buy

Work to the total yardage in your pattern, not the ball count, and buy all of a colour in one dye lot to avoid a visible shift halfway up a sleeve. For garments, add a spare ball; sleeves and hems are where people run short, and matching a dye lot later is rarely possible. Rough guides while you plan: an adult hat needs 100 to 200 metres, a scarf 300 to 500, a child's jumper 500 to 900, an adult jumper 900 to 1,800, and a lap blanket 1,500 upwards. Keep one ball band per project for the care instructions.

Needle and hook sizes to match

The ball band gives a recommended size and it is a sensible starting point rather than a rule. As a general guide, 4 ply pairs with 3.25mm to 3.75mm, DK with 4mm, aran with 5mm, chunky with 6mm to 7mm and super chunky with 8mm and above. Crocheters often work half a size larger than the band suggests to soften the fabric. If your swatch is too big, go down a size; too small, go up. Change the tool, never your natural tension.

Care, storage and using your stash

Photograph the ball band before you throw it away, or tuck it into a project bag, because it holds the washing symbols you will want later. Store yarn out of direct sunlight and away from damp, and keep wool in sealed bags or boxes with cedar to deter moths. If you are shopping your own stash, filter patterns by yarn weight and you will see everything you can cast on today. Browse by weight or fibre to narrow things down.

Where people usually start

If you have no pattern in mind and just want somewhere sensible to begin, four ranges cover most projects. Paintbox Yarns is our own line and the cheapest way to get a wide colour palette in a DK or aran weight, which is why it turns up in so many blanket and amigurumi projects. Stylecraft and King Cole are the reliable British workhorses for machine-washable acrylic and blends, the kind you buy ten balls of without thinking twice. Cascade sits a step up, with the merino and wool ranges people reach for when they are knitting a garment they want to keep. And if you want the colour work done for you, self-striping yarn changes shade as you knit, so a plain sock or hat comes out striped with no ends to sew in.

Yarn questions

Can I use crochet yarn for knitting? Yes. The same yarns work for both crafts; it is the weight and the tension you achieve that matter, not the label.

What's a safe all-rounder? A machine-washable DK. It suits garments, blankets and accessories, and most patterns are written for it.

Is wool the same as yarn? In Britain, most people say wool for any yarn, but technically, wool is a fibre from sheep, while yarn covers everything including cotton and acrylic.

What does dye lot mean? It identifies a single batch of dyeing. Balls from different lots can vary subtly in shade, which shows up badly across a large piece.

How do I know if a yarn will be itchy? Check the fibre and the micron count where given. Fine merino, alpaca and cotton sit comfortably next to skin, while coarser wools are better for outerwear and homewares.