DK Yarn

DK yarn: the weight that does almost everything

Double knitting, universally shortened to DK, is the most-used yarn weight in Britain and for good reason. It sits neatly between 4 ply and Aran, knitting most often on 4mm needles at roughly 22 stitches to 10cm, and crocheting well on a 4mm hook. That places it exactly where most garments want to be: warm enough for a jumper without turning it into a coat, fine enough to show a cable or a piece of stranded colourwork, and quick enough that a cardigan is a realistic project rather than a year's work. Elsewhere in the world you will see it called 8-ply (Australia and New Zealand) or light worsted (North America).

What DK is good for

• Jumpers and cardigans for adults and children, where you want definition and drape in the same fabric.
• Baby clothes: soft, quick, and easy to wash if you pick a superwash or acrylic blend.
• Blankets and throws, particularly granny squares and mitred squares, which look their best in DK.
• Hats, mittens, scarves and cowls, all of which come out of a ball or two.
• Amigurumi and toys, worked on a smaller hook or needle than the ball band suggests for a dense fabric.

Fibres and how they behave

Wool and wool blends are springy and warm, block beautifully and hold their shape, which makes them the first choice for a garment you want to keep for a decade. Merino is softer next to the skin; British wools are hardier and more rustic. Cotton and cotton blends have more drape and no memory, so they suit summer tops, baby garments and homeware, but a cotton cardigan will grow lengthways, so plan for it. Acrylic and easy-care blends are practical, affordable across a big blanket and survive the washing machine, which matters enormously for children's clothes. Alpaca is warm and drapey but heavy; silk and bamboo blends add sheen and slip. Many yarns combine several fibres precisely to balance these traits.

How much DK will I need?

Yardage always beats weight as a guide, since a 100g ball of DK might be 200m in wool and 300m in cotton. As rough planning figures: an adult jumper needs somewhere around 1,000-1,400m depending on size and length, a child's jumper 400-700m, a baby cardigan 200-350m, an adult hat 100-150m, a pair of mittens around 100m, and a decent lap blanket 1,200-1,800m. Crochet generally eats twenty to thirty per cent more yarn than knitting for the same garment. Whatever you buy, buy it all at once in the same dye lot, and add a ball for safety; a slightly different lot is invisible in the shop and painfully obvious across a sleeve.

Tension, needles and hooks

4mm is the standard starting point for knitting and crochet in DK, with 3.25mm or 3.5mm for ribbing and edgings, and 4.5mm if you knit tightly or want a looser, drapier fabric. Always work a tension square before a garment: 4mm is a starting suggestion, not a rule, and your hands are not the designer's hands. Wash and block the swatch before measuring, since many yarns bloom, relax or shrink slightly on first wetting. If you are substituting one DK for another, compare the stated tension on both ball bands, not just the weight label; the range within DK is wider than people expect.

Caring for DK makes

Check the ball band and keep it, or photograph it. Superwash wool and acrylic will generally take a 30 degree machine wash on a wool or delicate cycle in a mesh bag. Non-superwash wool wants hand washing in cool water with a wool detergent, no agitation and no wringing. Roll everything in a towel to blot out the water, then dry flat and reshape while damp. Store garments folded. When you have chosen your yarn, find a project in our DK knitting patterns, step up a weight to Aran and worsted yarn, or go finer with 4 ply knitting patterns.

Common questions

What needle size should I use for DK yarn? 4mm is the usual answer for both knitting and crochet, but follow the ball band and always swatch. Half a needle size can change a jumper by a whole dress size.

Is DK the same as double knit wool? Yes, the terms are interchangeable, and it is also sold as 8-ply or light worsted depending on the country of origin.

Can I hold two strands of 4 ply instead of DK? Roughly, yes, two strands of 4 ply held together approximate a DK to light Aran weight. Swatch to be sure.

How many balls for an adult jumper? Around 10-14 balls of 50g, or 5-7 of 100g, depending on the yardage per ball and the size you are making. Trust the pattern's stated quantity.

Where to go next

Lighter alternatives: sport weight yarn (5 ply) and 4 ply yarn. Heavier: aran and worsted weight yarn. North American patterns call DK light worsted and Australian ones 8 ply — our yarn weights guide lines the names up.