Yarns

The variety of yarns on the market today is astounding.

They can be made from the fibers of natural substances such as plants (bamboo, cotton, linen, soy, hemp) and animals (fur, wool) and insects (silk), according to Wikipedia

They are also made from synthetic materials such as acrylic, nylon and polyester.

Modern skeins often consist of a blend of natural and synthetic fibers in different proportions to take advantage of the most desirable attributes of each.

They come in different weights, ounces in the U.S. and grams in Europe, and are sold in skeins or balls. To confuse things, the different thicknesses are also called weights. Subjective names, for example “worsted weight, ” “lace weight,” and “aran weight,” give an approximate idea of thickness.

A more accurate measure of thickness is wraps per inch where a strand of yarn is wrapped around a ruler for one inch and the number of wraps is counted.

The label on a skein may suggest a certain size knitting needle or crochet hook so that you can arrive at the number of stitches or rows you’ll make in an inch or centimeter. This is called the gauge or tension.

Since people differ in how tightly they knit or crochet, Jo feels it’s better to make a sample swatch of the pattern with the yarn and needles or hook you plan on using.

Once you know how many stitches and rows you knit or crochet per inch for the fibers you're going to use, you may need to adjust the number of stitches the pattern recommends.

For best results, be sure to adhere to any sequences used in a pattern. For example, groups of 3 or 5 or simply an odd or even number of stitches. Work it out on paper and rewrite the pattern before you start.