Learning to Knit: Basics 1 (Reading a Yarn Label)

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Learning to Knit: Basics 1 (Reading a Yarn Label)

Posted on November 22, 2009 at 10:40 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Labels,Learning to Knit,Yarn

Now that you know more about yarn itself, I will teach you how to read a yarn label. Yarn labels can look very different, but they all have pretty much the same basic information even if from a different country.

*Remember to always keep your label until you write it down or otherwise! If you run out of yarn for a project, someone wants to know what yarn you used, or you, yourself wants to use the same yarn having the label really helps.*

To keep track of your labels have a notebook or photo album with pictures of your project and either the label itself or the information on the label. Or you can set up an account with Ravelry where you are able to keep track of that information electronically.

First, there is the Manufacturer’s Name. This is what company makes the yarn.

Then there is the Brand Name. This is the brand that the yarn is called by the manufacturers.

Next is the Color Name/Number. This is the color name given to the yarn by the manufacturers. Sometimes, instead of a name it is given a number. When making a project make sure that if you want to use the same color that you have the color names or number match to avoid unintentional striping. (Farbe is sometimes used instead of the word “color”)

Then, there is the Dye-Lot Number. This is the group that the yarn was dyed in. You can have yarns that look as if they are the same color but if they were dyed in different batches their shade could be different thus unintentionally striping your work. When buying yarn for a project make sure that the dye-lots are the same to avoid this. (Partie is sometimes used instead of the word “dye-lot”)

Next is Fiber Content. This is what the yarn is made of. A lot of yarn is not made of one fiber. With the fiber content, you are given the percentage of each fiber that is used in the yarn. This can be really nice when making something for someone who may be allergic to a certain fiber. It is also useful when making a project that some fibers may work better for that particular project than others.

Next is the Yarn Size/Ply. This is the weight of the yarn. Remember from the previous post that weight doesn’t necessarily mean how much it weighs. It is the thickness of the yarn. With some yarns the weight is shown with a symbol instead of words. A list of what these symbols mean, can be found here. This is useful to know when picking out yarn for a project since certain projects will call for a certain weight. (For one of the yarn labels I cannot understand it since it is in German which is why I do not have a picture for this part.)

Then there is the Length. This is normally in yards or meters. It also can have the actual weight of the yarn (if put on a scale how much the yarn would weigh). When buying yarn for a project make sure you have enough to work with. Always check your pattern before buying your yarn to see how many yards or meters it needs so you can buy accordingly. Also, remember that there are 0.91 meters in a yard or 1.09 yards in a meter.

Next is Suggested Gauge. (I will go over how to check your gauge in a different post.) The gauge is how many stitches are required to make an inch with the needles the yarn is suggested to be used with. If the stitches you have in your swatch (Will be talked about in a different post) is different than that the label or pattern suggests, you would change your needles accordingly.

Finally, there are the Washing Instructions. These tell you how to care for your project depending on what yarn was used. When giving a knitted gift it is nice to have a tag with care instructions so that the person does not accidently ruin what you made them. Some labels have the instructions written out while others have symbols. You can see what all of the symbols mean here.