Knitting Beginner Yarn Guide

I remember the first time i walked into a knitting shop. At the time I figured all I really needed was a couple of needles and some yarn. Boy was I wrong. Words cannot even express how overwhelmed I felt by the myriad of yarn options that lay before me.

Yarn Basics

Yarns are classified by their weight, which has nothing to do with how heavy the yarn is but rather how thick it is. The weight is classified by numbers ranging from 0 (lace, fingering) to 6 (super bulky). It is then classified according to what it is made of.

Beginners

Beginners are advised to start with a bulky kind of yarn in order to practice and progress quickly. However, they can also pick a small project and use a medium weight yarn.

Yarn Fibers

Below you will find a list of some of the most common types of yarn.

Alpaca: A lovely fiber that is kind of expensive, this is a wonderful wool substitute for those who are allergic.

Angora: Comes from the Angora Rabbit. Although this yarn is beautiful, it tends to break quite easily. As a result, you will usually find angora mixed with other fibers.

Bamboo: Bamboo fiber is made of a rayon, a semi-synthetic fiber derived from bamboo pulp. It is generally lightweight and very breathable.

Cashmere: Cashmere comes from the undercoat of the Pashim goat. The climate and diet highly affect the quality of the fiber.

Cotton: Perhaps the most common kind of fiber, cotton is inexpensive, durable, and breathable.

Linen: Linen is made form flax. It is a cool and solid fiber ideally used for summer garments.

For more information on yarn and knitting visit Knitting Brain.

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Knitting Brain