I Loved this excellent presentation….a Master Instructor 101 Course for here in the States…..I will be sending this on to my two newbies….I too appreciate the reminders about weight and ply……makes me CRAZY at times……A+
I really could have boiled that whole section down to "yarn weights are gibberish but at least there's not many to learn", haha! The UK "ply" ones used to make sense, but now they've just stuck around because tradition. In fact, I believe Australia goes with plys as well so it's not just us!
Thanks for the video! Maybe it will inspire me to get back to my crochet. I took a break because of pain in my hand that holds the yarn. I was already having a bit of a problem with it and between a long crochet session and the song I was trying to learn on the piano my hand said enough. Not to mention its the hand that holds the q snap when I'm stitching. I've noticed that with the bulky and super bulky yarns they could have the same weight number but one could look thicker than a different brand. Take care
Yeah there's definitely a lot of variation within a given weight, you'll often see comments on places like Ravelry along the lines of "this says it's an Aran bit feels more like a DK" etc. And colour can actually make a difference too, light coloured yarns are often slightly thinner because less dye! This is why gauge is really the most important thing. Hand pain holding back your crafting aspirations is so annoying, definitely been there too. I hope it sorts itself out and you find a way to do all the things more comfortably soon ♥️
Me, still a beginner: Absolutely, lighter yarn makes stitches so much easier to see! Also me: *buys chunky black yarn* 😅 Thank you for explaining yarn weights too - I have also spent far too much time staring at labels losing my mind!
Haha, I jumped in with a "worsted" weight jumper pattern as my first ever project, but accidentally bought chunky yarn instead and just sort of figured things out somehow. Definitely a "do as I say, not as I do" situation with keeping it simple to start! Weights can be so confusing! Nowhere tells you "oh by the way this is a USA word and you might not see it in your shops" or vice versa, and then some weights don't even have a proper equivalent in other countries, and ugh. Luckily there's not too many of them commonly used so you get used to it pretty quick, but it is an extra layer of "what?!" as a beginner😅
So helpful! I've not yet made anything that requires gauging &, I can't lie, doing so intimidates me a bit. I feel like I'll keep trying & getting it wrong, then just giving up. I know, I know... I won't know till I try. I will! Eventually. 😅
Good projects to start with are things like scarves and shawls, blankets and pillows - where if you're +/- an inch or two, it's no big deal! If it helps the anxiety, there are plenty of gauge calculators online - you plug in what the pattern gauge calls for, vs what your actual gauge is, and it'll suggest changes (more or fewer stitches, usually).
Thank you so much for your video ❤ I was surprised that for different yarn sizes there are special names, maybe in my country we have such words also 🤔
It would probably be a lot simpler (if a bit more boring) if we just called them size 1, size 2 etc. But then you'd have to get every country to do it the same, or we'd be back in the exact same mess 😭
@TheGiddyStitcher They sort of did that with the Size 1-5 (or 6) "International" designations. But indie spinners & small-batch boutique yarns don't really have tight enough QA to hit those targets. And many yarns change weight slightly in response to stuff like humidity, dye sizing, and even storage-under-tension (hence why the pricey yarns are sold as loose hanks). I think marketing plays a role too. Feel like a lot of yarns got reclassified as sock/fingering when the sock & shawl craze hit, even stuff that was clearly either laceweight or DK-worsted. These days, I only go by yardage per-weight (for the content) and ignore the official weight rating.
@@mandisawThat’s an interesting idea to work out a yardage/weight ratio guide. It’s helped something click into place for me about making sense of plys, so thanks 😊
@IndigoSew Sure! I find it's especially helpful when comparing yarns to substitute or use together in a project. Just keep in mind that content affects weight - plant yarns are heavier than animal yarns (incl silk), which are heavier than synthetics.
Yay! Slowpoke. Such a good one-stop-shop for yarn basics! Thanks Michelle 😊 I'm newish to crochet still and didn't realise you could put 2 strands of yarn together! Is that mainly a knitting thing? I feel like I'd constantly split them apart with my crochet hook!!
Nope you can totally crochet like that too! Just takes a bit of getting used to. It's useful for the yarn weight trick in cases like my chicken project, but also sometimes people just like to combine two (or even more!) colours or fibres for a cool effect. I actually thought the same (that it would be tricksy and splitty) before doing it the first time, but got the hang of it straight away. YMMV though 😅
Usually helps if you wind a ball with the two yarns together first, so you can just work them as a single "strand". For knitting or crochet, you might want to go with a hook (or needles) with a less-pointy tip than usual. I like the wide-flat Susan Bates-style (inline) hooks, and those do quite well with 2, even 3 strands. The pointy Boye-style (tapered?) hooks might still be okay, but you'd want to experiment, maybe go up a hook size.
Oh, thanks both for the extra info and tips! I actually use Susan Bates crochet hooks so will have a little play around... might be a good way to use up some stash yarn of mine!
Tip: if ur unfamiliar bout ur chosen yarn… will itch on ur skin or not ! Hold it against ur neck the skin on ur neck is more sensitive than ur hands and ull feel the difference right away
Did I know all of this already?
Yes
Did I watch and comment anyways? Obviously!!
A very good guide for beginners, very well presented!
My yarn videos get basically no views, so every one counts. Much appreciated! 😅
Me Too!!! I love the way Melissa presents stuff!!
I love this explanation as a very beginner knitter and maybe eventually crocheter too! Thank you!
Yay, really glad it's helpful! And of course, you must join us in crochet one day :D
I Loved this excellent presentation….a Master Instructor 101 Course for here in the States…..I will be sending this on to my two newbies….I too appreciate the reminders about weight and ply……makes me CRAZY at times……A+
I really could have boiled that whole section down to "yarn weights are gibberish but at least there's not many to learn", haha!
The UK "ply" ones used to make sense, but now they've just stuck around because tradition. In fact, I believe Australia goes with plys as well so it's not just us!
Thank you for your fantastic content! 🎉
Thanks for the video! Maybe it will inspire me to get back to my crochet. I took a break because of pain in my hand that holds the yarn. I was already having a bit of a problem with it and between a long crochet session and the song I was trying to learn on the piano my hand said enough. Not to mention its the hand that holds the q snap when I'm stitching. I've noticed that with the bulky and super bulky yarns they could have the same weight number but one could look thicker than a different brand. Take care
Yeah there's definitely a lot of variation within a given weight, you'll often see comments on places like Ravelry along the lines of "this says it's an Aran bit feels more like a DK" etc. And colour can actually make a difference too, light coloured yarns are often slightly thinner because less dye! This is why gauge is really the most important thing.
Hand pain holding back your crafting aspirations is so annoying, definitely been there too. I hope it sorts itself out and you find a way to do all the things more comfortably soon ♥️
❤ love this video
Me, still a beginner: Absolutely, lighter yarn makes stitches so much easier to see!
Also me: *buys chunky black yarn* 😅
Thank you for explaining yarn weights too - I have also spent far too much time staring at labels losing my mind!
Haha, I jumped in with a "worsted" weight jumper pattern as my first ever project, but accidentally bought chunky yarn instead and just sort of figured things out somehow. Definitely a "do as I say, not as I do" situation with keeping it simple to start!
Weights can be so confusing! Nowhere tells you "oh by the way this is a USA word and you might not see it in your shops" or vice versa, and then some weights don't even have a proper equivalent in other countries, and ugh. Luckily there's not too many of them commonly used so you get used to it pretty quick, but it is an extra layer of "what?!" as a beginner😅
Also stuff i knew but still here to listen. Also, also, also i just got the first of 3 Terry Pratchett kits from lindisfarne (that i want anyway)
Ooh nice! Which one(s) did you go for?
@@TheGiddyStitcher initially I've got the witches, but I'll also be getting death and susan
So helpful! I've not yet made anything that requires gauging &, I can't lie, doing so intimidates me a bit. I feel like I'll keep trying & getting it wrong, then just giving up. I know, I know... I won't know till I try. I will! Eventually. 😅
Good projects to start with are things like scarves and shawls, blankets and pillows - where if you're +/- an inch or two, it's no big deal! If it helps the anxiety, there are plenty of gauge calculators online - you plug in what the pattern gauge calls for, vs what your actual gauge is, and it'll suggest changes (more or fewer stitches, usually).
Thank you so much for your video ❤
I was surprised that for different yarn sizes there are special names, maybe in my country we have such words also 🤔
It would probably be a lot simpler (if a bit more boring) if we just called them size 1, size 2 etc. But then you'd have to get every country to do it the same, or we'd be back in the exact same mess 😭
@TheGiddyStitcher They sort of did that with the Size 1-5 (or 6) "International" designations. But indie spinners & small-batch boutique yarns don't really have tight enough QA to hit those targets. And many yarns change weight slightly in response to stuff like humidity, dye sizing, and even storage-under-tension (hence why the pricey yarns are sold as loose hanks).
I think marketing plays a role too. Feel like a lot of yarns got reclassified as sock/fingering when the sock & shawl craze hit, even stuff that was clearly either laceweight or DK-worsted. These days, I only go by yardage per-weight (for the content) and ignore the official weight rating.
@@mandisawThat’s an interesting idea to work out a yardage/weight ratio guide. It’s helped something click into place for me about making sense of plys, so thanks 😊
@IndigoSew Sure! I find it's especially helpful when comparing yarns to substitute or use together in a project. Just keep in mind that content affects weight - plant yarns are heavier than animal yarns (incl silk), which are heavier than synthetics.
Yay! Slowpoke. Such a good one-stop-shop for yarn basics! Thanks Michelle 😊
I'm newish to crochet still and didn't realise you could put 2 strands of yarn together! Is that mainly a knitting thing? I feel like I'd constantly split them apart with my crochet hook!!
Nope you can totally crochet like that too! Just takes a bit of getting used to. It's useful for the yarn weight trick in cases like my chicken project, but also sometimes people just like to combine two (or even more!) colours or fibres for a cool effect.
I actually thought the same (that it would be tricksy and splitty) before doing it the first time, but got the hang of it straight away. YMMV though 😅
Usually helps if you wind a ball with the two yarns together first, so you can just work them as a single "strand". For knitting or crochet, you might want to go with a hook (or needles) with a less-pointy tip than usual. I like the wide-flat Susan Bates-style (inline) hooks, and those do quite well with 2, even 3 strands. The pointy Boye-style (tapered?) hooks might still be okay, but you'd want to experiment, maybe go up a hook size.
Oh, thanks both for the extra info and tips! I actually use Susan Bates crochet hooks so will have a little play around... might be a good way to use up some stash yarn of mine!
Yeeeeees
Haha, I'm glad you're excited!
Tip: if ur unfamiliar bout ur chosen yarn… will itch on ur skin or not ! Hold it against ur neck the skin on ur neck is more sensitive than ur hands and ull feel the difference right away