Yarn weight describes the thickness of a yarn and determines what needle size and gauge you can expect. Here you'll find all 9 categories according to the international CYC standard (Craft Yarn Council) – from ultra-fine lace yarn to thick jumbo yarn.
| CYC | Name (EN) | Needle Size | Gauge (sts/10cm) | Run Length (m/50g) | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Lace | 1.5-2.5mm | 33-44 | 400-600 | Lace, doilies |
| 1 | Fingering / Sock | 2-3mm | 27-32 | 200-220 | Socks, shawls |
| 2 | Sport | 2.5-3.5mm | 24-26 | 160-200 | Baby items, light garments |
| 3 | DK / Light Worsted | 3.5-4.5mm | 21-23 | 120-150 | Sweaters, scarves |
| 4 | Worsted / Aran | 4-5mm | 18-20 | 80-120 | Sweaters, blankets |
| 5 | Bulky | 5-6.5mm | 12-15 | 50-80 | Warm sweaters, hats |
| 6 | Super Bulky | 7-9mm | 7-11 | 30-50 | Quick projects, scarves |
| 7 | Jumbo | 9-25mm | 1-6 | <30 | Arm knitting, blankets |
Yarn weight describes the thickness of a yarn. It is internationally categorized from 0 (Lace) to 7 (Jumbo). The higher the number, the thicker the yarn. Yarn weight determines what needle size and gauge you need.
Follow your knitting pattern: it will specify the recommended yarn weight. Alternatively, you can enter a yarn on Maschenhub and find matching alternatives with similar gauge and run length.
In principle yes, but it requires experience. Knitting two yarns of different weights together creates a new effective yarn weight. Pay attention to the resulting gauge and adjust your needle size accordingly.
Yes, very! Yarn weight determines gauge and thus the size of your finished piece. Our similarity score weighs gauge at 45% because it is so crucial. Replacing a DK yarn with a Bulky yarn would result in a significantly larger finished piece.
The yarn weight is usually shown as a CYC symbol (a skein with number 0-7) on the label. Alternatively, you can derive it from the run length (meters per 50g) – our yarn finder calculates this automatically.