Material guide
Understanding yarn weight and gauge
Use category and label data to shortlist yarn, then measure a washed swatch for the real project scale.
Category is a range
Weight-system names and symbol ranges help shortlist yarns; they do not make products interchangeable. Compare composition, construction, length per mass, stated gauge, tool range and care together.
Record before and after
Make a swatch large enough to measure away from edges. Mark a known span, count stitches and rows before washing, use the planned care routine, let it settle, then measure again without stretching.
Convert gauge into consequences
A small gauge change accumulates across a garment. Use the figure below to estimate stitch-count change at the planned width, then adjust tool, yarn or pattern only after checking fabric hand and row gauge too.
Try the numbers
What does washing change?
Enter stitch gauge before and after washing to see how the change accumulates across a planned width.
How it behaves
Starting point
Fibre, construction and twist can make yarns with similar category or put-up create different fabric.
Useful for
First yarn selection, substitutions and diagnosing why a finished measurement differs from the pattern.
Care
Keep the labelled care data with the swatch and base project calculations on the fully washed and rested measurement.
Sources and provenance
- Craft Yarn Council — standard yarn weight systemStandard or registry · Checked 27 Aug 2026
- Craft Yarn Council — yarn label informationStandard or registry · Checked 27 Aug 2026
220 Superwash
Cascade Yarns
A plied superwash wool yarn with 200 m per 100 g.
- Fibre
- 100% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 200 m / 100 g
- Gauge
- 21 Stitches / 10 cm
- Colour range
- 206 colours
Finull
Rauma Garn
A light, carded Norwegian wool yarn with an official gauge range of 24–26 stitches.
- Fibre
- 100% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 175 m / 50 g
- Gauge
- 25 Stitches / 10 cm
- Colour range
- 137 colours
Peer Gynt
Sandnes Garn
A traditional Norwegian wool yarn with elastic recovery and a 22-stitch gauge.
- Fibre
- 100% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 91 m / 50 g
- Gauge
- 22 Stitches / 10 cm
- Colour range
- Colour range being verified
Pure Wool Superwash Worsted
Rowan
A machine-washable wool yarn with balanced drape and clear stitch definition.
- Fibre
- 100% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 200 m / 100 g
- Gauge
- 20 Stitches × 25 Rows / 10 cm
- Colour range
- 24 colours
Rios
Malabrigo
A plied superwash merino yarn with 192 m per 100 g.
- Fibre
- 100% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 192 m / 100 g
- Gauge
- 20 Stitches / 10 cm
- Colour range
- 131 colours
Wool-Ease
Lion Brand
A washable worsted wool-acrylic blend with an 18-stitch gauge.
- Fibre
- 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
- Dimensions / put-up
- 180 m / 85 g
- Gauge
- 18 Stitches × 24 Rows / 10 cm
- Colour range
- 30 colours