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HOWEVER. There is a way to tell just what yarn you're looking at. And it's actually pretty easy! All you need is a pencil (or something similar in shape), a ruler and your yarn. That's it! So buckle up, and let's get on with some good old detective work!
Help... I've lost my yarn's belly band! What weight is my yarn?
Whip out your supplies.
Ok so firstly, you'll need your yarn, a ruler and an object such as a pencil or pen. You're going to be wrapping the yarn around this, so it needs to be circular. I would also HIGHLY recommend some yarn swatch cards. These are cards that you can attach a piece of scrap yarn to and write the details on, so that you can remember in the future.
I've added some printable ones here on my Etsy page. The set has two different designs; one with all the yarn details (to add from the belly band) and a blank one for just the weight. All you need to do is print them on card, cut them out, hole punch the circle and attach the yarn. If you're printing on paper, you can always glue them to card to make them more sturdy! Don't forget, if you sign up to my email list, you'll get a code for 20% off the entire shop!
Begin to measure.
So, what you want to do, is wrap the yarn around your knitting needle/pen about 20 times. I've stuck the end of the yarn down with some tape to hold it in place. It doesn't need to be exact, but don't do it too tight! Once you've done that, take your ruler and place it on a bit of paper and put your yarn wrapped needle above it. Now, mark out 1 inch and count how many times the yarn is wrapped around the pencil in that inch. I've pushed the remaining wraps to the side so it's easier to count.
Here's some photos to explain:
Count the number of wraps within the inch. Move the wraps after 1 inch to the side so it's easier to count. Write that number down, as we're going to be using it in the next part. Mine is 11.
Match the number to the chart.
Ok so you have your number of wraps per inch (WPI). Now all you need to do is have a look at the chart below to see what that measures up to! I've included UK, US and Australian conversions just to make things a little easier and so you can refer back to it at a later date.
And there you have it! It's such a simple way to work out what yarn you've got your hands on when you simply don't know! Obviously, this won't tell you the brand, fibre or colour, but most of the time, that's not really a problem. You can grab the yarn card printable here to remind you what weight your yarns are and finally, don't forget to pin this for later!
Happy Making,
Happy Making,
