# Knitters: Implications of different yarn weights **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655 "2015-12-17T01:56:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/1 "2015-12-17T01:56:43Z")
So I’m finally just breaking down and making myself a Tom Baker Dr. Who scarf. I realize I’m 40 years out of date, but screw that. As the man himself once said, what’s the point in being a grownup if you can’t act childish? Here’s the original plan: _Using DK wool, cast 60 stitches on #9 needles._ Well, finding colors is a pain in the ass, and wool is spendy, so I’m using a synthetic instead. I found all the colors and quantities I want, but it’s worsted, not DK. Do I just suck it up and have a slightly heavier, less drapy scarf? Should I run with fewer stitches? Use bigger needles? Or am I just up my own butt? Kindly advise. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/2 "2015-12-17T02:01:12Z")
Before you start any knitting project, you should knit a swatch. Somewhere on the yarn band it will tell you how many stitches and rows make a 4"/10cm square. Knit that many, plus a few more. Compare it to the gauge on the pattern you intend to knit. Re-knit the swatch with different sized needles until you get gauge. Now, grasshopper, you may begin knitting the actual project. Fair warning: I have NEVER had success turning a DK project into a worsted project. I’ve gone the other direction a couple times, though. ---
**Author:** ![Napkin\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8dc957/32.png) [@Napkin\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napkin_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/3 "2015-12-17T02:15:57Z")
As Sattua said, guage swatching is key - _even if_ you are using the exact same needles and exact same yarn that the pattern calls for. Changing yarn weight can be a little frustrating to start with but generally speaking a bit of math (and hands-on swatch knitting) should see you right. The alternate way to do the math, given that you are doing a project with no shaping or pattern repeats\* is to take the yarn you are using, with the required needle size, and knit a swatch so you know how many stitches per inch your yarn will yield. So, if your swatch shows you that your worsted weight on size 8/5mm needles will give you 4 stitches per inch (or 16 stitches/4"), and you know you want your scarf to be 9 inches wide, then you need to cast on 36 stitches. **Changing gauge for a long rectangle is not too big a deal, tbh.** \*I’m currently knitting a heavily cabled piece and the yarn I’m using is several weights below what the pattern calls for. Adding pattern repeats was not too complicated but adjusting where the required shaping should fall was more difficult. And I have to knit an extra 100 or so stitches per row. It’s taking…some time. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/4 "2015-12-17T03:49:10Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Compare it to the gauge on the pattern you intend to knit. Hah! You assume I actually have a pattern! This is the entirety of my “pattern:” > **[BBC Instructions for Tom Baker 4th Doctor's Scarf by 93FangShadow on DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/93fangshadow/art/BBC-Instructions-for-Tom-Baker-4th-Doctor-s-Scarf-286826980)** So, no gauge except by Mark One Eyeball against [screenshots](http://pm1.narvii.com/5618/a4f9c2010adc6aa8836c149060f981e057928d5a_hq.jpg) and old [promo stills](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YzWgFRtd0u4/VAUpLx1UcJI/AAAAAAAAv-c/935MvbILTd8/s1600/tom%2Bbaker%2Bfourth%2B4th%2Bdoctor%2Bwho.jpg). The width is flexible, really. But am I at least right that the same number of stitches, on the same size needles, with a heavier wool will end up with stiffer, less drapy work? Or is that contingent on the type of yarn more than the weight? ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/5 "2015-12-17T03:53:54Z")
Ok, still thinking… Size 9 needles with DK gives us fairly loose stitching and a floppy, loose scarf, yah? ISTM it would make sense, if I wanted to have the same sort of look and feel with worsted, to use slightly larger needles, and adjust the width to where I want it. Does that even make sense? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/6 "2015-12-17T04:22:41Z")
Yes, that makes perfect sense. I like to knit infinity scarves out of all that 100% merino sock yarn that is 100% useless for actual socks (because they wear through like, the third time you wear them). The yarn is usually labeled for needle size 0-2, but I knit it with a 4. For drape. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/7 "2015-12-17T04:36:34Z")
I don’t knit but my GF does - it seems to me most every project begins with knitting several inches, evaluating, unraveling, repeating… (And of course a scarf is a much more forgiving project gauge-wise than, say, a sweater.) ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/8 "2015-12-17T04:58:35Z")
> [@Napkin\_Sandwich](#): > > \*I’m currently knitting a heavily cabled piece and the yarn I’m using is several weights below what the pattern calls for. Adding pattern repeats was not too complicated but adjusting where the required shaping should fall was more difficult. And I have to knit an extra 100 or so stitches per row. It’s taking…some time. I would think so. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![c\_carol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@c\_carol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_carol)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/9 "2015-12-17T16:03:54Z")
You might want to try [http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/](http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/). There’s also a “Dr. Who Scarf Support Group” on Ravelry that might be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knitters-implications-of-different-yarn-weights/740655/10 "2015-12-18T16:37:05Z")
> [@c\_carol](#): > > You might want to try [http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/](http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/). There’s also a “Dr. Who Scarf Support Group” on Ravelry that might be helpful. Thank you! (Although I gotta say, Ravelry intimidates me. :D)