# Question about yarn size



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Ive got a project coming up that uses mainly #10 size needles. The yarn that has caught my eye is a fingering yarn, what do you think that will look like on #10 needles?
I dont care if it self stripes so much, I just dont want a obvious jagged line that goes up or down( I hope that description makes sense) 
TIA


Yarn I want to use


> Weight: Fingering Weight
> Knitting Gauge: 7 - 8 sts = 1" on #1 - 3 needles (2.25mm-3.25mm)












jagged stripes in some of the lines in this pic


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

The other part of the equation would be to tell us what the pattern is that you want to use this yarn for. 

Fingering yarn on size 10 needles will make a very open fabric.
Great for a lace shawl, but probably not so much for socks or mittens.

What do you have in mind?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Also if you are knitting a specific thing where gage is important. You can knit with whatever you want as long as you can knit to gage. But it may come out looking funky.

Gotta know what your project is.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Oh WIHH you are funny!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Just strand three of those fingering weights together and use those little bitty #10s.

It will turn out just fine. :thumb:


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

It is a Lace Wrap Cardigan Knit Pattern









I admit I cant do gauge. Ive tried to learn it just doesnt make sense to me.

Im going to be spending today getting tutorials and vids off the netin order to try to learn. Even my sweater Im doing now is a bit of a guess in places.

I seem to have my best luck with j.ust knitting a small swatch, and then sticking a ruler on it and counting how many stitches are in an inch..er, um kinda.:hysterical:

Forerunner, you crack me up, in a good way :grin: Im going to order 17's today if they have them in!


What is color pooling?


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

These are better pics. I could do the body in a solid color and save the multi color stuff for the edgeing too


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

My goodness, Pearl B. ...... I would positively _freeze_ in one of those things.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

That is gorgeous ! 
An easy way to knit and change/check your gauge .... when you do your swatch, instead of binding off, keep going but CHANGE NEEDLE SIZES !! Start with say a size 3 needle, the switch to a size 6 , then keep going and use the size 10 needles ...... you'll be able to measure the same way way on each swatch , each with it's own gauge ! Sometimes making a larger swatch when doing this is helpful too ....


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Forerunner, you could just take the pattern as a guideline, and make one of your masterpieces!!! That would look so good!
You come up with some of the most awesome color combos Ive ever seen.:bow:

Its perfect for out here in the desert, during the day.

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Miz Mary, Thank you. I will definitely give that a try!! Im going to spend most of the next few days going over tutorials and doing practice swatches.

Im kinda leaning towards doing a solid color for the body, and the multi-color for the lace.

I really like this color, I think it would be too much though.








I can get that in fingering or worsted.

I got the pattern from Annies 
It is only $7.99

Dramatic Lace Top-Down Wrap Cardigan - Sweater Knitting Pattern

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They have a (I think) really nice crochet one too.










Easy Boat-Neck Tunic Pattern Pack - Crochet Top Pattern


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I think, if I tried to put frills in anything I made, my fingers would fall off. :bored:

Must be a testoterone thing.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Pearl B In the pattern they should give you the guide for the gauge swatch. It will most likely say something along the lines of; knit over one repeat of lace pattern to the gauge of........ using size ??? needles.

But I think something like that sweater (which is beautiful) would be very difficult to fudge.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> so...why do you want to use size #10 needles when the yarn calls for #1-#3 needles!?!??!?!!?
> 
> thats entirely bonkers, right?


Thats what I wanted to know. I could go with a thicker yarn.
I did a sweater shirt in chroma fingering with size #6 needles.
I think it came out alright. Ive got an extra ball I should tryout.











Marchwind, this is the only gauge instructions I can find. All the lace stuff is in chart form.
16sts=4" and 22 rows = 4" in St st.

The site it came from is sweaterbabe.com I went to the site and they have a ravelry page for it.
Ravelry: #112 Dramatic Lace Top-Down Wrap Cardigan pattern by SweaterBabe

I guess its a pretty popular download.
Anyways, one lady did it in fingering on size 5 needles. She just followed all the instructions for XL size.

On the ravelry page, there were quite a few people making it on size 6 and 8 needles.

Ive got some fingering laying around, Im going to do some test swatches. I just like the size and feel of the smaller yarn, plus I suspect it wont be as heavy or hot as a thicker worsted. In the desert we get a lot of days when I just want something light to take the chill off.

I meant to do that today and wound up sleeping all day. Its our humid time of year. Im glad I asked before ordering a bunch of yarn.

Thank you everyone!


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Okay, PearlB ... you HAVE TO FIGURE OUT GAUGE.

It's not hard. Honest.

The pattern calls for your stockinette to work out to 16 stitches being 4" wide, and 22 rows being 4" tall.

Get the needles you plan to use (the ones they recommend, actually, or no more than one size larger or smaller) and the yarn you want to use. Cast on 50 stitches and knit three rows in garter stitch. Now keep knitting, keeping the outside four stitches on each side always in knit, and working the ones in between in stockinette - you'll make a chunk of fabric with garter stitch edges (so it doesn't roll). When you have knit about 5" of this, lay it down and smooth it out. DO NOT stretch the stitches out. 

Get a ruler and lay it on the middle of the stockinette square. Count how many stitches fit in a space four inches wide. Turn it, and count how many rows fit in a space four inches wide. That's the gauge you are GETTING.

If you have more stitches than 16 per four inches, your stitches are smaller than they need to be for the pattern to work out. You need to make bigger stitches - if it is only off by one or two stitches, try a slightly larger needle. If it is off by more than one or two stitches, you'll need to rethink your yarn choice as well as what you have will be too skinny. If there aren't ENOUGH stitches, then you have the reverse problem - you need smaller stitches, so more will fit in 4", so you need either smaller yarn or smaller needles or both.

It is *not* hard and it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL if you want to know how things are gonna look before you knit for hours and hours and hours! 

I understand wanting it lighter, but you'll not be able to follow the pattern unless you use a yarn about the same weight. Maybe a cotton or linen blend would be better - light, breathable, but about the same size. Or try your laceweight yarn, but held double. 

The larger size will help somewhat, that's true - but you'll need to do some math to know for sure. If you knit your swatch in the needles and yarn you want (light yarn, small needles) and then measure, you can see how different it is from what they recommend. So, if they ask for 16 st/4" and you are getting 22 st/4" then you are using about 35% more stitches to get a 4" piece of fabric. If the XL size calls for about 35% more stitches than the size you would actually wear, then you are probably going to be in the ballpark. This particular sweater has loose enough fitting you could get away with some fudging one way or the other, but that's a way to see just HOW much bigger you'd need to go to get it to fit you.

Make sense?


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

frazzlehead said:


> Okay, PearlB ... you HAVE TO FIGURE OUT GAUGE.
> 
> It's not hard. Honest.
> 
> ...


Yes!! and & Thankyou!! There is a page on ravelry about this project, and it has about 3-4 pages in it of comments, and needles and yarns used by all the people. Most all of them say its a pretty easy knit once you get used to the pattern.

You answered what I was wondering.For this one, Im thinking of going with the heavier yarn. And maybe the lightweight stuff for the lacing.

What usually throws me is when they ask for width. I can get length and height, Im just not sure how to calculate width.

This weekend Im just going to concentrate on gauge and blocking, and finish up a few projects.

Thank you, it does make sense, and it gives me a good starting point to work with!!!

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Forerunner, your fingers wont fall off,:hysterical: and it might give you more design options to work with!!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

My sad experience is multi-shade yarns "blanking out" stitch patterns like this lace leaf. :indif: Sometimes all you will see is the color pattern of the yarn, not cables & lace patterns.

If you can get yourself in front of needles of all sizes, you'll see how similar the small sizes are to each other, when you get up above 6 they really seem to jump. My old home ec books have shocking terms for thin threads loosely woven - flimsy, and worst of all, sleazy. I would worry about fingering weight breaking in a loose knit for a garment.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

RedDirt Cowgirl said:


> My sad experience is multi-shade yarns "blanking out" stitch patterns like this lace leaf. :indif: Sometimes all you will see is the color pattern of the yarn, not cables & lace patterns.
> 
> If you can get yourself in front of needles of all sizes, you'll see how similar the small sizes are to each other, when you get up above 6 they really seem to jump. My old home ec books have shocking terms for thin threads loosely woven - flimsy, and worst of all, sleazy. I would worry about fingering weight breaking in a loose knit for a garment.


Ive been rethinking using all multi color for that reason. I wondered if the pattern of the garment would be less visible. Its got its own following on Ravelry and in 4-5 pages of pics, I didnt see one done in a multi-color.

Maybe I could do the body in a multi, and the lace in a solid.

I think I will go with a heavier worsted as well. I simply dont have enough experience to use that small of a yarn on that large of a needle.

Thanks


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

I have decided, the body is going to be in Chroma worsted
Content: 70% Wool, 30% Nylon
Weight: Worsted
Knitting Gauge: 4.5 - 5 sts = 1" on #6 - 9 needles (4.0mm-5.5mm)


















The lace edging will likely be done in cotton, peaches and creme white.
Though lots of choices with Chroma as the background color.

Knit picks had some other yarn on sale I wanted to get so I was kinda in a hurry to order. I know its hand wash, I just love the colors in Chroma.
Ive only had fingering in Chroma, Im looking forward to working with the worsted.


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