Holding two strands of yarn together can make some beautiful projects. I came across several blogs and lovely patterns on Ravelry which show some spectacular outcomes of holding two yarns of the same weight together.
I’ve got it in my head to do a gradient sweater with a set of Miss Babs Fingering Weight yarn and I’m not too keen on knitting it at a fingering weight. I once knit a sport weight and it took me over a year to complete it (of course not knitting monogamously). And yet, patterns like the Happily Sweater by Katy Banks, the Progressive Pullover by Faina Goberstein and the Gradient Pullover by Amy Miller are calling my name!
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I’ve been looking for a key to holding two strands together and couldn’t find a definitive source. This won’t be one either, as this is not an exact science. But after researching and testing I came up with what you could use as a good rule of thumb. After that, swatching should get you the rest of the way.
First to the Craft Yarn Council to get the “standard weight” categories, including a “new” knitted yarn weight called Jumbo—which I often get by hold three worsted weight strands together. The table below is a modified version of what you’ll find at their site. I encourage you to look there for the full table.
Category | Fingering 10-count thread | Sock, Fingering, Baby | Sport, Baby | DK, Light Worsted | Worsted, Afghan, Aran | Chunky, Craft, Rug | Super Bulky, Roving | Jumbo, Roving |
Gauge Range Over 4” | 33–40 stitches | 27–32 stitches | 23–26 stitches | 21–24 stitches | 16–20 stitches | 12–15 stitches | 7–11 stitches | 6 stitches or less |
In general, from standard yarn sources (e.g., Quince and Co, Lion Brand or Cascade Yarns, in general I find the following is true:
- 2 strands of thread weight = Lace weight to fingering
- 2 strands of lace weight = fingering to sock to sport weight
- 2 strands of sock = sport weight to DK
- 2 strands of sport = DK or light worsted
- 2 strands of DK = Worsted or Aran
- 2 strands of Worsted = Chunky
- 2 strands of Aran = Chunky to Super Bulky
- 2 strands of Chunky = Super bulky to Jumbo
Always check your gauge, since your mileage may vary. I’m selfishly sharing so I could put the list in a place I could find it. 😊
Maybe next time I’ll do some tests with mixed weights, since I do an awful lot of those combinations too. And after that maybe three strands.
Like so much with knitting, the possibilities are endless!
