Are you new in the knitting scene and unfamiliar with some of the fundamental elements of knitting? Or maybe you just never deemed it necessary familiarizing yourself with the knitting jargon. You may find yourself looking up words on the internet like Aran weight yarn, worsted weight yarn, sport weight yarn and so on. It may seem a little confusing to a beginner or someone who’s unfamiliar to these types of fibers, but fear not – we’ve got you covered with all you need to know.
What is Aran weight yarn?
Let’s start off with some basics, Aran weight yarn can be made from a variety of fibers and is often termed as ‘medium yarn’, referring to the yarn weight. It is in fact, a bit heavier than worsted weight yarn, and is a good choice of yarn if you need a stronger, heavy weight yarn that still looks soft and delicate. Aran yarn is sometimes referred to as “heavy worsted”, as they are believed to be very similar – almost interchangeable. However that is not entirely true as according to yarn weight charts, Aran yarn weighs slightly more than worsted yarn.
What is worsted weight yarn?
Yarn weights can vary from one end of the weight spectrum, to the other, ranging from yarns as light and delicate as lace weight yarns, to yarns as heavy as jumbo yarns, with so many yarn types in between, worsted weight yarn happens to be the most popular for knitting and crocheting, and right in the middle of this spectrum of yarn weights. Worsted weight yarn is the most versatile yarn weight of all the yarns out there, and thus is used for knitting just about anything from fluffy sweaters, to warm beautiful scarves.
What is sport weight yarn?
Sport weight yarns come in a variety of beautiful colours for you to pick from, from deep blues and purples to beautiful pastels. In terms of yarn weights, sport weight yarn is referred to as 5 ply, as it lies in between a dk weight yarn and a 4ply, being thicker than the latter and a bit thinner than dk weight yarn. If you’re thinking of knitting up some cozy scarves for you to hide in, fluffy sweaters to fight the cold in, and fuzzy socks to keep your toes warm in the winter, sport weight yarn would be a good choice.
