Measurements Used in the Yarn-Making Industry

Those who sew, crochet, knit, weave, and embroider as a pastime work with yarn. Yarn is simply a long continuous length of fibres that are interlocked. Craft yarns are commonly measured in weight, either by grams or ounces. They are also differentiated according to sizes. The most common ones include 25-gram, 50-gram, and 100-gram skeins. However, there are also companies that measure them in ounces, which may range from three- to eight-ounce skeins. When measuring the weight of the yarns, the material is placed in an environment with standard humidity and temperature since yarn can attract moisture from the air.

The length of a ball or skein of yarn depends on the fibre's natural weight and the strand's natural thickness. Meaning, a 50-gram skein mohair lace may contain 100 meters of material. But a skein of bulky wool of similar weight may only contain 60 meters of material.

Thickness of yarn is also measured in weight, not to be confused with the literal meaning of the term. The Craft Yarn Council of America is attempting to make weight a standard form of measuring yarn, 1 being the finest to 6 being the thickest. Determining the wraps-per-inch factor is a more precise measurement, and this is often used by weavers. The yarn is wrapped around a ruler, and then the number of wraps that fit one inch is counted.

Yarns are also measured by gauge, or tension in the U.K. This is a measurement of the number of stitches and rows that are produced on a 4-by-4 inch or 10-by-10 centimetre square on a specified knitting needle or crochet hook size.

As you can see, many units of yarn measurements have been used over time in the yarn-making industry.