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Introduction to Yarn Sizes - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. Yarn guage is very important to get the right size for a pattern, to make sure that something fits you well, and to make sure that you are pairing the right yarn with the right project. So, for thinner yarns: Thinner yarns, which are most likely between 26 and 30 stitches to four inches, and that is how we figure out gauge. Figuring out guage is making a four inch by four inch swatch, and measuring how many stitches fit inside those four inches. So something that gives you 26 to 30 stitches to the inch, which would be something looking like this very thin, you would use this for socks, for shawls, for finer-knit projects. You would not want to make a sweater out of something this fine, it would take you forever. So this is better for socks, shawls, smaller projects, and things that would really show off lace. So for a shawl, while it is a larger project, you would have lots of lacey holes and sort of effects in it that would show up really well in a thinner yarn. If you are moving towards yarn that requires anywhere from a size 7 to a size 9 needle, you would look for something like this. These would be good for mittens, for hats, and really for sweaters, skirts, things that are larger projects. Probably a blanket. Because this is sort of your middling weight, a lot of yarn comes in this weight. It is the worsted weight, and that is what you are going to see a lot of. A little bit larger than that - size 10 or 11 needle, about fifteen stitches to the inch, twelve stitches to the inch - these are great for blankets. They are also good for sweaters, hats, scarves. These are good yarns because they are thicker and so it is quick projects. You can get things done very quickly because they're on larger needles. Really bulky yarns: You can make a sweater out of these, I would not necessarily. It would be a very large, very heavy, very warm sweater. I would make probably a blanket out of this because you want a blanket to be large and warm. I would makes hats, I would make scarves; things that you do not mind being large because you are going to be using anywhere from a 15 to a 19 needle on this. It is about one to two stitches to the inch, so it is a very, very large yarn. There are a lot of different varieties of yarn. You have to make sure that you choose the right yarn for your project. You have to pay attention to guage. Every pattern has a guage written down. You have to make sure you get the right guage, otherwise your project is not going to fit you when you are done.