Types of Yarn Guide for 2022

Looking for the best yarn for knitting your various projects? I cover all the different types of yarn.

I’ve included pictures of them as well.

The yarn images featuring balls of yarn, along with skeins and hanks, give you some idea of the texture and quality.

Choosing yarn is such fun! The photos of yarn make you want to add more to your yarn stash!

Just looking at these yarn balls makes me want to knit!

I explain the yarn weights family categories and share the types of yarn for knitting with pictures.

With each, I explain what knitting projects best suit.

As always, if I forgot anything, please let me know down in the comments.

I would love you to share any tips you have about the fibers you love.🙂

In this post, I share the different types of yarn and yarn weights.

There are so many types of yarn, whether they’re from an animal or a plant.

The textures of each and how they knit up vary.

I often hear knitters say when they look at yarn and hold it, it speaks to them.

The yarn inspires project ideas and fires up the desire to get something knitted.

Enjoy getting to know some of these different types of fiber.

I updated this post on 20th of May 2022.

Table of Contents

Wonderful Fibers To Explore

Wool

My Recommendations

Wool yarn is great for winter garments. It’s warm, and it lasts a long time.

A popular natural yarn fiber out there in the craft world.

It’s itchy for some people if they have allergies to kinds of wool.

Wool is easily cleaned and keeps you warm even in the rain!

Types of Wool Yarn. There are four different types.

• Wool Type Fine
• Wool Type Medium
• Wool Type Long
• Wool Type Double – coated

Types of fine wool yarn such as merino which yarn fibers are soft. Wool’s warmth is a praised characteristic by knitters.

Pure new wool/virgin wool is made from animal fleece yarn fibers and not recycled from existing wool garments.

Shetland wool comes from the small and hardy native sheep of Scotland’s Shetland Islands.

Icelandic wool is a rustic, soft yarn ball. Washable wool is treated to destroy the outer fuzzy layer of fibers.

Ideal for: Winter and Summer. It’s great for making scarves, sweaters, gloves, hats, socks, other clothes, blankets, an excellent yarn for baby blankets, and an afghan.

Looking for the best sock yarn? Read more.

Fun Facts

• Wool has many great properties, but one of the best is it keeps you cool in even the hottest of climates.
• Every major league baseball contains wool grown at a small mill in Massachusetts.
• Wool yarn fibers has natural fire extinguishing properties, hence why it’s included in fire blankets. Other different types of yarn don’t have this property.

Learn About Types of Yarn

Cashmere

My Recommendations

Cashmere is one of the softest wool and yarn types around.

It comes from the Cashmere Goats and several other breeds of goats.

The word Cashmere comes from the old spelling of the old State of Kashmir in South Asia.

This luxury yarn is among the softest and woolliest on this list.

It makes a great Christmas gift for knitters if the receiver is someone special!

However, it’s not as strong as sheep fiber, and it’s also expensive.

Why?

Cashmere Goats shed their undercoat once a year.

The undercoat is closer to the skin and must be separated from the outer hair.

It comes from the animals’ mid-side and back, not their bellies.

Unlike sheep who are shorn, the goat’s undercoat is combed and collected, which is labor-intensive.

The yield of fiber from one goat is about 4 ounces once processed.

It takes the fibers collected from four goats to make a sweater. A knitting yarn to be treasured.

Ideal For: It’s soft and not itchy, so it’s ideal for knitting clothing. (Jumpers, socks, gloves, etc.)

Fun Facts

• Cashmere fiber is six times finer compared to human hair.
• 60% of the world’s cashmere is produced in China, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Alpaca

My Recommendations

Alpaca yarns are a super warm fiber perfect for knitting sweaters. Alpacas are often mistaken for Llamas.

Alpaca is natural wool from the South-American Alpaca. There are two types of Alpaca yarn, Huacaya, and Suri.

This yarn type is soft, almost silky, but it doesn’t hold its shape as well as wool does.

It’s more expensive and luxurious than regular wool.

I knitted a lace cowl from baby alpaca wool, and it was a delight to knit with and soft.

Wearing the cowl was lovely as it didn’t feel itchy at all.

Unfortunately, I gathered up my laundry and placed it in the washing machine, unaware my cowl was also in the pile.

My cowl was felted.

It destroyed the feature of the lace pattern. Still soft but nothing like its former glory.

A reminder to always check the yarn label for care instructions.

An alpaca blend is a good choice for adding softness to a project.

Ideal For: As mentioned before, Alpaca is soft and a little warmer than wool. Those qualities make it ideal for knitted winter items.

Fun Facts

• Did you know Alpaca fiber is water repellent?
• It’s also difficult to make it catch fire!
• They are some of the cutest fiber-producing animals.

Merino Wool

My Recommendations

Merino Wool Yarn is popular in extreme knitting. Knitting big chunky items.

It also comes from sheep, but from a specific breed, called the Merino Sheep.

This wool is unique because it’s soft and doesn’t cause allergic reactions.

Merino Wool knitted fabric keeps its shape well when blocked.

Merino creates little fuzzballs known as ‘pilling,’ which is a little annoying.

If you have a chance to use Merino wool, though, such as Cascade Yarn – 100% Superwash Merino Wool, go for it!

Roving is often used in full arm knitting.

Merino wool varies in yarn thickness and is packaged as a skein.

Ideal for: Merino Wool is great for making winter woolies for that special someone. Perfect for knitted socks, a soft yarn for scarf and baby clothes. Jumbo Merino Yarn is the type for extreme knitting.

Fun Fact: Merino Wool fibers withstand being bent back on themselves 20,000 times without breaking! The yarn structure is impressive.

Looking for the best place to buy yarn online? See my guide.

Organic Yarn

My Recommendations

Organic yarn is produced from wool free from chemicals. Sourced from sheep with no synthetic inputs.

The livestock has not been through dips, drenches, back lining, or antibiotics.

The cleaning process of Organic wool yarns includes using hot water and detergent.

Ideal for: Many organic yarns are from the Merino Sheep. This wool is excellent for winter knitted garments.

Fun Fact: Organic Yarn means it comes from healthy, happy sheep, and it’s good for the environment.

Cotton

My Recommendations

Cotton comes from the cotton plant.

It’s grown in warm climates, the biggest producers being India, the USA, and China.

It’s light, breathable, and strong. There are different types of cotton yarn, some fine, some heavier.

It doesn’t hold its shape when blocking, and your stitches won’t look as uniform.

It has little elasticity and is available in an amazing range of colors.

Ideal for: Cotton is light and breathable. Making it the perfect choice for dream summer knits, dishcloths, potholders, and scrubbies. Knitting or crocheting cotton creates lovely fabrics, a good choice for baby blankets.

Summer projects knitted with a cotton and linen blend have a lovely drape.

To learn new knitting stitches, I have created lots of dishcloths using cotton yarn from different countries I have visited.

They have been super fun to do.

The knitting practice gives me the confidence to take on bigger projects with interesting designs.

The finished knitted dishcloths also made the perfect gifts to the wonderful people I have met on my travels.

Fun Fact

• Cotton absorbs up to 27 times its weight in water! Watch out if you have a knitted cotton swimsuit!
• Cotton is the best yarn for amigurumi

A knit bowl is a wonderful idea to keep your yarn from rolling around.

Silk

My Recommendations

There are different types of silk yarn – Reeled silk yarn and spun silk yarn. It’s easy to work with but slippery.

Make sure you know what you’re doing before commencing a project with silk yarn.

Silk is the most expensive and lustrous fiber on our list.

It’s strong, shiny, and has a lovely feel on the skin. It doesn’t have much stretch.

There are some magical silk blends on the market, such as merino, silk, and cashmere.

Ideal For: Strong, shiny, and cool, the perfect yarn for summer items.

Fun Fact: Strong as steel in the tensile sense, silk is the strongest natural fiber known to humans!

Hemp Yarn

My Recommendations

Hemp, a relative newcomer to the knitting world, is a delightful natural fiber. Hemp is soft to the touch.

It’s hard-wearing and has a great stitch definition. It’s strong and sturdy but with flexibility.

Certain hemp has an appearance similar to twine. Known for its use in macrame.

Ideal For: Boot socks, Fisherman type sweaters, coats, scrubbies

Fun Fact: Hemp plants produce 250% more fiber than cotton.

A knitting tool is essential for carefree knitting.

Bamboo Yarn

My Recommendations

Bamboo is a natural fiber. It wears well and is often considered to have natural antibacterial properties.

It feels soft and has a wonderful drape.

The surface of a finished bamboo yarn project can pill.

Ideal For: Knitted garments requiring drape. Bamboo yarn is breathable and cool. It’s perfect for summer garments such as summer tops and sweaters.

Fun Fact: Bamboo is softer than silk when spun into yarn.

Acrylic

My Recommendations

Acrylic yarn is a human-made, synthetic fiber and is much cheaper than most natural fibers.

This yarn washes easily is color-fast and is a great choice for amateur knitters.

Many acrylic yarns are worsted weight.

It’s available in different yarn weights such as Sport and DK.

Different types of Sashay Yarn and Caron yarn are types of acrylic yarn.

Once you’ve gained a bit more experience, though, it’s better to use natural fibers.

Super bulky fibers made of this are yarn suitable for arm knitting.

Ideal for: Beginners Knitters attempting their first projects like scarves. 100% acrylic is the type of yarn for yarn braids.

Fun Facts

• Moths, oils, chemicals, and sunlight don’t like your Acrylic yarn clothes! No more holes in your clothes!
• Heat melts this yarn, it can’t be ironed
• This yarn is perfect for multi-color yarn braids.

Novelty Yarns

My Recommendations

Novelty Yarn comes in a variety of colors and textures and adds interest to a knitted garment.

Yarns are made of synthetic fibers, these yarn blends. Novelty yarns provide texture and interest.

Common types of Novelty Yarns:

• Bouclé: Loopy and bumpy. The loops are large or small.
• Chenille: Velvety and smooth. Tricky to knit with.
• Thick-thin: A finished knitted item using this yarn have thick and thin sections, which gives a bumpy look.
• Faux fur: Super Fluffy fiber strands on a strong base thread of nylon. The finished knitted item looks like faux fur.
• Railroad ribbon: As the name suggests, this yarn has tiny “tracks” of fiber strung between two parallel strands of thread.

Ideal For: Great for adding interest and texture to your knitted projects

Types of Polyester Yarn: Polyester Yarn is in wool/cotton/and blends of yarn. Many novelty yarns and bulky yarns are polyester yarns.

Glow in the dark: Companies over the years have made this yarn and then stopped making it. Create your own. There are methods published on the internet.

Types of Ribbon Yarn: Ribbon yarn, a novelty yarn, is made from various materials. Anything from rayon and nylon to cotton, but it looks and feels like a craft ribbon.

Ideal For: Ribbon yarn is excellent for accessories like belts and headbands, even bags. Be warned; Ribbon Yarn loves to twist and spin when being knitted.

Not So Fun Fact: Novelty yarns are difficult to knit with.

Mohair

My Recommendations

Mohair is soft and made from the hair of the Angora Goat. It’s durable, resistant, and shiny.

Not to be confused with the Angora Rabbit, which the wool Angora wool comes from.

Mohair has excellent insulating and moisture evaporation properties. It is a season all-rounder.

Mohair is a luxury fiber, making it more expensive than ordinary wool.

Ideal For: Mohair is for summer and winter. Some people find it to be itchy.

Fun Facts:

• Did you know Mohair Fiber’s nickname is Diamond Fiber? This is due to its high luster and sheen.
• Mohair is a good yarn for dyeing!

Self Striping Yarn

My Recommendations

Self-striping yarns have multiple colors spun together in unique ways for different effects.

The manufacturing process for dyeing yarns has evolved, so the yarn is dyed in patterns.

“Self-striping” yarn, also known as “painterly” yarn colors, change color as you knit or crochet.

The result is a knitted project with stripes of color.

Depending on the self-striping yarn used, the color changes are subtle or bold.

For example, some may knit up to look like a Fair Isle pattern. I loved knitting socks with wool with patterning.

When using this yarn, it looks as though you’ve changed colors.

The colorful striped effect comes from one continuous strand of yarn.

Of course, different stitches and patterns make the colorways work up differently.

Using this type of yarn has advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages include:

• Excellent choice of yarn for beginners who want to knit up colorful projects.
• No need to have multiple changes of colored yarn as the colors are in the one strand.
• Each Yarn has been dyed with colors that go together and have an appealing stripy effect. Takes the guesswork of whether or not colors go together when buying yarn on the internet.

Disadvantages include:

• Some work is required to find patterns and stitches to suit the self-striping yarn you’ve chosen.
• When comparing prices, the self-striped yarn is more expensive than buying different solid color yarns.
• Lack of control of where the color changes fall. Sometimes the stripy look is neat or uneven. Just be prepared to be surprised!

Ideal For: Self-striping yarns knit up colorful fun socks, scarves, cowls, afghans, beanie hats, and sweaters.

Fun Fact: Self-striping yarn is like magic. You never know how your project ends up!

Specialty Yarns

My Recommendations

These create special looks in knitted items.

Novelty Yarn comes in a variety of colors and textures and adds interest to a knitted garment.

Made of synthetic yarn blends, novelty yarns provide texture and interest.

• Tweed: Has a main color, flecked with bits of fiber in different colors.
• Heather: Blended from a number of different-colored or dyed fleeces, and then spun.
• Marled fabric ragg: Marled yarns are formed by twisting together plies of different colors. The result is a single strand with multiple colors winding around one another. Marled yarns are any number of plies—two, three, four, etc.

Ideal for: Adding texture and interest to your knitted projects.

Fun Fact: One specialty yarn, Eyelash, is a polyester yarn resembling eyelashes!

Wool Blend Yarns

My Recommendations

Wool Blend Yarns as the name suggests, are blended yarns of wool and other yarns.

Blends include cotton and silk or synthetic. For example, cotton acrylic yarn blend and Wool cotton blend yarn.

Wool manufacturers blend to combine the best features of each type of yarn included in the blend.

Ideal for: cozy knitted items

Fun fact: 50% Wool and 50% Cotton Blend is a great wool blend because each has qualities complimenting the other.

Yarn Weights and Yarn Types Go Hand in Hand

Yarns are made from many different fibers and come in different thicknesses, otherwise known as Yarn Weights.

Jumbo Yarn, a new member of the Yarn family, is thick and used in Arm knitting.

The other end of the scale is Lace yarn, one of the thinnest yarns. Often used for delicate shawls with lace pattern.

Checking the right Yarn weight for a knitted project is important.

The thickness of the yarn determines the dimensions and look of the final result.

Here is a chart explaining Yarn Weights and Category Names.

Meet The Yarn Weight Categories For The USA And The equivalents For The UK and AUS/NZ

Lace

Number #0 on the chart, Lace weight is the lightest, thinnest type of Yarn.

Used in lace knitting patterns, such as shawls and scarves.

• UK- 1 Ply
• AUS/NZ- 2 Ply
• Also known as Thread, Cobweb, Light Fingering Yarn

Super Fine

Number #1 on the chart, Superfine yarn, includes sock and fingering yarn.

Also used for shawls, this weight is thicker than lace.

If you want your stitches to be fine, this is the weight to go for.

This yarn weight is often used to make socks, hats, and mittens.

People with determination and time could make a sweater knit from super fine yarn; the results are gorgeous.

• UK – 3 Ply and 4 Ply
• AUS/NZ – 3 Ply and 4 Ply

Fine

Number #2 of the chart.

Fine yarn (sometimes confused with lightweight yarn, which is thicker,) includes sport and baby weight yarn.

A great all-rounder yarn for projects such as hats, socks, scarves, cardigans, and sweaters.

• UK – 5 Ply
• AUS/NZ – 5 Ply

Light

Number #3 on the chart, DK weight, and light worsted yarns are within this category.

This type of yarn is great for sock knitting.

• The UK – DK
• AUS/NZ – 8 Ply

Medium

Number #4 on the chart, this type of yarn includes worsted and aran.

It’s popular with beginner knitters and is suitable for many knitted projects.

• UK – Worsted/Aran
• AUS/NZ – 10 Ply

Bulky

Number #5 on the chart, chunky yarns and rug yarns fall into this category. Excellent for knitting up a project quickly.

As the name suggests, the result is bulky and chunky but makes for a cozy scarf or cowl.

• UK – Bulky
• AUS/NZ – 12 Ply

Super Bulky

Number #6 on the chart, Super bulky yarns make knitting up a hat super fast! They’re warm and have a bulky look.

• UK – Super Chunky
• AUS/NZ – 16 Ply +

Jumbo

Number #7 on the chart, the Jumbo category, is a relative newcomer to the Craft Yarn Council Chart.

Jumbo and Roving yarns fall in this category.

A popular choice for arm knitting scarves, blankets, and home decor.

• The UK – Jumbo
• AUS/NZ – Jumbo

What Does Ply Mean?

When you see the terms 2 ply, 4 ply, 8 ply, etc., it means 2 or more single strands have been twisted together.

To ply yarn, individual singles are spun together.

The twist is worked in the opposite direction from how they spun the singles.

The number relating to ply doesn’t determine how thick the yarn is.

You can have a bulky two-ply yarn or a thin four-ply yarn, depending on the thickness of the single strands.

Choosing the Right Yarn for a Pattern

Patterns almost always include the brand, weight, and color of yarn, as well as the size of knitting needle used.

Want to use a different brand of yarn?

It’s important to choose the same type of fiber and weight of yarn used in the pattern.

If you choose to use a different type of fiber, consider the result may look and feel different than the pattern.

Always make a swatch with the yarn and needle you plan to use for the pattern before starting.

You need to make sure you are knitting the correct gauge.

Some people knit tighter than others, so the gauge varies from person to person.

Adjust your needle size according to your gauge.

Patterns also tell you the yardage or grams of yarn used for a project.

Always buy more yarn than a pattern suggests in case of mistakes, knots, or gauge issues.

Understanding the Label

Each ball of yarn has a ball band (the label), which states everything you need to know.

Including the fiber content, weight, amount, care instructions, suggested needle size, gauge, and dye-lot number.

Fiber content: This is the material used and is often in percentages. (For example, 90% merino wool, 5% silk, and 5% cashmere.)

Yarn Weight: This is the total thickness of yarn, often measured in wraps per inch (WPI). The ply count also factors and ranges from the finest to the heaviest weights (usually between 1-ply and 14-ply).

In the United States, the categories range by the symbols numbered from 1-7 in the Standard Yarn Weight System.

Amount and weight of the ball: This is the total length of yarn, measured in yards and ounces or meters and grams.

Care instructions: This provides the necessary information on how to wash (by hand or machine and the temperature settings to use) and dry your knitted garment (whether it is to be air dried or tumble dried).

Also, if the fabric is suitable to dry clean or iron.

Suggested needle size and gauge: Yarn gauge is specified by the number of stitches and rows within a 4×4 inch or 10cmx10cm swatch. (Remember, it’s always important to check your yarn gauge.)

This determines whether you have to go up a needle size or down a needle size.

Dye-lot number: This refers to the color of yarn. When buying more than one ball, be sure the numbers match. Even when balls of yarn appear to be the same shade, the color differences show up in the final knitted fabric.

Weight

• What season is it?
• What will this knit be used for?
• What functions will it have?

Fibers and Texture

• How often will I use this item?
• Is the knitted project for a baby? Therefore the fiber needs to be soft.
• What sort of care will it need? Will I want to wash this item frequently?

Color

• What color best suits the person the knitted project is intended for?
• What color matches your home decor if knitting rugs or throws?

Budget and Price

• How much do you want to spend?
• Weigh the options between luxury yarn versus cheap yarns.
• What are you going to knit? A sweater with the most expensive yarn is pricey!

Fulfillment

Knitters should enjoy the yarn they interact with.

A project takes time, patience, and everything from the color, to the weight, texture are essential components to a successful and beautiful handmade project.

The whole point of choosing the right yarn is to make wonderful handcrafted items for yourself, family, friends, and other loved ones.

Using yarns you like is vital and makes better crafts!

In conclusion, there are so many different types of yarns.

I hope this article has helped you find out what materials are available to knitters.

Using this guide, you should be able to find the right one for your project. All the best in your knitting projects!

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