How to Read a Yarn Label

Have you ever looked at a yarn label and thought, what do all of these symbols and abbreviations mean? In this post I will show you how to read a yarn label so that you can choose the right yarn for your project!

Why Should I Know How to Read a Yarn Label?

It is important to learn how to read a yarn label so that you can choose the right yarn for your project. Choosing the wrong yarn can lead to garments that don’t fit, amigurumi that falls apart, not having enough yarn to finish your project and so much more!

The yarn label can tell you so many important things that you might should know before deciding what you’ll use for your crochet project.

Yarn Weight

The yarn weight of each skein will be identified with one of the below symbols. One of the most common yarn sizes, and the one that most people are familiar with is worsted weight yarn. Worsted weight yarn is identified as a 4 or medium weight. The Craft Yarn Council offers a very detailed overview of the yarn weight system.

Most crochet patterns will include the yarn weight that the pattern was designed with. If you are making something like a garment that will need to fit a certain size, it is important that you choose the same yarn weight that is provided by the pattern.

If you are making something like an amigurumi, where the finished size of the item isn’t that important, you have more options in the yarn weight that you choose. However, keep in mind that if an amigurumi is designed with worsted weight yarn like Brava yarn, and you use a super bulky yarn like Bernat Blanket, your project will be significantly larger than what is shown in the pattern.

Washing Instructions

When learning how to read a yarn label, the washing instructions will tell you how to care for your project once it is finished.

The washing instructions will tell you if a yarn can go in the washing machine or if it needs hand washed, it may tell you if that yarn can go in the dryer or if it should be air dried, and more. Some yarns can only be spot cleaned. You should always check your yarn label before washing any of your finished projects.

Suggested Hook Size

The yarn label will also include a suggested hook size to be used for this kind of yarn. This will give you a guide for what hook to start with for a yarn you haven’t used before.

If you are making an amigurumi however, you generally always want to use a hook size that is smaller than what the yarn label suggests. You can read more about amigurumi hook sizes here.

However, with amigurumi, you generally always want to use a hook size that is smaller than what the yarn label suggests.

Fiber Content and Dye Lots

Fiber content indicates what the yarn is made out of. This becomes important when you are perhaps creating a project that may need washed often, or when you are making a garment with a nice drape. You may also want to avoid certain fibers due to an allergy. The fiber content is typically noted near the yarn weight symbol and will look something like this:

100% Acrylic

or

95% Acrylic
5% Wool

There are often subtle differences between the colors of each batch of yarn that is made. While all the red yarn on the shelf at the store might appear to just be red, once they are worked up in a large project, you can sometimes tell a slight difference in color.

The dye lot of the yarn is indicated on the label in a format similar to what is shown below. It is often located near the color name of the yarn.

Lot: 1234

The dye lot is the unique number assigned to the batch of yarn that was dyed at one time.

If you are working on a smaller project, you won’t need to pay much attention to the dye lot. But if you are working on a larger project like a blanket or garment, where you’ll need multiple skeins of the same color yarn, you’ll want to check that all of the dye lots are the same.

Yardage / Skein Weight

The next step in learning how to read a yarn label is identifying how much yarn is in the skein! The yardage and skein weight may be displayed a bit differently, depending on what brand of yarn you’re looking at. Generally it will have something like this:

218 yards/100 grams

or

236yds/215m and 5oz/141g

The yardage indicates how much yarn (length) is in the skein. Some yarn labels will also include the length in meters as well.

The weight indicates just that, how much the skein of yarn weighs. The weight is displayed in grams and/or ounces.

The combination of length and weight is what determines which yarn weight symbol above is used on the label.

Yarn Label Examples

The photos below illustrate the different parts of a yarn label. The location of these are different for every brand of yarn, but once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll know how to read a yarn label for any yarn that you choose!

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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to read a yarn label! Make sure to check out my other free crochet tutorials!

More Crochet Tutorials and Resources

Are you new to crocheting? Take a look at some of my beginner stitch tutorials like how to make a chain or how to single crochet. If you enjoy making amigurumi, take a look at my amigurumi tips and tricks post!