Knitting help - aran/worsted vs DK?

[forbetterorworsted]

Hi all!

I have bought a pattern to knit a lovely blanket that calls for DK weight wool. However, I saw a blanket needed with worsted weight wool that looked so soft and fluffy and the stitch definition was beautiful!

I would like to knit my DK pattern with the worsted weight wool but no idea how much I would need! The pattern calls for 840m in DK. Any help would be appreciated, I'm a total beginner!

[forbetterorworsted]

Needed = knitted!

[TwoJackRussellsandababy]

If you substitute do for worsted/Aran it might be an idea to do some swatching you might end up with a much smaller blanket than anticipated.

[forbetterorworsted]

Thank you. Do you think it's worth me just ordering one skein for now and knitting a swatch to try and calculate what I'll need?

[TwoJackRussellsandababy]

You could do, although you need to make sure you get the same dye lot for the rest or the colours might be out

[mackerella]

Assuming you knit to tension, you can calculate how much (roughly) to cast on and how long to knit from that. For example, say the pattern suggests a tension of 22 st x 30 rows using DK yarn, and you're supposed to cast on 300 stitches. If you substitute a worsted yarn with a recommended tension of 18 st x 24 rows, then you will need to cast on only about 245 stitches to get the same row width. You may need to adjust this number if your pattern requires a particular number of stitches to work (e.g. a multiple of 8). I don't know how to calculate the quantity of yarn needed, but a quick google suggests anything between 60% and 90% of the DK yardage .

What yarn are you using? I've always thought of "worsted" as being more of a US yarn weight, and DK/Aran being more common in the UK?

[forbetterorworsted]

Oh thank you! Gosh sounds quite complicated. No particular yarn but I saw a blanket on purl bee knitted with worsted weight yarn that looked lovely and fluffy (inspiration for nickname). They're American so would I buy aran weight here? My pattern calls for DK weight and just wondered if I could do a blanket with same design but chunkier?

[MerryMingeWhingesAgain]

Yes, you would end up with a bigger blanket. But if you are using thicker wool you need to use bigger needles too. Usually if 4mm for DK then 5mm/5.5mm for aran.

[forbetterorworsted]

www.thelittleknittingcompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=115_118&products_id=846

This is my pattern. Because of the different stitches it's going to be tricky to calculate yardage isn't it? I want this to be an heirloom blanket so picking the right yarn is a tough decision! I'm only a beginner as well so thought this was a good pattern for different textures using only knit and purl!

[MerryMingeWhingesAgain]

Ok. Aran or DK should be fine for that, just use bigger needles if you are using an aran. It will be thicker and bigger all round, and heavier. You will need more yards I think, too.

But - you may well get better stitch definition with most DK weight wools. I would recommend using a DK. A fluffy yarn will make it difficult to see those different stitch patterns.

[forbetterorworsted]

Thank you for your advice. I think I'll stick with DK. I was thinking merino might be nice and soft. Any yarn recommendations?

[fossil971]

Rowan wool cotton is 50% merino, 50% cotton DK. I've done a few baby blankets in that. Make sure you get one that's machine washable, because you know what babies do on their blankets . Also I do look at the yarn reviews on Ravelry, sometimes the softest yarn on the ball just bobbles badly and goes shapeless in the wash.

The Mumsnet blankets have been using Cashmerino DK which is nice and soft, not sure how it wears but it is machine washable.

[forbetterorworsted]

Thank you so much! I didn't think ti check ravelry for yarn reviews so will do that. Right I think I'm ready to get started! Have been distracted by learning to crochet as well. Now I want a granny square blanket too!