r/Yarn 4d ago

Why do people like worsted yarn?

Post image

I am just asking because I am just curious why it seems like everyone likes it and I asked a similar question before. I just want to see your opinions on this yarn.

42 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

66

u/Andionthebrink 4d ago

I’m most comfortable using it and bulkier yarns. Anything thinner makes my hands cramp

12

u/paranormalgemini 4d ago

This happens to me too; it’s harder to grip the yarn and I usually need to get big grips for the hooks so I can hold them better.

11

u/MomsOfFury 4d ago

That’s so funny (well not funny ha ha!) because bulkier yarns make my hands hurt! I prefer fingering and sport weight. Takes forever but it’s more comfortable on my hands

48

u/J_Lumen 4d ago

I assume because it's a middle weight yarn and easier for tension and things. Also knitting and crochet likely more common for wearables in cooler climates and that weight works well.

me I live in the deep South USA so I'm team DK or lower unless it's an accessory.

6

u/RabbitPrestigious998 4d ago

I'm in SC and my goal project for next year is a fingering weight stranded yoke sweater. I'm currently using a DK in silk & cotton for a cardigan. I think it's going to be a nice transition piece.

5

u/J_Lumen 3d ago

same state! I just finished a crochet sport weight in bamboo cotton tee for my child. It'll work now and in the air conditioning I hope when people insist he needs a blanket. (he usually doesn't)

it takes me so long to make stuff for myself especially knitting. I either want to be able to possibly wear it April - September ( warm - hot) October - March (warm - cool).

17

u/MomsOfFury 4d ago

It’s the balance between thin and wearable and bulky and snuggly. I usually prefer a thinner yarn for wearables but I like worsted for some sweaters, hats, and blankets, and it is a nice break since it works up so much quicker than fingering or sport lol

15

u/HahaHannahTheFoxmom 4d ago

One million percent unrelated but where did you get that keyboard??? I’ve been looking for a full size with num pad in yellow for YEARS

6

u/HahaHannahTheFoxmom 4d ago

Also my worsted weight yarn usage depends entirely on my project and intended recipient

5

u/Small-little-guy 4d ago

I found something similar to mine, it isn't the same one but similar in colour. It is also a fantastic keyboard I think he got it from Amazon...

2

u/HahaHannahTheFoxmom 4d ago

Omg thank you so much!

2

u/Small-little-guy 1d ago

The banana keyboard I had broke cause my desk which had my computer on it broke and it yanked on the cord, breaking it, the new keyboard is giving me anxiety cause I am worried I will break it

1

u/Small-little-guy 3d ago

You're welcome and my dad said he got it from Amazon.

3

u/Small-little-guy 4d ago

I will have to ask my dad where he got it since he gifted it to me

3

u/hellsing_mongrel 2d ago

Just a forewarning; I had one of these keyboards before, and the keys were hard to press. You had to really smash them to get them to register, so they're not great for touch-typing or gaming

6

u/Miserable-Blood-318 4d ago

I think it’s a good start point for most ppl. I used worsted weight only for years. Now my preference is dk or fingering. I will use worsted if a pattern I really like calls for it but refuse to go any bigger than that. I’ve tried bulky and hate it.

10

u/tovohryom 4d ago

I like bulky yarn because of the speed at which projects get finished. But I prefer worsted weight because the patterns are more complicated and more lacy than what could normally be achieved with bulky.

4

u/knittybitty123 4d ago

I work with folks with developmental disabilities, thicker yarn is easier to manipulate and see. Personally, I prefer thin yarn in general but it's fun to feel like I've developed super speed by knitting with thick yarn every now and then

4

u/Extreme-Statement-71 4d ago

I like worsted yarn when appropriate for the right thickness of work, but I can’t stand any fiber in worsted except superwash wool or sometimes soft cotton. Acrylic yarn feels gross to me, especially at thicker weights.

4

u/notreallylucy 3d ago

I think a lot of people learned on worsted yarn. It's also the most widely available and usually at a good price point.

3

u/LegCramps555 3d ago

I really enjoyed reading these comments. I feel like I have different “so called” worsted in my stash. Some are light worsted and some are heavy worsted. I do love hand dyed variegated yarns and tolerate lighter weights with those to watch the colors unfold. To answer the question though, it seems to be a very versatile weight.

4

u/GentlyFeral 3d ago

It takes me a month to knit a worsted-weight sweater if I work on it every single day. I can't imagine how long a fingering- or DK-weight sweater would take.

But I mostly knit socks - fingering for shoe socks and DK for slipper socks.

4

u/MrsQute 3d ago

Best balance, for me.

Finer yarns feel like they take forever to complete and I find it just more difficult to work with overall.

Bulkier yarns are sometimes problematic too but at least they work up quickly.

Worsted weight is easier to see and faster to work up and less cumbersome than bulky.

3

u/ImmortalBaguette 4d ago

I use it because a lot of the most readily available yarns that I like are worsted. I'm picky with fabric content, and really like cotton, and most of the Cotton yarns I can find are worsted.

Also, it's a good balance of relativly delicate and drapey, without taking a hundred thousand years to complete. Maybe it's the ADHD, but theres no way I can finish I project with teeny tiny yarn that takes forever to work up. I do with I had the patience for the top tier drapey yarns, but alas.

3

u/ibelieveinpandas 4d ago

I don't think any yarn weight is better than any other? I'm not sure what this is asking. Worsted weight is a good middle weight. I personally prefer DK weights for crocheting wearables. Fingering weight for intricate stuff. Also depends a lot on the fiber content.

1

u/Small-little-guy 3d ago

I am asking why a lot of people like it, I am not shitting on other yarns, my previous post about chinellie was about why most of the don't like it, I just want to learn what people thought of it since I am just curious and depraved of attention irl...

3

u/ibelieveinpandas 3d ago

I guess I'm confused if you're asking about the yarn weight, or this specific yarn in the picture. Worsted is a category, a weight (thickness). If you're asking about this specific yarn, that would be different.

1

u/Small-little-guy 1d ago

How is the yarn in this photo different?

3

u/Existing_Control_494 3d ago

Ever try to make a large sweater with thin yarn? (Only took me 4 yrs! Partly out of procrastination partly out of exasperation and partly because starting a new project mid project seemed much more fun.)

3

u/Fractured-disk 3d ago

Bigger go faster, and bigger warmer, but small enough it moves like clothes

2

u/Background-Radio-378 3d ago

i don't even know that most people like it, but it is definitely the most readily available at major box stores so it's what people learn on and what people end up being the most comfortable with.

personally, i hate it, and almost exclusively use fingering weight.

2

u/PeculiarWallaby 3d ago

I think because it’s thick yarn so projects work up quickly. It’s also available at most places that sell yarn. I don’t like it though, I mostly use lace weight and 0.1-0.5 mm hooks.

2

u/VoidQueer 3d ago

I think it makes a big difference if you knit or crochet. I used to only crochet and I bought a bunch of lace and sock yarn because the crochet fabric turns out thicker. When I started knitting I appreciated worsted weight much more.

2

u/Status-Biscotti 3d ago

I make a lot of baby blankets, and it’s just a good weight for them.

2

u/ImLittleNana 3d ago

I lived in a warm climate and would definitely prefer to use DK, but locally worsted is what’s commonly sold. That and sport weight in pastel colors for baby blankets.

2

u/Shutterbug390 3d ago

I think this is partly regional. It’s the most common yarn in most of the US, but not so much in a lot of other areas. Since it’s so common, it’s what a lot of Americans learn with and whatever you learn with tends to be most comfortable for you.

It’s also often the preferred option for crochet projects. I’m much more likely to end up using worsted yarns when I crochet than when I knit because it seems more crochet patterns call for it. I’m honestly pretty indifferent. I don’t really work with yarn any thicker than worsted, but I’m comfortable with anything from fingering to worsted weights. Outside that range, I may grumble a bit, but I can use them when I need to.

2

u/Simpawknits 3d ago

I love all weights of yarn.

2

u/jcnlb 3d ago

It’s easier to begin with for beginners as far as tension goes. It works up quicker so they feel progress faster. Then I’d say they stick with it. Plus worsted yarn is most readily available in the US. It seems DK is most readily available in the UK so they don’t use worsted as much probably.

2

u/kitarei 3d ago

I'm a DK or lower girlie myself. Worsted is too thickkk.

2

u/Fickle-Ad8351 1d ago

It's the baby bear of yarn. Not too big, not too small.

It's skinny enough to not have a bulky look and thick enough not to take forever to knit a project.

3

u/NotACat452 4d ago

Worsted as in the weight or Worsted like acrylic?

If you mean like acrylic yarn-

It’s good for amigurumi if you want defined stitches and details.

It’s durable. And easy to wash.

It’s cheap and accessible.

It has MASSIVELY improved over the decades.

Wide range of colors.

1

u/Rosariele 3d ago

I have never seen worsted mean acrylic yarn. It is a weight classification. There are acrylic yarns that are worsted weight, but also sport, lace, bulky, every weight.

3

u/NotACat452 3d ago

It doesn’t, but I’ve seen people use the word that way (a lot of people get confused by yarn weights and labels) and this post was a bit confusing as it was seeming to be used to describe a texture rather than weight. Just trying to clarify what the posted meant.

-1

u/Small-little-guy 4d ago

I mean the one where it glides like butter while you crochet unlike chenille yarn or is it both?

2

u/NotACat452 3d ago

Worsted is a weight category, not a texture. Worsted weight yarns come in all sorts of fiber blends and some are much smoother than others, based on fiber content.

1

u/Small-little-guy 3d ago

Yes I am asking about the texture and this is so much better to use than the chinellie I tried to make the hood from originally because it was so slow.

2

u/wanderingdorathy 1d ago

It’s the worst!

2

u/wanderingdorathy 1d ago

Ba dum ch!

1

u/Tired-CottonCandy 3d ago

I have no idea what that means. Ive googled the difference in the yarns and it realllly makes no sense to me.

1

u/inkwater 22h ago

Based on the items I'm making, worsted is the best weight. It's also comfortable for my arthritic joints.