Yarn wpi tool

Understanding how wraps per inch or WPI works is the secret. I wanted to see if I could substitute some size 3 crochet thread I had in my stash for the fingering-weight yarn used in Interweave Crochet Summer for the Aquatic Swimsuit.

So I conducted an experiment. Wraps per inch indicates the thickness of a yarn. Some WPI tools look like a small wooden dowel with a knob on the end. Others have an inch of space carved out of a rectangle of wood. To use a WPI tool, wrap your yarn around the dowel or wood piece from one inch marking to the next, with each wrap of the yarn touching the previous wrap and no wraps overlapping.

Be careful not to pull the yarn too tight. Count the number of times the yarn wraps around the tool within one inch. You can replicate a WPI tool by wrapping yarn around a pencil the pencil must have the same circumference for its entire length , with each wrap of the yarn touching the previous wrap and no wraps overlapping.

Again, be careful not to pull the yarn too tight. Once you have a few inches of wrapped yarn, hold the pencil up to a tape measure or ruler and count the number of yarn wraps in one inch.

The Craft Yarn Council has established a numbering system for classifying yarn weights. You will often see these numbers on yarn labels or in Interweave patterns. The United Kingdom and Australia might use different terminology for example, a number 4 medium-worsted-weight yarn in the United States might be referred to as an Aran-weight in the United Kingdom or a ply in Australia.

Crochet thread is a bit different from other yarn because it is typically made of mercerized cotton with an especially tight twist. Measure a few places as you would a gauge swatch. Use the chart provided to compare your WPI number to the weight category to determine the weight of your yarn, and what hook or needle to use to reach a standard size gauge. Keep in mind that WPI is subjective, and results will vary depending on how tightly the yarn is wrapped.

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