I crocheted these 'In the Night Garden' toys for H & P for Christmas. I'm not very good at embroidering faces on toys, luckily Iggle Piggle and Makka Pakka are meant to have slightly daft expressions! Makka Pakka is my favourite, he is a quirky stone-age type character who lives in a cave and collects rocks.
The Pattern was from Ravelry, by Magdalena Svartlok, easy to follow and fun to make.
UK hook size USA hook size
2.25mm B/1
2.75mm C/2
3.25mm D/3
3.5mm E/4
3.75mm F/5
4mm G/6
5mm H/8
5.5mm I/9
6mm J/10
6.5mm K/10.5
8mm L/11
9mm M/13
10mm N/15
15mm P/19
16mm Q
19mm S/35
| UK |
USA |
Suggested |
Typical uses |
|
|
Hook |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2ply |
Baby |
2.25 to 3.5mm |
Baby clothes |
|
Fingering |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3ply |
Fingering |
3 to 4mm |
Baby clothes, |
|
Sock |
|
shawls, socks |
|
|
|
|
| 4ply |
Sport |
3.5 to 4.5mm |
Baby clothes, |
|
|
|
shawls, socks, |
|
|
|
lightweight sweaters |
|
|
|
|
| Double Knitting |
Double Knitting |
4 to 5mm |
Children's clothes, |
|
Light Worsted |
|
toys, adult sweaters |
|
|
|
|
| Aran |
Fisherman, |
5.5 to 6.5mm |
Adult Sweaters |
|
Worsted |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chunky |
Bulky |
6.5 to 9mm |
Adult Sweaters, |
|
|
|
Bags |
|
|
|
|
| Extra Chunky |
Super Bulky | 9mm-12mm | Bags, Rugs |
Yarn comes in a wide variety of thicknesses, and it can be quite daunting when you first start crocheting to know which yarn to use. Most patterns will specify a yarn, and give an approximate gauge / tension size, usually how many stitches and rows over a 4 x 4 inch square. (Tension is the traditional term used in knitting in the UK, but the US term is gauge).
It's important to check your gauge / tension before starting a project, to make sure you have the correct yarn and hook size, especially when making something that needs to fit, like clothing. Once you've been crocheting for a while, you'll be able to play around with different weight yarns and not just stick to the yarn weight specified in a pattern.
The names for different weight yarns vary between the UK and USA. Bear in mind that even yarns in the same weight can vary a great deal, eg Paton's Diploma Gold DK is much thinner than say, a budget acrylic DK like Paton's Fab.
I've included the recommended hook sizes for each yarn, although again, this varies depending on what you are making. For a bag you would use a smaller hook to create a dense, tight stitch, but for something drapey like a shawl or scarf you would use a larger hook. A crochet pattern will always tell you which hook size to use.
Happy crocheting!
I'd just like to say thank you so much to all of my lovely customers who've supported me this year. I love being a work-at-home mum, difficult as it is sometimes! I get to spend time with my two boys at home, and I also get to have fun making things and writing patterns when they are in bed. So thank you to everyone who has ordered something from my shop, bought a pattern, posted a picture of a finished item on Ravelry, or just commented, it really means a lot to me and my little family.
2012 has been a bit rough for a lot of people, I hope that 2013 can be a happier year for everyone. So happy new year, happy crafting, and most of all, be kind to yourself and to those around you.
