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Buying Wool and Yarn
Buying wool and yarn is an extremely important part of your project. When buying a pattern, a specific brand name and type of yarn will be recommended and then knitter knows never to sway from this as very different results can happen. Different manufacturers may produce standard weights which can vary from one yarn manufacturer to the other. For example, three ply or double knitting vary a lot. One manufacturer could produce a double knitting weight which could be fuller than average. They will recommend how many balls of wool will be needed for that specific pattern, but if you go with somebody else's, you may not have enough.
When buying wool and yarn, it could be heavy, so the length of a certain weight of a ball of wool could be less than a ball in a lighter yarn. In other words, if you buy the wrong yarn you may need more or less than the quantity specified in the pattern. There is nothing worse than coming to the end of the project, and running out of wool. There could be the dilemma that the shop around the corner has run out and you have to source the exact colour and weight when buying wool and yarn elsewhere.
When buying wool and yarn it is also important to check the dye lot number. When yarn is dyed, the maker's number has its own batch in what is called a dye lot. That number is printed on the band round each ball of wool. There could be a tiny difference in colour between one dye lot and another, but this will stand out and be glaringly obvious in the finished article if you make a mistake in the beginning. It will mean you may end up with an unattractive patchy effect. It is perfectly possible for a stray ball of wool to get mixed up with the one you want to use, so always check and choose the yarn needed for a particular garment from the same dye lot.
Yarn is often named by the ply number, such as two ply four ply, etc. This is the number which indicates how many strands are twisted together to make the yarn in the first place. Two ply yarns are usually very fine but if the individual strands are thick, such as rug wool, then this could be made up of two very thick strands. Generally, though, two ply is very fine, three ply a little thicker, four ply is popular for thin sweaters, socks and double knitting is a heavier weight, which is quick to knit but not too bulky.
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